Spain beats England 2-1 to win record fourth European Championship title

BERLIN — Spain is the king of European soccer for a record fourth time. For England, it’s another agonizing near-miss in the team’s decades-long tale of underachievement.

Completing a tournament the team dominated from start to finish, Spain beat England 2-1 in the European Championship final on Sunday with Mikel Oyarzabal the unlikely match-winner in the 86th minute.

Oyarzabal, a backup striker who came on as a substitute for captain Alvaro Morata, slid in to poke home a left-wing cross by Marc Cucurella, just when the game at Berlin’s Olympiastadion seemed destined for extra time.

England, the birthplace of soccer, is still without a major title since winning the 1966 World Cup and its players watched on forlornly as Morata raised aloft the silver trophy inside Berlin’s Olympiastadion, the venue built for the 1936 Olympics.

Add 2024 to the titles won by Spain in 1964, 2008 and 2012.

“Here we are, champions of Europe,” said Nico Williams, whose opening goal for Spain in the 47th minute was canceled out by England substitute Cole Palmer in the 73rd. “We are thrilled and hope this can keep going and we can go for the (2026) World Cup.”

Spain won all seven games at this European Championship — an unprecedented feat — and there were joyous scenes after the final whistle, with defender Dani Carvajal piled on by jubilant teammates after slumping to the ground. Both Cucurella and Lamine Yamal — the 17-year-old prodigy who assisted Williams’ goal — were among the first to jump over the advertising hoardings to reach the Spanish fans in the stadium’s east end.

“This is the best (birthday) gift I could have asked for,” said Yamal, who turned 17 on Saturday. “It is a dream come true.”

It was fitting that Yamal and Williams combined for the crucial first goal as they are the poster boys of this exciting, multicultural team that mirrors Spain’s changing demographics.

Yamal’s mother is from Equatorial Guinea and his father is from Morocco, while fellow winger Williams has Ghanaian parents who made the long journey to Europe looking for a better life. To make it to Spain, they had to ride on the back of a crowded truck and walk barefoot through the Sahara desert.

“Euphoria! We are so happy. We deserved this,” said Williams, the player of the match. “This is for our fans and our parents, who have supported us throughout.”

Unlike his brother Inaki, who is a Ghana international, Nico chose to play for Spain and will now be regarded as a national hero there.

Spain is back as a major player in senior soccer after winning both the Women’s World Cup and the men’s UEFA Nations League in 2023.

Since 2001, Spanish men’s teams have won 23 consecutive major finals in club and international soccer.

“I said before the tournament, nobody can hang with us,” Williams said. “We are a great team.”

As for England, the men’s team has now lost back-to-back Euro finals — it was defeated in a penalty shootout by Italy in the final in 2021 — and this was another agonizing loss for a team that will have gone six decades without a major title by the next World Cup. England’s women have been more successful, though, winning the European Championship in 2021.

England’s defeat Sunday came in front of Prince William and Spain’s King Felipe.

“This time it just wasn’t meant to be,” William wrote on social media. “We’re all still so proud of you.”

It was the fourth straight game that the English came from behind since the group stage, but their resilience wasn’t rewarded this time.

“It has been a difficult ride, we have done extremely well to get here, but ultimately we are going to be judged on this game,” England captain Harry Kane said. “We wanted to do it so badly for ourselves and the fans, everyone who has believed in us.”

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This story was corrected to say that Spain’s goal was scored in the 86th minute, not the 87th.

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AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024