Spain have won Euro 2024 after a last-gasp second half against England, who lose their second consecutive European final and fail to break a 58-year-long trophyless curse.
ADVERTISEMENTEuro 2024 is over. Spain are crowned champions after beating England 2-1 to win the trophy for a record fourth time, while England lose their second consecutive European final following the 2021 defeat to Italy on home soil.
The game lightened up in the second half with all three goals scored in the last forty-five minutes. Nico Williams netted first, in the 47th minute, before Pamer equalised with a stunner for England in the 73rd.
In the 86th minute, Oyarzabal, a backup striker who came on as a substitute for captain Alvaro Morata, slid in to poke home a left-wing cross by Marc Cucurella, just when the game at Berlin’s Olympiastadion seemed destined for extra time.
“We are thrilled and hope this can keep going and we can go for the 2026 World Cup", said a jubilant Nico Williams after the final whistle, as he was elected man of the match.
Spain won all seven games at this European Championship - an unprecedented streak - and there were joyous scenes after the final whistle, with defender Dani Carvajal piled on by jubilant teammates after slumping to the ground.
Spain won their previous European titles in 1964, 2008 and 2012.
“This is the best (birthday) gift I could have asked for,” said Lamine Yamal, who turned 17 on Saturday and became the youngest player to win a Euro. “It is a dream come true.”
It was fitting that Yamal and Williams combined for the crucial first goal as they are the poster boys of this exciting, multicultural team.
Yamal’s mother is from Equatorial Guinea and his father is from Morocco, while fellow winger Williams has Ghanaian parents who made the long journey to Europe looking for a better life. To make it to Spain, they had to ride on the back of a crowded truck and walk barefoot through the Sahara desert.
Spain are back as a major player in senior football after winning both the Women’s World Cup and the men’s UEFA Nations League in 2023.
Since 2001, Spanish men’s teams have won 23 consecutive major finals in club and international football.
Meanwhile, fans who had watched the game on a big screen in Madrid celebrated wildly, chanting “champions, champions” in Spanish.
It was a great sporting day for the nation, with Carlos Alcaraz winning the Wimbledon men's singles title for a second straight year hours before the Euro 2024 final.
England's nearly 60-year-old trophyless streak continues
As per England, the men’s team has now lost back-to-back Euro finals.
They were defeated in a penalty shootout by Italy in the final in 2021 - and this was another agonizing loss for a team that will have gone six decades without a major title by the next World Cup.
ADVERTISEMENTEngland’s women have been more successful, though, winning the European Championship in 2021. England’s defeat Sunday came in front of Prince William and Spain’s King Felipe.
“This time it just wasn’t meant to be,” William wrote on social media. “We’re all still so proud of you.”
It was the fourth straight game that the English came from behind since the group stage, but their resilience wasn’t rewarded this time.
“It has been a difficult ride, we have done extremely well to get here, but ultimately we are going to be judged on this game,” England captain Harry Kane said. “We wanted to do it so badly for ourselves and the fans, everyone who has believed in us.”
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Southgate looks forward to future despite painful defeat
England boss Gareth Southgate is leaving his future as England manager open for now. His contract expires in December and it's unclear whether he might sign an extension that would cover upcoming tournaments such as the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“I don’t think now is a good time to make a decision like that. I’m going to talk to the right people," Southgate told British broadcaster ITV after the final. “It’s just not for now.”
He added: “I think England are in a really good position in terms of the experiences they’ve got now, the age of the squad. Most of this squad are going to be around not just for the World Cup but the next Euros as well. There’s a lot to look forward to but at this moment that’s not any consolation.”
Southgate has been in charge of England since 2016, reaching two European Championship finals and the World Cup semifinals in 2018.
ADVERTISEMENTSpain's Rodri wins man of the tournament as Kane ends as joint top-scorer
England striker Harry Kane finished Euro 2024 in a six-way tie for top scorer, another individual accolade for a player yet to win a major trophy for club or country.
Kane ended the tournament tied on three goals with Spain midfielder Dani Olmo, Germany midfielder Jamal Musiala, Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo, Slovakia winger Ivan Schranz and Georgia striker Georges Mikautadze.
Kane has now been a runner-up in back-to-back European Championship finals after England's loss to Italy three years ago, and a runner-up in one Champions League final and two English League Cups, even as he's won a string of individual scoring awards.
UEFA allowed multiple players to share the Euro 2024 top scorer award if they scored the same number of goals, in a change from recent tournaments.
ADVERTISEMENTUnder the old system, Olmo would have won the tiebreaker with two assists, the most among the players tied on three goals.
UEFA named Spain midfielder Rodri its player of the tournament and Spain forward Lamine Yamal, who turned 17 on Saturday, was the young player of the tournament.