Absolute heartbreak for England as Spain wins Euro final
England’s misery will extend for at least another few years after they were rocked by a controversial moment in the Euro 2024 final.
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It’s not coming home.
England has been left devastated and Spain are champions of Europe yet again.
The Spaniards dominated their opposition in Monday morning’s Euro 2024 final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin and landed the decisive goal in the 86th minute to crush England’s growing confidence.
England’s hopes of ending its 58-year wait to win a men’s major international football tournament were shattered when Spain went ahead 2-1 and held on to win the trophy.
There was late controversy in the match when replays showed the match-winning goal could have been taken off Spain because of a potential offside ruling.
Real Sociedad striker Mikel Oyarzabal turned home in the 86th minute after Nico Williams sent Spain ahead early in the second half, but England substitute Cole Palmer pulled the Three Lions level in the 73rd minute.
England almost equalised at the death but Dani Olmo headed Marc Guehi’s effort off the line to safety.
It is a fine line between heartbreak and euphoria in football — and the knives are already out for manager Gareth Southgate, despite how close they came.
Spain lands the hammer blow in controversial moment
Mikel Oyarzabal scored to put Spain ahead 2-1 in the 86th minute.
Marc Cucurella whipped in a perfect cross and Oyarzabal made no mistake with his tap-in past keeper Jordan Pickford.
The goal was automatically looked at by the VAR with replays showing Oyarzabal went agonisingly close to being in an offside position.
Despite the drama, there is no denying Spain was the better team and deserved the victory, having gone through the tournament winning all seven games.
Spain lost influential midfielder Rodri to injury at half-time, but shrugged that off to take the lead within two minutes of the restart through Nico Williams, who was set up by his fellow star winger, Lamine Yamal.
England came from behind as they have done so often at this Euros, as substitute Cole Palmer drove in the equaliser on 73 minutes, moments after entering the fray.
But their resurgence in the game was cut short as Oyarzabal, the Real Sociedad forward, turned in a cross in the 86th minute to hand Spain a record fourth European Championship crown, and a third in the last five editions.
They previously won in 1964, 2008 and 2012, the last two titles coming either side of their triumph at the 2010 World Cup during the golden era of Xavi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso and Andres Iniesta.
Whether this generation, led by the brilliant Yamal who was playing here a day after his 17th birthday, manage to repeat the achievements of that magnificent side remains to be seen, but theirs was a fitting victory.
England had hoped to finally claim a first men’s international title since their fabled victory at the 1966 World Cup, but fell just short in their first ever final on foreign soil.
After the agony of their defeat on penalties to Italy three years ago, they are the first side ever to lose back-to-back Euros finals.
Captain Harry Kane, meanwhile, is left at the age of 30 still looking for the first trophy of a career so rich in goals, this defeat coming after a season in which he also won nothing with Bayern Munich.
“Losing in a final is as tough as it gets,” Kane said.
“We done really well to get back in the game at 1-1 and then we couldn’t use our momentum to push on. It’s as painful as it can be in a football match.”
He said he and Southgate will now both take time before deciding on their international careers.
England great Gary Neville said on ITV the whole country has been left “absolutely devastated”.
“Our players are absolutely devastated and I remember four tournaments ago when they played Croatia in the World Cup semi-final I said, ‘I wonder if you will be here again lads’ and they have been here again and again and I have no words for them as they must be absolutely devastated,” he said.
“The fans here behind the goal are absolutely devastated, this feels like one time too many for us, it just feels like, how long can this go on for?”
English legends Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker both said they expect Southgate to stand down from his position.
Lineker said on the BBC: “I suspect Gareth Southgate may have had enough. It is a tough, gruelling job”.
Shearer said: “The reality is he got us to a final three years ago and got us to a final here, and hasn’t won. That will hurt him and maybe he will think it’s time for someone else.”
Neville said Southgate’s explanations for his team’s defeat weren’t good enough.
“We can focus on a lot of things, but Southgate’s answer on how we did not keep the ball well enough should be the title of the England book,” he said on Sky Sports.
“Every single England manager has said the same thing, every single England player has felt the same thing because we have lived it out there on the pitch and our legs have gone and we end up dying on our feet in the latter part of games where the other team have got stronger and it is repeat, rinse and repeat.”
England equalises from out of nowhere
England has equalised against the run of play to set up a grandstand finish.
Spain had been dominating possession and had been peppering the England box with dangerous passes, but it was a counter-attacking goal for England that has flipped the match on its head.
Bukayo Saka started the movement with a long run down the side of the field before his ball into the box ended up with a pass back to Cole Palmer.
Palmer stepped up from outside the box and slotted a classy finish into the back of the net.
Spain breaks deadlock in ‘sucker punch’
After a sound defensive performance in the first half, England lasted just one minute before conceding in the second.
Nico Williams had arguably been the player of the first 45 minutes and received the ball with plenty of space before driving his shot home past Kyle Walker and Jordan Pickford.
England will once again have to come from behind if it’s to end its trophy drought.
Spain has been in control since the start of the second half and there were worrying signs for England as soon as they walked back onto the pitch.
“What a calamitous start to the second half,” Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett said from inside the Olympiastadion.
“England were half asleep.”
Former England international Matt Upson described the goal as a “sucker punch”.
England were desperate to find a way back into the match and manager Gareth Southgate rolled the dice with his biggest gamble of the tournament by taking off captain Harry Kane in the 61st minute.
— with AFP
Originally published as Absolute heartbreak for England as Spain wins Euro final
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