The final for the 2024 UEFA European Championship took place last night in Berlin, Germany. England, making it to their second consecutive final at the Euros, were facing Spain, who last won the tournament in 2012.
England’s path to the final led through the Netherlands in the last four, whom they beat 2–1 after coming back from behind. The English team actually went behind in all three of their games in the knockout stage, but managed to equalize, and then advance (either in extra time, in a penalty shootout, or by winning outright) all three times as well. In the days leading up to the big game against Spain, the criticism toward head coach Gareth Southgate for the team’s poor display had quieted down, and fans and the media alike started to get ‘hyped’ and hopeful again.
Spain, on the other side of the draw, faced 2018 World Cup winner and 2022 World Cup finalists France in the semi-finals. They too had to play from one goal down, but managed to turn the game around. Then-16-year-old football super talent Lamine Yamal (who had just turned 17 the day before the final) scored the equalizer, while Dani Olmo came up with the winner.
So, this was what led up to the Euro 2024 final between England and Spain.
The first half ended 0–0 with little action in front of goals–alas, as we could get used to with England games at the Euros, with the exception of the semi-final against the Dutch. Both sides only managed to hit the target once, and neither chance was a real threat to the goal.
Spain lost one of their key players, defensive midfielder Rodri (who ended up winning the Player of the Tournament award by UEFA), who had to be subbed off at half time due to an ankle injury. However, despite the setback, Spain managed to take the lead just two minutes into the second half, with teenage wonder Yamal providing the assist to Nico Williams. This also meant that England went behind in their fourth game in a row at the Euros.
However, just like every other time, the English managed to level the score. Southgate took his captain Harry Kane off the pitch for Ollie Watkins, but it was another substitute, Cole Palmer coming in for Mainoo who delivered the equalizer. He curled the ball into the bottom far corner from 23 yards out.
After their goal, England got on the front foot, pushing for the winner. That period with English attacking dominance came to an end in about 10 minutes, however, with Spain taking control of the game again, forcing two good saves from English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
The decisive moment came in the 87th minute, when Mikel Oyarzabal (another substitute) slid in to get to the end of a low cross from Marc Cucurella into the box, and then put the ball past Pickford, into the English net. 2–1 to Spain!
There was little time to make things right again for England. They came close, with a last-minute header by Guéhi having to be cleared from the goal line by Dani Olmo after a corner.
But it was Spain who emerged as the victors at the end. It was a record fourth European Championship title for the Mediterranean nation.
This was also only the second time the same country gave football the Champions League winner and the European Championship winner as well. This year, the Spanish club Real Madrid won the UCL and, as we described above, Spain won the Euros; while in 1988, it was the Dutch side PSV Eindhoven who won the UCL, and the Netherlands ended up winning the Euros.
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