La Roja could carve out another dominant era after this most deserved of triumphs, but the Three Lions' agonising wait for glory goes on and on
In the end, beauty beat the beast as attacking, daring football triumphed over pragmatism. Spain met their match in England for 45 minutes of the Euro 2024 final, but once the second half began, they turned up the volume and took the bull by the horns. And that was after Rodri had been taken off, too!
It mattered little that Spain had lost their best all-rounder for they still had the same structure and the same attacking ideals. And they could count on their truly brilliant, youthful wingers Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, who combined for their opening goal.
Spain could and should have put the game to rest there and then, but Gareth Southgate finally saw sense and made some attacking changes, which led to the mercurial Cole Palmer finding an equaliser from nowhere. England should have seized the momentum, but instead they sat back again and Spain passed their way through them, the unlikely figure of Mikel Oyarzabal firing La Roja back in front.
Spain's deserved win vindicates their decision to hire the unassuming Luis de la Fuente after parting with the blockbuster Luis Enrique following the last World Cup, and they have a very bright future ahead of them, with every chance of carving out another era of dominance.
England, meanwhile, must reflect on another missed opportunity. Gareth Southgate looks set to be remembered as the manager who lost two European Championship finals while Harry Kane is still waiting for his moment to lift a trophy.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Olympiastadion…
Getty ImagesWINNER: Spain's wing wonders
For 45 minutes, it appeared as if Spain's sensational wingers could actually be stopped. As it transpired, Kyle Walker and Luke Shaw had merely postponed the inevitable.
Yamal and Williams ran riot in the second half in Berlin, with the pair combining to break the deadlock just after the interval. They continued to create havoc thereafter and, if we're being critical, they probably should have scored another goal between them. But this most dynamic of duos were a joy to watch, just as they have been throughout the tournament.
And the best thing about Williams and Yamal is that they're both so young, they're only going to get better – which is such an exciting prospect for Spain (and us neutrals!), but a terrifying thought for full-backs all over the world.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Harry Kane
The England captain was never going to be dropped for the final, but it was always unlikely that Kane would rediscover his top form against the best side at the tournament. As such, he predictably had another miserable evening.
He touched the ball just 13 times, and one of those led to him being booked for a foul. He had just one shot, which was quickly blocked by Rodri, while his only positive contributions were in his own area, when he made a useful block.
pundit and former England women's international Alex Scott called for Kane to be hauled off at half-time, and that would have been a good call. Southgate eventually got him off on the hour-mark, which was the earliest he has taken Kane off at the tournament, and when he was replaced, England finally came alive.
Kane fronted up and did his interviews, putting on a brave face post-match. But he must be truly gutted. He has now lost two finals as England captain and is still yet to win a single trophy for club or country. Bizarrely, though, he will share the Golden Boot as joint-top scorer with five other players.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Luis de la Fuente
It's incredible to think about it now, but in March of last year, there were serious doubts in Spain over whether Luis de la Fuente was the right man to lead the national team, after a dismal 2-0 loss to Scotland in Glasgow.
However, La Roja haven't lost a competitive fixture since, winning the Nations League in the Netherlands before pulling off a thrilling Euro 2024 triumph in which they won every single game, beating the likes of Italy, Germany, France and England along the way.
De la Fuente is the main reason why. Granted, he has exceptional talent at his disposal, but the manager deserves so much credit for two reasons: putting his faith in youth, and instructing his players to take the game to every single team that had the misfortune to come up against them. As we saw at these Euros, such bravery is uncommon among international coaches.
For that reason, the game owes De la Fuente a huge debt of gratitude. From facing the sack to saving football in just over a year – not bad at all!
Getty ImagesLOSER: Gareth Southgate
Southgate has had two opportunities to end England's long, long wait for a trophy. He deserves a lot of credit for getting the team there and for changing the culture of the national team. But he will ultimately be remembered as the man that got to two finals and lost them both.
England should not be as distraught about this defeat as the Euro 2020 final loss to Italy on penalties. Spain were the better team both on paper and on the night. But once again, Southgate's in-game tactics left a lot to be desired. As in the previous matches, he only made changes when his team went behind, and England only started to ask serious questions of Spain after conceding.
Once Palmer had got England on level terms, they reverted to type, sitting back, allowing Spain to have the ball. They had extra-time on their minds. Southgate, in the end, was punished for being reactive and not proactive. The four crucial matches he has lost at major tournaments all have one common denominator: England had less of the ball than their opponents.
In the crunch moments, when he had to go for it, he once again lacked the necessary courage. This is likely to be his last act as England manager, even though the FA are said to want him to continue in the job. They might believe he could make it third time lucky. But even considering the huge progress he has made in his eight years in charge, that would seem like wishful thinking.