It was yet another painful defeat for England as they were beaten 2-1 by Spain in the final of Euro 2024 in Berlin on Sunday night.
Undoubtedly the best team in the tournament, Spain again were the better side, but England battled well and it took a late winner to win a tight contest for the champions.
Little of note happened in the first half, with just one Phil Foden shot on target from either side, but Spain were quickly ahead after the break.
Nico Williams scored within two minutes of the restart and Spain were on top, looking good to score more.
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The Three Lions regrouped and substitute Cole Palmer scored a wonderful equaliser on 73 minutes, but Spain nicked it at the death through Mikel Oyarzabal with five minutes to play.
Gareth Southgate had made one change to his team from the semi-final win over Netherlands, with Luke Shaw coming in for Kieran Trippier for his first start of the tournament.
Jordan Pickford – 7
Not at fault for either goal and made a couple of good saves from Lamine Yamal in the second half. Another solid match and tournament for England from the Everton goalkeeper.
Kyle Walker – 6
The rapid defender kept Nico Williams quiet in the first half but much less so in the second and the Spain winger opened the scoring on his side of back line. Walker offered a threat going forward early on but none of it came to anything.
John Stones – 7
It was another classy display in the middle of defence from the experienced campaigner. A brilliant tackle to keep out Williams early on and solid throughout.
Marc Guehi – 7
A breakout star of this tournament and another fine performance from the Crystal Palace centre-back. Quick, strong, clearly a good leader, Guehi will likely have cemented his place in the England defence for years to come after making the most of Harry Maguire’s injury. However, he did let Mikel Oyarzabal get ahead of him for the winner.
Bukayo Saka – 6
There was hope that Bukayo Saka could be the key for England against Marc Cucurella and there were signs that could be the case early on, but that didn’t last. The Arsenal star was good before the break but didn’t contribute a lot at all after the break.
Luke Shaw – 6
Probably England’s best player in the first half, looking good at the back and going forward, but not so good in the second. The returning left-back was out of position to let Yamal set up Williams for Spain’s first, and didn’t get England up the field much later on.
Declan Rice – 5
England didn’t really gain control of the midfield much at all over the contest, with Rice unable to take charge of matters. Always a willing and committed runner, but not at his best.
Kobbie Mainoo – 5
Failed to influence the game as he did so brilliantly in the semi-final. Offered nothing going forward, misplaced a couple of passes. It was hardly a disastrous performance from the Manchester United man, but it was a long way from his best.
Phil Foden – 4
A frustrating game again for the Manchester City standout, who failed to shine at all going forward. His delivery was poor and created almost nothing of any note. Deserves credit for work rate and committing to defensive duties but really produced nothing of what England fans would hope for from him.
Jude Bellingham – 5
Felt like he got a bit of the old Paul Scholes treatment from Gareth Southgate, farmed out on the left a bit and had work to do defensively, helping Shaw out with Yamal. He did that role well enough, but it was never going to get the best out of him. A well weighted assist for Palmer helped England equalise, but that was a rare highlight.
Harry Kane – 3
Another disappointing performance from the England captain. He had one shot expertly blocked by Rodri in the first half but offered little else as the team’s primary attacking threat. The Three Lions lacked an out ball at times as he dropped deep and clogged things up in the middle of the pitch. The theory that Kane is battling through injury could well have legs, but he was poor. Booked early on and hooked after an hour.
Ollie Watkins – 6
His style of play is a huge help to England after struggling with Kane labouring on the pitch for most of the game. Higher energy and getting the team higher up the pitch, but couldn’t work a chance for himself.
Cole Palmer – 8
Came off the bench to replace Kobbie Mainoo on 70 minutes and took just three minutes to make a wonderful impact. Jude Bellingham laid off the ball to him outside the box and the Chelsea superstar curled an effort into the bottom corner with his left foot.
Ivan Toney
Brought on very late for Foden but could make little impact.
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