Another amazing Euro Cup ended on Sunday, with Spain being crowned the Euro 2024 champions for a record fourth time. With a 2-1 finish over opponent England, Spain won with goals from Nico Williams in the 47th minute and Mikel Oyarzabal in the 86th minute, despite losing key midfielder Rodrigo Hernández Cascante. England’s Cole Palmer was able to pull the game to even at the 73rd minute.
Sapin went undefeated in the tournament, and their performance this year has been labeled as nothing short of dominant.
Luis de la Fuente, the manager for the Spanish team, said,”I couldn’t be happier. To see the fans, to see the players. For me, they are the best in the world and today I confirm that definition.”
Going into the tournament, England and France were two favorites to win, two foes that Spain vanquished in the hard-fought journey to the win.
“Losing in a final is as tough as it gets,” England Captain Harry Kane said after the match.
After coming from behind against Georgia and France and keeping calm when England brought the game to even, the Spanish team showed strength and resilience throughout the tournament, certainly a component in their win yesterday in Berlin.
Spain has won the championship in 1964, 2008, and 2012, and were tied with Germany for most championships.
This win marks the final game for Jesús Navas, the only player from Spain’s Euro 2012 win over Italy. It also marks the youngest player to feature in a men’s international final, Lamine Yamal at seventeen years old. This breaks Pelé’s record set in the 1958 World Cup finals, when he played at just 22 years old.
With this big win for the team and the country, fans and critics can only look forward to Spain’s next appearances, the 2024 Olympics, and then the 2026 World Cup, here in North America.