England 2-1 thanks to a late goal from substitute Mikel Oyarzabal in the final on the evening of July 14, to set a record for their fourth Euro championship.

In the 2023-2024 season, a series of Basque coaches have achieved success with their clubs, turning this land into a European phenomenon. In the Euro 2024 final, it was the turn of two Basque sons, Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal, to score to help Spain win the European Championship for the fourth time (the previous three were in 1964, 2008, 2012).

Williams opened the scoring for Spain early in the second half with a cross-shot, before Cole Palmer equalised for England with a superb long-range strike. In the 86th minute, Oyarzabal tapped in from close range to seal the victory for Luis de la Fuente’s side. Not only were the two goalscorers for Spain born in the Basque Country, but every club they have represented has come from the land considered the “rebellious child” of Spanish football.

Basque-born players Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal (from left) celebrate scoring the winning goal for Spain in their 2-1 victory over England in the Euro final at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, on the evening of July 14, 2024. Photo: Soccer

The Real Madrid and Barca players were the ones who led Spain to the opening goal. Defender Dani Carvajal cleverly flicked the ball to Yamal on the right, allowing the 17-year-old striker to escape Luke Shaw’s clutches. Yamal passed low to the left of the penalty area for Williams to rush down and shoot with his left foot, cutting across the corner, defeating Jordan Pickford.

Williams has been Spain’s main left-back at the tournament, but has been no less impressive than Yamal. The 21-year-old has scored twice and assisted once in six games, while Yamal has also equalled the record of four assists in a single Euro, joining Steven Zuber (2020), Aaron Ramsey, Eden Hazard (2016) and Ljubinko Drulovic (2000).

 

Oyarzabal was only a substitute for Spain this time, with six substitute appearances, but scored the most important goal of the tournament. After replacing Alvaro Morata in the 68th minute, the 27-year-old striker met a low cross from left-back Marc Cucurella and tapped the ball into the near corner to seal a 2-1 victory in the 86th minute. Center-back Marc Guehi was unable to keep up with Oyarzabal’s dive, and right-back Kyle Walker was also unable to block Cucurella’s cross.

Williams and Oyarzabal are worth a combined $114 million, according to Transfermarkt , while England have four players worth more than that, namely Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden. However, the Three Lions’ expensive stars could not make a difference in the important match. Captain Harry Kane, also worth over $110 million, was even substituted in the 60th minute, leaving no mark.

With many attacking stars, England only had half the ball as their opponents, so they had to defend. The first half was tight, as is the nature of a final, with Spanish newspaper Marca claiming that coach Gareth Southgate “wanted a draw” to take the match to extra time and penalties.

Oyarzabal’s tap-in brought the championship to Spain. Photo: UEFA

England’s plan almost worked, when midfielder Cole Palmer scored a superb equalizer to make it 1-1 in the 73rd minute. Bellingham played a wall and passed the ball back to the second line for the best young player in the Premier League to rush in and curl the ball from 21 meters away, at a speed of 118 km/h, into the far corner. The British media once again praised Southgate’s improvisation in the match, when Palmer scored just three minutes after entering the field.

However, coach Luis de la Fuente is no less skillful, as his “substitute” has scored many goals from the bench, such as Dani Olmo in the round of 16, Mikel Merino in the quarterfinals, and now Oyarzabal. The 63-year-old coach has also shown a clearer tactical mark, helping Spain play an attacking game and win all seven matches in the tournament. After the match, he was carried and tossed around by his players.

Spanish players lift the Euro 2024 championship trophy. Photo: Guardian

Spain were much better in the final and deserved to win, according to former England defender Jamie Carragher. “England have relied on individual brilliance in the tournament,” Carragher added. “Individuals have saved England, but today the task was too much for them.”

Saka and John Stones burst into tears after the final whistle, when England lost their second consecutive Euro final, unable to end their 58-year trophy drought. Kane, after receiving the silver medal, also quietly walked past the cup, without looking back at it. The 31-year-old striker has yet to win a collective title in his career, and he has also failed many times in cup matches, such as the 2015 and 2021 League Cups, the 2019 Champions League, Euro 2021, the 2023 German Super Cup and Euro 2024.

The Spanish players also cried after the final whistle, but they were tears of glory. This result extended the streak of 27 finals won by a Spanish club or team, in the past 23 years. Spanish football is no longer as dominant as it was in the tiki-taka era, but it is still a haunting obsession for the rest of the old continent.