England’s quest for a first major title since 1966 continues, after Mikel Oyarzabal’s late strike sent Spain into ecstasy, sealing a 2-1 triumph in the Euro 2024 Final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany. Nico Williams had opened the scoring just 71 seconds into the second half, only for Cole Palmer’s impressive strike in the 73rd minute to restore parity. But Oyarzabal, the Real Sociedad captain who was a 68th minute substitute for Alvaro Morata, clinched victory four minutes from the end of normal time to secure a record fourth Euro title for Spain.
The first half ended goalless, though Spain enjoyed the majority of possession. La Roja sought openings in England’s territory but failed to capitalise on their chances. England responded with a few quick counters, with Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simon only seriously tested just before halftime when Phil Foden fired a shot on target from a Declan Rice free kick outside the box.
Gareth Southgate had made a tactical change to his playing XI , bringing in Luke Shaw to handle the threat of Lamine Yamal. He replaced Kieran Trippier, who had started at left-back in earlier games. Interestingly, Rodri, the linchpin of Spain’s midfield, picked up an injury at the end of the first half and was replaced by Martin Zubimendi at the start of the second, but it had little impact as Spain flew at England from the whistle to resume play.
Yamal, who had been shackled in the first half, was released by Dani Carvajal, and he cut inside and provided a subtle pass that was behind Dani Olmo, but perfect for Williams, who fired Spain ahead. Williams nearly turned provider just minutes later, finding Olmo inside the box, but he failed to hit the target. Spain could have doubled their lead in the 66th minute, but Pickford brilliantly pushed away Yamal’s effort to keep England in contention.
Ironically, both captains, Morata and Harry Kane, were substituted with a significant portion of the second half remaining. But it was another substitution that paid off for Southgate. Palmer came off the bench and stunned Spain with a beautiful finish. Saka initiated the attack from the right flank, finding Jude Bellingham inside the box. He diverted the ball into Palmer’s path, and the low driven shot took the slightest of deflections to give Simon no chance.
In the 81st minute, Yamal was once again thwarted by Pickford, but Spain’s dominance paid off in the 86th minute as Oyarzabal played the ball wide to Marc Cucurella and then timed his run into the box perfectly to meet a wonderfully weighted low pass. The finish was clinical, with the outstretched right leg steering the ball past Pickford.
There was still time for Simon to save from a John Stones header after an outswinging Palmer corner, and for Olmo to head the rebound from Marc Guehi off the line in a frenetic finale. But Spain, who won every game – something that the legendary sides of 2008, 2010 and 2012 couldn’t do – were worthy winners, with even Southgate admitting that ‘across the 90 minutes, we didn’t do enough.’
How Spain won a fourth consecutive major final was equally praiseworthy. They beat four sides in the top 10 of the FIFA rankings – Croatia, Italy, France and England – and Germany, the hosts who were ranked 16th at the start of the tournament. Never before has a team had to negotiate such a tough path to glory. With Yamal only 17 and Williams merely 21, there might be more trophies in the near future.