Spain won the Euro 2024 final with a late goal to break England hearts for a second European Championship final in succession.
Mikel Oyarzabal struck home from close range in the 86th minute after Cole Palmer had levelled for England in the 73rd minute to set up an exciting finish last Sunday.
England captain Harry Kane said after the match: “It’s as painful as it can be in a football match…. we wanted to do it so badly, so now it’s just huge disappointment.”
England’s bid to win the European Championships for the first time ended in defeat.
It’s been a rough few years for pubs and bars who have been struggling with the legacy of Covid and a cost of living crisis – but England’s performance in this tournament gave them a much needed shot in the arm.
Grand heroic welcome for the Spanish team
Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, said the England team had “inadvertently saved our sector”.
He added: “I can attest that tonight we witnessed a group of footballers who gave their all on the field in pursuit of a national legacy”.
And the Spaniards, the undisputed best team of the tournament, the toast of soccer purists, the chief storytellers, the top goalscorers, roared to their fourth European title.
They had already knocked off Germany and France. They had won six of six, and arrived in Berlin favored to win a seventh match in a row, this blockbuster final against an underperforming England team overflowing with talent.
Yamal and Williams, two delightful and youthful wingers in Spain’s team were the ones who transformed a decent team into a dynamic unit. For years, Spain had controlled games but lacked directness and end product.
Even then, however, Spain continued to ascend. For 25 minutes, most seasoned eyes could only see one potential winner.
Cole Palmer, Chelsea’s stone-cold, slim, understated star, entered in the 70th minute. In the 73rd, out of almost nowhere, he slotted a 20-yard shot through Spanish bodies, past goalkeeper Unai Simón, and into a net that, until that point, England had hardly even threatened to find.
But the equalizer was a blip, not a momentum-swinger. Spain stayed steady, and resumed its ascent. Yamal, one day past his 17th birthday, tested Pickford. A few minutes later, Oyarzabal — onside by perhaps only a few inches — beat him.
And Spain, which has arguably done more than any other nation to shape modern soccer, became the first to win four European championships.
England manager Gareth Southgate, looking utterly dejected on BBC One said: “I think we’ve competed until the very end of the final. Today we didn’t keep possession well enough, especially when we defended well and we weren’t able to get out of that pressure which meant they had more control of the game, which can wear you down a bit.
“We had a big chance at the end to equalise – it’s fine margins, but they were the best team in the tournament and deserved to win. It’s easy to say it was ‘one moment too far’ and there’s a disadvantage to having a day less to prepare, but it’ll take a while to pick the bones out of this game.”
When asked about Harry Kane, Southgate adds: “Physically its’ been a tough period for Harry Kane – he came in short of games and didn’t quite get up to the level we all hoped.” (Yahoo sports)
