Well, it isn't coming home. England's title drought of nearly 60 years will continue, and now, The Three Lions are the first national team to reach back-to-back Euro finals and fall short both times. Spain, on the other hand, is now the first team to take home four Euros.
Coming into the tournament, England was considered one of the favorites to hoist the title. Spain came in with great potential, considering the team's phenomenal young talent, and while their chances to win it all were there, they were regarded as more of a dark horse than a top contender. La Furia Roja defied the odds and proved critics wrong spectacularly. England's performance in the group stage was unconvincing, but they were resilient in the knockout stage, coming from behind against Switzerland and the Netherlands to make the final. On the other hand, Spain was impressive the entire way.
The first half of the final saw some heavy defending from both sides. Spain's Nico Williams scored with two minutes into the second half to put the Spaniards ahead. A few minutes later, Spain had a chance to double their lead but could not take advantage. England would continue to fight back to equalize, which they did in the 73rd minute when Cole Palmer equalized two minutes after entering the game. With less than five minutes to go, Mikel Oyarzabal scored to give Spain the lead, and that was it. England had at least two chances for another but couldn't do it.
Spain's Lamine Yamal is the youngest (17 years and one day) male footballer to start in the final of a major tournament. He surpasses the late Pelé (17 years, 249 days). Yamal finished the tournament with four assists and one goal, earning the award for Euro 2024's best young player. Fellow Spaniard Rodri would be named the tournament's best player, and Dani Olmo finishes as one of the tournament's top scorers with three goals.
This loss is excruciating for England. Regarding where England goes from here, the million-dollar question would be the future of manager Gareth Southgate. For a while, English supporters have called for Southgate to be fired. There was speculation that he would be dismissed should England fail to make an impression. Is it logical for the English Football Association to fire Southgate after leading England to its second straight Euro final? That's highly debatable.
Southgate's decisions regarding tactics and formations have been considered heavily questionable, which is why many want him ousted from his position. Losing back-to-back Euro finals is a bad mark, but he could face a backlash from English supporters and the English media for his decision to pull Harry Kane out of the game in the 61st minute, though Kane was issued a yellow card early in the game. Kane's future with the national team comes to mind, as well as the future of other English players.
Spain's future is bright, and as the new European champions, they are already considered favorites for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in North America. England's future, however, is uncertain.
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