Spain win Euro 2024 with a dominant 2-1 victory over England in Berlin to seal a record fourth European Championship title. Check out the best facts, stats and do your own analysis of the Opta data with our Spain vs England stats page.
Spain won their fourth men’s European Championship title, setting a new record, while England’s 57 years of hurt continues following a 2-1 loss in Berlin.
Substitute Mikel Oyarzabal broke English hearts and sealed a historic Spanish win with his 86th-minute goal, after Cole Palmer had given Gareth Southgate’s side hope.
Hope was really all England had in the end, as Spain dominated the game from start to finish, to leave the Three Lions the first team ever to lose back-to-back European Championship finals. England have played the most games at the Euros without ever winning it (45), and that run will continue until they co-host the tournament in four years.
This is a Spanish side that we’ve seen become comfortable without having as much possession of the ball as past editions before Luis de la Fuente’s arrival, but England looked happy to give their opponents plenty of it in the opening exchanges. The first 15 minutes saw Spain have 75% possession, with the Three Lions taking their time to figure them out.
England grew into a cagey first half, but Spain continued to dominate possession without causing Southgate’s side many worries. The opening 45 minutes only saw two shots on target, with England only attempting theirs via Phil Foden in added time, while the Three Lions could only complete 16 passes in the final third of the pitch – Spain completed more than four times as many (73).
A damning statistic for England was that their 100 successful passes tonight is their fewest in the first half of a match since October 2009 (98 vs Ukraine) and their fewest in the first half of a major tournament match since Euro 2000 (96 vs Germany). Much of Spain’s dominance on the ball was aided by the presence of Rodri, but when the teams returned for the second period, the Man City midfielder was missing and replaced by Martín Zubimendi.
England only completed one more in the second half before Nico Williams put Spain into the lead just 69 seconds after the break. Of course, the pass to Williams came via wonderkid Lamine Yamal for his fourth assist of the tournament, which equals the most on record at a single edition of the European Championship (since 1980).
Both of Spain’s wide players had exceptional tournaments, and it was little surprise to see the ball hit the back of the net after reaching Williams’ feet at the back post. Coming just two days after his 22nd birthday, the Athletic Club star became the second-youngest player to score in a European Championship final after Pietro Anastasi for Italy in 1968 (20 years and 64 days).
England were on the ropes and Spain had chances to double their lead, with their best chance coming via Yamal, who saw his shot smartly saved by Jordan Pickford. But just like in the semi-final, and England substitute swung the momentum of the game.
Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins elevated England in their win over the Netherlands, and the pair arrived on to the pitch after the hour-mark to improve the Three Lions’ tempo in possession. Just two minutes and 22 second after his introduction, Palmer equalised for England. After great work from Bukayo Saka, the ball found Jude Bellingham who set the ball back for Palmer 25 yards from goal. The Chelsea youngster side-footed the ball with power past Unai Simón’s outstretched right hand, to give England a goal that never looked like it was coming.
Instead of building upon the goal, though, England seemed to go back in their shell. It’s been a criticism of Southgate’s England sides that they have been too risk adverse, and that was certainly the case in this final. They allowed Spain to get back into the game and were eventually made to pay.
Oyarzabal caught Marc Guéhi napping, sneaking in behind the England central defender after a wicked pass into the box from Marc Cucurella and slid home the winner. He was millimetres onside, but unlike the rest of England’s tournament, their luck was out.
There’s every chance this could be Gareth Southgate’s last match in charge of his country, and if that is to be the case, his spell should be fondly remembered overall. He’s delivered two European finals and a World Cup semi-final finish, but ultimately England remain without a trophy. It’s now guaranteed to be 60 years of hurt, until they have the next opportunity to win something at the 2026 World Cup.
For Spain, they enter the record books with their fourth Euros win, overtaking Germany. They were undoubtedly the star side at these finals, and their win was what they deserved.
De la Fuente picks up a unique European Championship hat-trick, following wins in charge of the Spanish under-19 and under-21 sides in 2015 and 2019 respectively. He guided an excellent Spain to wins in all seven of their games at Euro 2024. No side had ever previously won six, and with so much quality and youth in their ranks, this is a Spanish side who could dominate for years to come.
England will be made to rue not turning up for another final, just like at Euro 2020. As the song goes, the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain, and unfortunately this England performance was as plain as they come.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Spain vs England stats from the Euro 2024 final at Olympiastadion, Berlin.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Spain vs England: Euro 2024 Final Post-Match Facts
- Spain have won the UEFA European Championship for a fourth time (1964, 2008, 2012, 2024), the most of any nation in the competition’s history.
- England have become the first nation in UEFA European Championship history to lose consecutive finals, losing to Italy at Euro 2020 and Spain today.
- Spain won all seven matches at Euro 2024, becoming the first European nation to win seven matches at a major international tournament (Euro/World Cup) and just the second overall, along with Brazil at the 2002 World Cup. They scored 15 goals at Euro 2024, the most by a nation in a single tournament in EURO history.
- England manager Gareth Southgate has become the first manager in UEFA European Championship history to end on the losing side in two finals.
- Today’s match was England’s 45th game at the UEFA Euro – the Three Lions have played 19 more matches than any other nation to have never won it (Belgium second most, 26 games).
- Cole Palmer’s equalising goal was scored just two minutes and 22 seconds after he came off the bench, England’s fastest ever sub goal at the UEFA Euro. It was also the second fastest by a sub in a final, behind only Juan Mata in 2012 for Spain (1 minute, 40 seconds).
- Mikel Oyarzabal has scored 12 goals for Spain and nine of them have come as a substitute, including his last five in a row. He’s the fourth substitute to score a winner in a Euro final, after Oliver Bierhoff for Germany in 1996, David Trezeguet for France in 2000 and Éder for Portugal in 2016.
- Lamine Yamal became the first Spain player to register four assists in a single UEFA European Championship tournament. It is also the joint most any player has ever assisted at a single Euro that Opta has on record (1980 onwards).
- At the age of 22 years and two days today, Spain’s Nico Williams became the second youngest player to score in a UEFA Euro final, behind only Pietro Anastasi in 1968 for Italy (20 years, 64 days). His goal, 69 seconds in the second half, is the earliest second half goal scored in a Euro final.
- England have now conceded the first goal of the game in eight of their last 12 matches in all competitions and have done so in four matches in a row for the first time since May/June 1985.
- Spain’s Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to appear in either a UEFA Euro or FIFA World Cup final, aged 17 years and one day, breaking Pelé’s record from the 1958 World Cup final for Brazil against Sweden (17 years, 249 days).
- In the 181 minutes he played across both the Euro 2020 and 2024 finals, England captain Harry Kane had just one shot, one touch in the opposition box and had just 58 touches of the ball.
- Jude Bellingham made his 15th appearance at a major tournament for England – at the age of 21 years and 15 days, he is the youngest player in the history of the UEFA Euro and FIFA World Cup to make 15 appearances across the two competitions. Coincidentally, the second-youngest player is Bukayo Saka, who also made his 15th appearance in this match (22 years, 313 days).
- With Spain’s Lamine Yamal (aged 17) and England’s Kobbie Mainoo (aged 19) both starting the Euro 2024 final, two teenagers featured in the final of a UEFA Euro or FIFA World Cup final for the very first time.
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