Three Lions set unwanted record in Euro 2024 Final

It wasn’t just losing the Euro 2024 final for England, it was about them setting the wrong record that will live long to haunt the Three Lions.

England’s agonizing 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final has set an unwanted record, extending their 60-year wait for a major tournament triumph and making them the first team in Euro history to lose back-to-back finals.

In a match that saw Nico Williams open the scoring for Spain just after halftime and Cole Palmer equalize in the 75th minute, it was Mikel Oyarzabal’s late strike in the 86th minute that sealed Spain’s victory. This triumph marked Spain’s first European Championship win since 2012.

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Reflecting on the defeat, England manager Gareth Southgate spoke to the BBC about the challenges his team faced. “It’s easy to say [it’s one game too far] and there’s definitely a disadvantage to having a day less to prepare, but we were still in the game at 80 minutes,” Southgate stated.

He acknowledged the physical toll on key players like Harry Kane, who struggled to reach peak performance due to a lack of game time. The introduction of Ollie Watkins was intended to inject fresh energy and pressing ability, a strategy that saw limited success.

Southgate admitted that England’s inability to maintain possession was a critical factor. “Especially when we’d defended well, they press you really well and you’ve got to get out of that pressure, and we weren’t able to do that,” he explained. This lack of control allowed Spain to dominate and ultimately wear down the English side.

Despite the loss, Southgate praised his team’s resilience.

“We’ve competed until the very end of the final… the game was still wide open when we got the equaliser. As always in these games, it’s fine margins – but they were the best team in the tournament. Over the piece, they deserved it,” he concluded.