TW: Article mentions sexual assault
Spain exposed England’s flaws and reserved style of play to put two goals past the Three Lions to win UEFA Euro 2024 as England’s 58 year wait for a major tournament win in men’s football goes on. England were far too loose in possession, with a set-piece that failed largely to click and gave Spain too much possession. In the end, attacking football won the day in contract to an English style of football that yet again failed to fire enough.
The first half was noticeably cagey. Spain had the majority of position, but sturdy, composed and sharp defence from the likes of John Stones, Luke Shaw and Kyle Walker meant La Roja were unable to produce a shot on target and their star 17-year-old Lamine Yamal was initially very quiet. Spain only had the majority of possession because England, eerily similar to their group stage performances, were far too loose on their own ball. Despite defending from deep, it was England who produced the first shot on target through Phil Foden (who was somewhat unluckier than his hero Paul Gazza Gascoigne was in 1996 with a goalless tournament). You just felt that Southgate had instructed his team to be more conservative in the first half and go all out in the second, to prevent a repeat of the Euro 2020 final where England got to an early lead and failed to capitalise.
Nevertheless, in the second half, Spain shook off any suggestion of bad luck with an injury forced substitution to midfielder Rodri when the English defence parted like the Red Sea and the Spanish players found Nico Williams to fire it past both Walker and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford for the game’s opener. Jude Bellingham had the first chance for England in the second half in response, a powerful shot going agonisingly wide of the post. That then got the Spanish going in for what would have been the kill, and Yamal got his first chance of the game, forcing a great save from Pickford to save England’s blushes.
England were on the ropes, and up steps Cole Palmer in the 73rd minute. A lovely delicate pass back from Jude Bellingham and super sub Palmer nails into the back of the net to level the score. English fans found their voice and you could sense the Three Lions had a lot more energy. This was a superb Spanish side, and they were not ones to go away, wresting back momentum. Pickford yet again had to save a strike from Yamal.
Unfortunately, that was not enough to keep La Roja at bay. Again, England switched off, and Mikel Oyarzabal was inch perfect onside to put Spain in the lead again in the 87th minute. England had the chance to equalise from a corner, but a superb save from goalkeeper Unai Simón denied England a chance to take it to extra time. Spain then played frustrating but clever football, time-wasting on fouls and free kicks, and England never had another chance. After four minutes of extra time, the trophy was Spain’s.
Even if England won tonight, it’s important to note some things that deserve attention when focus can be purely on-pitch sports related. There are a few studies on rates of domestic abuse during international football tournaments. Reports do vary but they can tally as high as 50% of women could be subject to forms of domestic abuse during major male international football tournaments. A lot needs to be done to improve prosecutions and convictions of domestic abuse in the UK, and we should not need bad results like tonight’s as a reminder of how stark an issue this is nationally.
There was also a concern pregame that an England win could lead to people forgetting the achievements of the Lionesses, who did one better by winning the Euros for the first time in 2022. It was great to see England players such as Declan Rice talk to the media prematch of how the men were inspired by their female counterparts but we as the media have a job to do to ensure that the awesome successes of England women are put on a higher platform than the men’s until the Three Lions can finally actually bring it home.
Even if England had won the match tonight, I still would have called for Southgate to leave on a high. His style of football has never brought the best out of the insane talent that English football possess in the men’s game. That should not take away from Southgate’s seriously impressive record as England manager. 8 years in the job, taking over an English team suffering an embarrassing Round of 16 defeat to Iceland in UEFA Euro 2016 to manage them to three semifinals in four tournaments and consecutive Euros finals.
I think Southgate has done so much for English men’s football, building a team that plays for each other and bringing a consistency to tournaments that the Three Lions never really had, even in that famous 1966 lift of the Jules Rimet trophy. He has given the team a platform and a belief that they can win knockout matches, now a Manager needs to come in that can install a system that can bring out attacking, successful football, that the England team are more than capable of thriving under.
It was not to be, but it is not the end of the world. That is the beauty of football, the next major tournament, the World Cup in North America is only two years away. We may not have to wait that long until the men finally follow in the footsteps of the Lionesses and bring it home.