Spain shattered England’s hopes of ending their 58-year trophy drought as Mikel Oyarzabal netted a late goal to secure a 2-1 victory in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin. Nico Williams and Cole Palmer exchanged goals in the second half before Oyarzabal’s decisive strike in the 86th minute clinched Spain’s historic fourth European Championship title.
“It’s the best feeling to score the winning goal,” Oyarzabal expressed to reporters, AFP reported. “I did my job and I’m fortunate it led to this victory.”
England, now enduring consecutive Euro final losses, previously fell to Italy in the Euro 2020 final. “Losing in a final is incredibly tough,” remarked England captain Harry Kane. “We did well to equalize, but couldn’t capitalize on our momentum.”
Despite losing key midfielder Rodri to injury at halftime, Spain remained resilient. They took the lead early in the second half through Lamine Yamal’s assist to Williams, who found the net past Jordan Pickford. Meanwhile, England substituted Kane for Ollie Watkins, who later helped Palmer equalize.
The match seemed destined for extra time until Oyarzabal, subbed on for Alvaro Morata, converted Marc Cucurella’s cross in the 86th minute. Spain defended their lead with Dani Olmo’s crucial clearance from Marc Guehi’s header in stoppage time.
Post-match, Rodri was honored as the Player of the Tournament, and Yamal received the Best Young Player award on his 17th birthday. Gareth Southgate, whose contract expires soon, declined to discuss his future plans, stating, “Now isn’t the time for decisions.”
Spain’s victory marked their first European title since 2012, capping a tournament where they were hailed as the top-performing team, culminating in an unbeaten record and a new championship record of 15 goals scored.