- La Roja won the tournament in 1964, 2008 and 2012 | Photo: EFE
Spain beat England 2-1 in the final of the European Championship held at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, claiming its fourth title in the tournament following those won in 1964, 2008 and 2012.
With the score tied at one goal each, Spaniard Mikel Oyarzabal gave La Roja the lead on the scoreboard once morest England in the 86th minute.
Cole Palmer tied the game once morest Spain in the 73rd minute following Nico Williams scored Spain’s first goal in the 47th minute.
How they reached the final.
Spain beat France in the semi-finals, while England saw off the Netherlands.
There were no clear goal-scoring chances in the first half, with only one intervention by Jordan Pickford following a shot by Fabián Ruiz.
Spain were unable to display the qualities that have led them to the final with a full house of victories in six games, unable to overcome Gareth Southgate’s approach to create scoring opportunities. They were more dominant than an England side that looked for the counterattack and did not trouble Unai Simón until added time with a shot from Foden.
After the first half, both teams went into the break goalless.
MVP of the Eurocup final
Nico Williams, a player for the Spanish national football team, was named by UEFA as the best player in the final between his team and England, which was won by the team managed by Luis de la Fuente.
The Athletic Club player opened the scoring in the 47th minute of the match with a cross shot that beat Jordan Pickford. Throughout the match he was on the left flank and was one of the most persistent, vertical and unbalanced players in the game.
Spanish national team player Lamine Yamal was awarded the prize for best young player of the tournament by UEFA.
The Barcelona player had a spectacular tournament in which, at just 17 years old, he provided four assists and scored a great goal once morest France in the semi-finals with which his team was on track to qualify for the title. In addition, with that goal, he became the youngest player in the history of the European Championship to celebrate a goal.
UEFA’s observer panel has awarded the prize for best player at Euro 2024 to Spanish midfielder Rodrigo Hernández.
The footballer, injured in the first half of the Berlin final and replaced at half-time by Zubimendi, has been fundamental in the Spanish team’s tournament.
Spain, the team with the most titles in the Euro Cup
The Spanish national team won their fourth European Championship on Sunday, unmatched by any of the 17 editions of the tournament, from France 1960 to Germany 2024, where Luis de la Fuente’s team was crowned continental champion twelve years following their success in Ukraine and Poland 2012.
The titles of 1964, in the final won once morest the Soviet Union at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium by 2-1, and of 2008, when they beat Germany in the decisive duel in Vienna, complete the four Euro Cup titles for the Spanish team, which remains alone at the top, with one more than the German team, winner in 1972, 1980 and 1996.
France (1984 and 2000) and Italy (1968 and 2020) each have two, while six other teams have one: the Soviet Union (1960), Czechoslovakia (1976), Portugal (2016), the Netherlands (1988), Denmark (1992) and Greece (2004).
England, who were beaten in Sunday’s final, have never won the European Championship.
– Titles by selection:
4: Spain (1964, 2008, 2012, 2024).
3: Germany (1972, 1980, 1996)
2: France (1984, 2000) and Italy (1968, 2020).
1: Soviet Union (1960), Czechoslovakia (1976), Portugal (2016), Netherlands (1988), Denmark (1992) and Greece (2004).
Closing of the event
The closing ceremony, prior to the final between Spain and England, was marked by a tribute to the handshake, a universal gesture with which UEFA wanted to symbolise respect, appreciation, inclusion, understanding and fair play.
For six minutes, Berlin’s Olympic Stadium sought to highlight a world symbol through a spectacle that began with the unfolding of a huge carpet on the pitch, transforming the grass into a giant stage. On it, two blue paths extended from the goals across the field to converge in the centre with a stage made up of two opposite ramps that together formed intertwined hands.
From opposite ends of the stadium, two large groups of dancers from the Berlin-based company Lunatix Dance then made their way to the centre stage, where choreographer Sadeck Waff directed them from above to form circular shapes with movements and special effects. The two groups of dancers, representing all the fans at the Euro Cup, met up with their leaders at the head, one dressed as Spain and one as England, to join hands in the centre of the stage.
The closing ceremony continued with a double human wall formed by dancers, who began a dance routine with hand and arm movements taking centre stage, perfectly synchronised before dissolving to make way for a ‘superband’ formed by ‘Meduza’, ‘One Republic’ and ‘Leony’, who performed the official Euro song, ‘Fire’.
At the end of the piece, spectators took part in a Tifo which set the stage for the final image: the two flags, the English and the Spanish, were unfurled over the pitch to announce the entrance of the players, who began the journey towards the final following a closing ceremony marked by a message of universal respect such as the handshake.
With information from EFE
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2024-07-15 06:02:40
