Substitute Mikel Oyarzabal struck an 87th-minute winner to give Spain a dramatic 2-1 victory over England in the Euro 2024 final at Berlin’s Olympiastadion and claim a record 4th European Championship crown.
A final that exploded into life in the second half, looked set for extra time after England substitute Cole Palmer cancelled out Nico Williams’ opening goal for Spain.
But it was another substitute, Oyarzabal who had the final word. The Real Sociedad forward was found just onside by a teasing Marc Cucurella cross to stab past Jordan Pickford and deliver Spain’s first major trophy since their golden generation won the last of three consecutive titles in 2012.
Mikel Oyarzabal was Spain’s hero with a late winner in the Euro 2024 final against England.
With the win, Spain break a tie with Germany for most Euro titles and signalled the coming of age of a fresh generation of talent led by the 22-year-old Williams and 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, who became the youngest player to ever feature in a World Cup or European Championship final, surpassing the record set by Brazil legend Pele in 1958.
And Spain left little doubt they were worthy champions, having won all seven of their games in the competition and becoming the first team in European Championship history to score 15 goals in a single tournament, breaking a tie with France’s 1984-winning side.
For England, however, it was a cruel way to lose a second-straight European Championship final and extended the men’s team’s 58-year wait for a major trophy.
