Germany: Spain has defeated England 2-1 in the 2024 European Football Championship final. At the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, Spain used the same squad as before, while England included defender Luke Shaw in the starting lineup for the first time since February.
Harry Kane, the captain of England, finished the match with three goals, splitting the Euro 2024 Golden Boot with five other players.
A part of the prize went to Dani Olmo of Spain, Georges Mikautadze of Georgia, Cody Gakpo of the Netherlands, Ivan Schranz of Slovakia, and Jamal Musiala of Germany.
The captain, Harry Kane, described it as “as painful as it can be” and a “huge disappointment.”
Kane stated, “We’re all just hurting,” and that the England team had “had to show a lot of resilience” throughout the “tough tournament”.
He did, however, note that they “really well” played to tie the game after Cole Palmer’s long-range goal and their “big moment at the end when they [Spain] cleared off the line” helped them win.
After halftime, Spain dominated the match after a difficult first 45 minutes in which both teams struggled to find their rhythm.
A little more than a minute into the second half, they took the lead when Lamine Yamal darted inside and found Nico Williams on the left with a pass.
The winger, who posed the greatest threat to Spain in the first half, firmly and low sent the ball into the far corner of the England net.
Shortly after, Dani Olmo had an opportunity for Spain, but his effort from 15 yards went past the far post because he was unbalanced a little bit.
However, Gareth Southgate’s team was still unbeaten. With 17 minutes remaining, substitute Cole Palmer tied the score with a stunning long-range goal that found the far left corner of the Spain net in the 73rd minute.
But in the 86th minute, Mikel Oyarzabal scored a goal that broke England’s hearts, finishing following Marc Cucurella’s superbly timed pass.