Rodri off injured at half-time while captain Álvaro Morata didn’t have his shooting boots on. Neither potential storyline mattered though in the end, as two Real Sociedad substitutes – Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Oyarzabal – played an instrumental role during Spain’s stunning 2-1 win over England to emerge victorious in the Euro 2024 final, securing a record fourth tournament triumph.
Olmo plays keeper in cagey second-half
Spain 2-1 England
Williams 47, Oyarzabal 86 — Palmer 73
- History away from home: Spain have now surpassed Germany (3) as the sole record-winners of the competition (1964, 2008, 2012) with a fourth tournament triumph and… did so in Berlin’s Olympiastadion
- Barcelona’s prodigious wonderkid Lamine Yamal wins Young Player of the Tournament and gets assist a day after his 17th birthday, while Rodri and Dani Olmo among others praised following faultless Euro campaign
- England boss Gareth Southgate tells Gabriel Clarke post-match on ITV: “We had a lot of issues coming into the tournament and have just fallen short. When you’re as close as that, gotta take your chances. We didn’t keep the ball well enough, they had more control and that made the difference.”
- Okay, what now? Questions will again persist about Southgate’s international future after falling short at final hurdle for second consecutive European Championships as captain Harry Kane insisted afterwards team want him to stay, but 53-year-old must decide himself
SPAIN did it the hard way, but had the final laugh during a cagey Euro 2024 final between two sides with contrasting fortunes across this month-long tournament.
It felt fitting Álvaro Morata’s understudy and longtime Premier League target Mikel Oyarzabal would get the tournament-clinching strike, expertly assisted by Chelsea fullback Marc Cucurella – who hasn’t made many new friends in Germany, nor west London given his stuttering form since leaving Brighton two summers ago.
England squeezed their way beyond a cluster of teams to reach this finale after underwhelming in group stage play, while Spain were a rare bright spark in a European competition many bemoaned for its distinct lack of attacking cohesion.
Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw, starting his first match since February ahead of Kieran Trippier, made a conscious effort to keep Lamine Yamal quiet by being an overly physical presence from the wonderkid’s very first touch.
John Stones tracked Nico Williams’ early surging runs well, timing a sliding block to perfection in snuffing out the Athletic Bilbao forward’s attempt after 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, Sociedad centre-back Robin Le Normand’s hopeful effort trickled wide after Stones’ Manchester City teammate Rodri kept play going from a deep corner moments later.
Kyle Walker had a brief injury scare after sliding and landing awkwardly on the grass run-off into Spain’s technical area, catching Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente too but not long after Trippier was seen warming up, the City man was sprinting towards the area on the overlap for Bukayo Saka to utilise. Those bursts went unrewarded.
Marc Guehi saved Phil Foden’s blushes after he cheaply relinquished possession in the England half, another sign of the foreshadowing that was to come.
It was a tale of two risky slide challenges shortly afterwards, Dani Carvajal on an onrushing Shaw before Harry Kane did the same to Fabian Ruiz.
The first saw a promising attack peter out for England in the area, while Kane was the first player into the book after a studs-up tackle took out the midfielder.
Complain as he did Olmo was next after a high challenge on Declan Rice, moments after Morata’s miskick stopped a Spain breakaway in its tracks as Williams buzzed around intently and the in-demand RB Leipzig midfielder raced away in space.
Unai Simon was equal to Foden’s hopeful stretching effort from a Rice free-kick after Williams fouled Walker, a half-chance borne from Jude Bellingham – not for the first time – hustling and harrying club teammate Carvajal into dithering in possession.
England were psychologically boosted by the sight of Sociedad’s Zubimendi, rather than the dependable Rodri, coming out for the second-half.
Williams finds a way through
70 seconds later, they had bigger problems entirely. Southgate’s side hadn’t yet touched the ball and Jordan Pickford was gesticulating at his defenders for sleepwalking their way into conceding the opener – Carvajal fed Yamal, who advanced and spreaded the play towards Williams on the far side. He smartly sidefooted into the far corner, and England again had a deficit to overturn.
Olmo almost made it a two-goal deficit in a matter of three minutes, but rushed the contact and dragged his shot wide after Williams fed the ball into his path.
Morata and Williams both came close to doubling that lead too, before Southgate hooked Kane as semifinal hero Ollie Watkins was on in his place, England needing an injection of pace and guile to give the Spain backline something to worry about.
Bellingham blazed wide with a snapshot after skilfully sending Carvajal and Olmo crashing into one another with as Foden’s off-ball pressure almost paid dividends, before Pickford’s diving save kept his teammates in the game to thwart Yamal.
Palmer powers home
Off came Morata for Zubimendi’s club teammate Oyazarbal as Pickford swatted away two dangerous crosses with the contest becoming increasingly stretched. Moments after Zubimendi-Oyazarbal combined for a hopeful low effort at the near post smothered by the Everton goalkeeper, England broke away on the counter.
Saka raced away and drew two Spain players before passing to Bellingham, who laid off Cole Palmer – on for Kobbie Manoo two minutes earlier – and the Chelsea midfielder equalised, guiding an excellent strike into the far corner.
Spain carved England open after Zubimendi picked Palmer’s pocket in midfield, Olmo’s clever dummy freed Yamal to strike goalwards but Pickford again denied him – the shot fizzed at point-blank range as he called for calm.
Calm they were not and soon enough, their collective emotions turned from renewed optimism into hurried desperation after Guehi’s hopeful long ball forward towards Watkins trickled out for a throw-in in Spain’s half.
Watkins motioned for runners in support but that cry fell on deaf ears, as a four-pass sequence opened up space vacated between Saka and Walker down the right.
Walker couldn’t make a last-ditch recovery as Cucurella beat him to the ball after Oyarzabal’s one-touch pass out wide as the winger ghosted in space between Guehi and Walker – the latter keeping him onside – to slide home from close-range.
Rice and Guehi both thought they headed home an equaliser two minutes later from a Palmer corner delivery, Simon parried Rice’s initial effort, before Olmo’s goalline clearance thwarted Guehi’s follow-up attempt as Spain players celebrated wildly.
The last-gasp responses and fairytale finishes had finally run out for Southgate’s side, though he accepting afterwards this core group still have plenty to look forward to. However, that’s no consolation for how they’ll be feeling now given how close they came and again being too conservative when the game hung in the balance.
Picture source: Getty Images
Mo and Sports 