Spain substitute Mikel Oyarzabal slid in for an 86th-minute winner to earn his team a 2-1 Euro 2024 final victory over England on Sunday and a record fourth European crown.
Oyarzabal finished off a break for the winning goal as Spain were crowned champions, having won all seven games they played in the tournament
After an extremely cautious first half where Spain had more possession and their opponents got the only shot on target, it only took two minutes after the restart for the Spaniards to break the deadlock.
Lamine Yamal found space down the right and delivered an assist for fellow winger Nico Williams to slot it home. But England, who fell behind for the fourth successive game in the tournament, levelled in the 73rd through substitute Cole Palmer.
Oyarzabal, however, denied them their first major international trophy for 58 years, with a brilliant opportunistic strike.
The spotlight was on Yamal, but the 17-year-old had been kept quiet by England left-back Luke Shaw in a scoreless first half at Berlin’s 71,000-capacity Olympiastadion.
Phil Foden volleyed a shot at Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon near the end of the half for England’s best chance.
With this win, Spain now are the most successful team in the history of the European Championships.
The match began at Berlin’s historic stadium, built for the 1936 Olympics, after an electronic-themed closing ceremony featuring robotic dance moves from white-clad performers.
In attendance were Prince William, Spain’s King Felipe, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Keir Starmer, Britain’s new Prime Minister.
