Key points:
- Spain wins their record fourth European Championship title.
- Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal score for Spain.
- Cole Palmer scores for England after coming off the bench.
- Spain wins all six tournament matches, an unprecedented feat.
Substitute Mikel Oyarzabal struck a dramatic late winner as Spain defeated England 2-1 in the thrilling Euro 2024 final in Berlin’s Olympiastadion on Sunday to seal a record fourth crown in the European Championships.
Partly, the win was sealed through teenager Lamine Yamal, who came on at the break to play a major part in the victory, setting up Nico Williams’s opening goal barely two minutes into the second half, a day after celebrating his 17th birthday. Williams clinically slotted home after a lovely pass from Yamal, one of the shining players throughout this competition so far.
England, searching for their first senior men’s major trophy since the 1966 World Cup, responded with a substitute Cole Palmer in the 73rd minute. The Manchester City forward had barely been on as a substitute when he turned up with a delightful finish, curled into the corner from 22 yards, to level matters.
However, Spain’s pressure was rewarded in the 86th minute when Oyarzabal pounced to slide home the winner from Marc Cucurella’s pass[3]. Real Sociedad forward Oyarzabal brought about an end to the scoring and provided a consummate finish to a thoroughly deserved victory for Spain, who have been the outstanding team throughout this competition[2][5].
It is England’s second successive gut-wrenching defeat in a European final; they lost in the Euro 2020 showpiece at Wembley to Italy on penalties. Captain Harry Kane failed to inspire his team to victory at the age of 30 and is still in search of his first major trophy.
This victory gives Spain their fourth European Championship title following previous wins in 1964, 2008, and 2012. Now, with the same number of championship wins as Germany, they are officially the most successful nation in this competition’s history.
This continued re-emergence as an international force—this shimmering young team wants to emulate what that legendary team did: win the 2010 World Cup and the Euros in 2008 and 2012.