Lamine Yamal and Rodri get a guard of honour from their teammates on their way to collect some individual trinkets.
Harry Kane: “Losing in a final is as tough as it gets. We did really well to get back in the game and to 1-1. We could have used that momentum to push on but we couldn’t keep the ball and we got punished.
“We didn’t keep the same intensity and pressure. It is the last game of the tournament, there are a lot of physically and mentally tired players out there.
“It’s been a tough tournament, we’ve had to show a lot of resilience. We wanted to do it so badly for ourselves but also our fans. For now it is a huge disappointment.
“We love the manager but that is his decision. This is not the time to talk about it. He will go away and think about it.”
“Better players won,” says Gary Naylor. “Kane, Bellingham and Foden summed to about two players per game at most. Away from Pep’s instructions, Palmer is a much better player than Foden, a fit Watkins is better than an unfit Kane and Bellingham and Mainoo are too young to play seven matches in best form. We kept going one-down because the starting XI was weaker than the one that played the last 20 minutes.”
The post-mortem has begun on BBC who look at why England have come second once again. Basically, they have decided that England need to be less conservative which is what a lot of people said at the start. Being brave is a great quality in football.
What a night for the Basques with the goals coming from Williams and Oyarzabal. I am sure those in Euskadi will be ecstatic to know the rest of the country have them to thank for a European triumph.
In time, I think England will regret the 2021 final more than tonight. There were times during the game I thought England weren’t imposing themselves enough in attack, but the more it marinates, the clearer it becomes that Spain were just too good. The best team won, the end.
I’m going to take a break, but Will Unwin is wiping away the tears, ready to bring you all the reaction. Thanks a lot for your company and emails.
Gareth Southgate has been so gracious, making a point of seeking out people like Rodri. He takes a few seconds alone, pressing his forehead, then beckons all the squad over to thank the England fans. His decency and dignity almost bring a lump to the throat.
Spain now sit alone with four European Championship wins. This might be the most impressive of the lot, which is saying something given how good they were in 2008 and 2012. They were much the better team tonight, even without the injured Rodri in their second half. Fabian Ruiz and Nico Williams in particular were brilliant, and we’ll be talking about Lamine Yamal’s tournament forever.
It’s a desperate night for England, who become the first side to lose successive men’s European Championship finals. Gareth Southgate and Kieran Trippier are going round consoling the England players; Southgate, dignified to the last, made a point of seeking out Luis de la Fuente in the celebratory Spain huddle
Full time: Spain 2-1 England
Lock the door, close the curtains: football won’t be home for another couple of years at least. But Spain are European champions, and no team has ever deserved it more.
90+3 min Saka catches Cucurella, who goes down holding his face to waste a bit more time. The offside technology confirms that the knee of Guehi (I think) was playing Oyarzabal onside.
90+1 min Watkins is booked for a high tackle on Nacho, who takes the opportunity to get the physio on.
90 min: Off the line by Olmo! Palmer’s outswinging corner is met by Rice, whose powerful header is pushed away by Unai Simon. Guehi’s follow up is headed off the line by Olmo and Rice’s second attempts goes just over.
89 min: Spain substitution Mikel Merino replaces Lamine Yamal.
88 min Bellingham’s through pass is miscontrolled by Watkins in the area. That was half a chance.
England substitution: Phil Foden off, Ivan Toney on.
Oyarzabal played a simple pass out to Cucurella and got on his bike. Cucurella guided an immaculate low cross back towards Oyarzabal, who got away from Guehi and slid the ball past Pickford from seven yards.
There’s a check for offside but I think he’s okay. Yep, the goal stands. And it was a terrific goal too.
GOAL! Spain 2-1 England (Oyarzabal 86)
It’s been coming, and it might not be coming home.
86 min “Since Watkins came on, his closing down of Simon and the center backs has unsettled the Spanish buildup play,” says Kári Tulinius. “If Rodri was still on the field, they could just pass it to him and he’d sort it out. It took a while, but Spain are really missing him now.”
85 min England have up to four more substitutions available, if it goes the distance, and they’ll need them because they look really tired. There’s every chance Spain will nick this in normal time.
84 min Spain are starting to pin England back again. They’ve been the better team, had the better chances, played the better football. I think we all know what that means.
83 min: Spain substitution Nacho for Robin Le Normand.
82 min: Good save by Pickford! Lamine Yamal has missed a terrific chance. Palmer lost the ball to Zubimendi on the halfway line and Spain went straight at England. Olmo played a slick one-two with Williams on the edge of the area, then dummied the ball to allow it to run across to Yamal. His first-time curler was too close to Pickford, who got down smartly to his right to make a crucial save.
81 min Nothing much is happening. Spain are passing the ball around in the middle third, both teams readjusting mentally to the state of the game.
79 min The corner is cleared, so there’ll be no controversy about the challenge on Stones.
78 min After two or three wobbly minutes, Spain are back in control of the ball. Carvajal’s cross is allowed to bounce by Walker but clears Williams’ head as well. Williams retrieves and crosses towards Oyarzabal, forcing Stones to head behind for a corner. I thought Stones was fouled but the referee didn’t, so that’s that.
77 min “Was penning an altogether breezier missive when the goal went in,” writes Russell Yong. “Still cautiously positive that England could salvage something here, though it does, kind of like with India in the last T20 WC, feel a bit like everyone else in the tournament was just lining up for the privilege of getting beaten by Spain. If, as is likely, England lose, the history of Euro 2024 will firmly read that no side in history has ever presented as a more obvious candidate to win from the start. Though I guess they said the same about India in last year’s World Cup…”
76 min England are the horror movie villain that keeps coming back to life. It will be absurd if England win all four knockout games after going behind. Before Slovakia they’d only done that three times in 94 years!
“I’m the only Englishman in a tent with 500 Spaniards,” reports Ben Roberts. “And I somehow managed to keep my gob shut for that goal.”
75 min Now England are rampant! Saka twists outside Cucurella are drives a low cross that is cleared by Laporte at the near post.
Saka and Bellingham played really important parts in that goal, with Bellingham’s lay-off perfectly weighted.
Cole Palmer has equalised with a fine goal! Saka broke away down the right and passed a low ball towards Bellingham near the penalty spot. He calmly laid it off first time to Palmer, who ran onto the ball, all in good time, and passed it nonchalantly into the far corner from 20 yards. It took a slight deflection, the hell Cole Palmer will care. He’s been on the field less than three minutes.
GOAL! Spain 1-1 England (Palmer 73)
The boy’s a superstar.
71 min These are the revised teams.
Spain (4-2-3-1) Simon; Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella; Zubimendi, Fabian Ruiz; Lamine Yamal, Olmo, Williams; Oyarzabal.
England (4-2-3-1) Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Shaw; Bellingham, Rice; Saka, Palmer, Foden; Watkins.
70 min: England substitution Cole Palmer for Kobbie Mainoo. That means Bellingham will drop slightly deeper.
70 min Fabian Ruiz rakes a half-volley over the bar from 25 yards. England are again struggling to get out. Spain were a bit guilty of sitting on their lead against Germany; tonight they’re going for the throat.
70 min Broadly, there are two ways of looking at England’s performance.
They haven’t turned up.
They’re being outplayed by the best team in the tournament, who could do this to anyone.
68 min: Spain substitution Mikel Oyarzabal replaces Alvaro Morata up front.
66 min: Fine save by Pickford! Spain cut England open on the break. Olmo plays in Lamine Yamal, who gets behind Shaw only to leaave the ball behind on the edge of the area. Lamine Yamal recovers and curls a low shot from the edge of the area that is pushed round by the diving Pickford. That’s a really good save.
64 min Bellingham turns Carvajal on the edge of the D and smashes a left-foot shot a few yards wide. England have been slightly better in the last five minutes.
63 min Saka is fouled on the right wing by Nico Williams, which allows England to send the big lads forward.
Foden’s free-kick is headed away at the near post.
62 min A doff of the cap to Christian B, who sent this at half-time.
As a United supporter, I’m really afraid Luke Shaw will lose concentration for a second, and will let Lamine Yamal in for a goal (or big chance).
I’d like to see the goal again to see what Shaw could have done differently, but it’s certainly the first time Lamine Yamal got behind him.
61 min: England substitution: Ollie Watkins replaces Harry Kane
Kane didn’t look fit – tonight or throughout the tournament. You have to feel for him as he would have been desperate to make up for 2018 and 2021.
60 min No team, men’s or women’s, has ever come from behind to win four knockout games at a major tournament. If you’re going to make history, you might as well do it in style.
59 min England have been battered since Rodri went off, so I’m confused
58 min “Disappointed to see Rodri going off,” says Matt Dony. “Between him and Nico Williams, Spain at least sound a bit Welsh. And that’s good enough for me. Great to see Nico Williams living up to his namesake.”
57 min Ollie Watkins is about to come on. England look a beaten team right now, though we’ve said that before in this tournament.
55 min: Very good chance for Morata! Lamine Yamal slides a gorgeous pass down the inside-right channel. Morata gets behind Guehi, through on Pickford, but screws his shot off target. Stones clears it, just in case.
England can’t get out, and moments later Williams rifles just wide from the edge of the D. That was a thrilling effort.
54 min Morata has a shot from 20 yards blocked by Guehi. I think Williams was in a good position to his left.
England could be out of this in the next five minutes if they’re not careful.
