What a thrilling European Championship it has been in 2024, it is Spain who comes out on top and brings the trophy home.
Spain is without a doubt the greatest team in the finals, having won the European Championships for a record-breaking fourth time, one game ahead of Germany. They have played the greatest football overall, scored the most goals, and won all seven games (requiring extra time just once). (They are the only men's team in a European Championship to win every game.)
Pre-tournament favorites France and England were more passive, sitting deeper and hoping for a heroic performance from one of their great players; in contrast, Spain took the initiative and defeated the top teams, including holders Italy, hosts Germany, France, and England. But you have to put in a lot of work as well to win a tournament. They performed so in the second half of Tuesday's semifinal match against France as well as against Germany in Stuttgart.
Additionally, they shown tenacity by overcoming deficits in their victories over Georgia and France and responding skillfully when England equalized, despite losing midfielder Rodri to an injury at the break. That mentality was evident right up until stoppage time on Sunday, when Dani Olmo—who scored three goals at Euro 2024—headed Marc Guéhi's goal-bound attempt over the crossbar.
After barely one hour of the Euro 2024 final, with his team losing 1-0, Southgate replaced Harry Kane. The England manager made a big decision, but it was the right one. Although Kane leads England's all-time goal scoring record with 66 goals, and he led Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title last season, he never appeared to be totally ready for this competition.
It would be stupid to write Kane off at this stage because he will turn 31 later this month. While he still has time to regain his fitness and demonstrate that he has plenty of remaining time, the shift in England following Kane's performance was astounding. Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham had greater purpose because of Watkins' speed and positional discipline since they could deliver various balls to the Aston Villa forward than to Kane, who moved very little.
As Cole Palmer entered the match, the Chelsea star gave England's performance a whole new dimension by netting an incredible goal to cap up excellent forward work by Bellingham and Saka.
Mikel Oyarzabal's late goal gave Spain the victory in the end, but England may have won if they had made a different move sooner.
Though Kane shouldn't write himself into history just yet, England's abundance of offensive alternatives means he can no longer consider himself a lock for a starting spot.
Gareth Southgate is the one who will suffer the most from England's 60-year wait for a major men's title, but will he be motivated to compete again in the 2026 World Cup?
The FA wanted Southgate to continue beyond the end of his contract, which expires in December, according to an earlier story by ESPN this week. But the 53-year-old said that the atmosphere among the fans throughout this tournament was a "complete roller coaster," with his team being jeered off twice in the group stage and beer glasses being hurled in his direction following a draw with Slovenia.
A squad with of offensive skill failed to impress, and the criticism became more personal than it had ever been. Nevertheless, they rebounded spectacularly to make their first major final abroad, excelling in a thrilling late semifinal victory against the Netherlands.
After that match, Southgate made a heartfelt statement about how "everyone wants to be loved, right?" He will now wait to make a decision regarding his future to see how England's campaign in Germany is received. In the end, he might not care about the trouble. The manner they lost against Spain, where Southgate easily gave up ground to concentrate on defensive resiliency and only opened up after they were behind, will further encourage critics of his cautious style.
England's tournament consistency and good culture have never been better thanks to Southgate. However, they still need to make that last move. It remains to be seen if Southgate believes he has enough backing to give it another go.
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