Often criticised for his tactical inflexibility, Gareth Souhtgate – the first manager to lead England into two major tournament finals – sprung a surprise in the German capital by reverting to a defensive four, with Luke Shaw starting a competitive match for the first time since February.
Spain made the early running as the Three Lions reacquainted themselves, but chances were few and far between as both England full-backs expertly thwarted La Roja’s dynamic duo of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams on the flanks.
Ultimately, the capacity crowd inside the Olympiastadion were left waiting until the first minute of stoppage time for a shot on target. The chance fell England’s way, with Phil Foden reacting smartly to a flick from a free-kick to volley towards the near post, where Unai Simón was waiting to comfortably save.
The contest was therefore finely poised at the break, though Spain found themselves on the back foot before play had even restarted for the second half, as metronomic midfielder Rodri was forced off.
Undeterred by the setback, La Roja flew out of the traps and within 70 seconds of kick-off, they broke the deadlock. Yamal finally got a yard of space from Shaw and used it to feed Williams, who finished with aplomb at the back post by sliding into the bottom corner beyond Jordan Pickford.
Falling behind was far from unfamiliar for England though, as they’re the only side in Euros history to trail in the quarter-final and semi-final before reaching the final.
Southgate’s charges appeared shell-shocked however, and their deficit was nearly doubled by both Dani Olmo and Álvaro Morata, though both failed to hit the target from promising positions.
Yamal went even closer just beyond the hour when cutting onto his favoured left foot, but Pickford made a pivotal save to keep his country in the game.
The England goalkeeper’s contribution paid huge dividends when Cole Palmer – less than three minutes after coming off the bench – stroked a glorious equaliser into the bottom corner from the edge of the area after running on to an inviting Jude Bellingham lay-off.
Once more a Southgate substitute had got England out of jail, and the Three Lions were armed with the momentum as the game entered its final quarter-hour.
The pendulum would swing once more however, and after another fine Pickford save to deny Yamal, the resurgent Spaniards re-established their lead. This time, it was a Luis de la Fuente masterstroke to make the difference as Mikel Oyarzabal slid home from close range after being found by Marc Cucurella’s pinpoint cross.
That would prove the fatal blow, as Spain’s rearguard expertly denied a trio of headed chances from John Stones, Marc Guéhi and Declan Rice to seal a fourth European crown. Remarkably, La Roja have now won five of their six major finals, a record England could only dream of as they taste defeat in a second consecutive Euros final.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nico Williams (Spain)
