Spain defeated England in the final of Euro 2024 to lift the trophy for the record fourth time. It was a thrilling summit clash between the two deserving teams but Spain prevailed in the end winning the game 2-1 thanks to the late winner from Mikel Oyarzabal. Gareth Southgate and Luis de la Fuente, coaches of Spain and England respectively, both had emphasized small margins to play a crucial role and it happened the same way in the thrilling game.
Interestingly, both teams played the waiting game in the first half and it was 0-0 at the half time. Spain imposed themselves on the opposition to start with but could never really create any realistic chance and England were more on the defensive. But soon after the game resumed in the second half, things started happening and the men in red, as expected, were the first to break the deadlock.
Nico WIlliams found the nets in the 47th minute to take Spain into the lead thanks to yet another assisting effort from the young Lamine Yamal. The goal seemed to be enough for Spain to take home the trophy at one stage but England hit back with the equaliser. Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham joined hands to assist the eventual goal as Cole Palmer found the nets, only three minutes after coming on as a substitute in the final as England drew level in the 73rd minute.
Spain kept coming into England’s half as full time neared and there was an air of uncertainty around the possibility of the match going into extra time. But Mikel Oyarzabal had other ideas as, with four minutes left, he sent Marc Cucurella’s cross into the nets with the England keeper’s effort to stop it not being enough. It sent the Berlin and the entire Spain into raptures as they eventually went on to lift the trophy beating England 2-1.
Nico WIlliams won the player of the match for his opening goal and is now aiming the World Cup two years later. “I feel euphoric, very happy. All our people deserve it: our families, fans … European champions and now we go for the World Cup. Nobody can beat us. I said we were a great team,” he said after the match.