Spain 2-1 England: Player ratings as La Roja win the Euros again, condemning Three Lions to second consecutive finals heartbreak | UEFA Euro 2024
Spain won their fourth European championship after beating England 2-1 in the finals at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Sunday, July 14. Mikel Oyarzabal scored the winning goal for La Roja in the 86th minute as the Three Lions lost their second Euro final in a row.
With the wounds of the 2020 final at Wembley still fresh in the memory, England knew they had to start on the stronger foot. However, a stoic Spanish defense meant chances were hard to come by in the first half.
Phil Foden forced a good save from Unai Simon in the added minutes of the first half, while Dani Olmo had a shot blocked at the other end, as the sides finished goalless at the break.
But within minutes of the restart, Nico Williams broke the deadlock for La Roja with a cool finish from close-range. England needed a response, and after some probing, it finally arrived in the 73rd minute when substitute Cole Palmer slotted an unstoppable effort into the far corner from outside the box.
It seemed like the momentum had shifted in England's favor, but Spain slowly wrestled back control of the game by dominating possession and pushing bodies forward.
With only four minutes of normal time remaining on the clock, Mikel Oyarzabal, also a substitute, converted a pass from Marc Cucurella from five yards to restore Spain's lead.
England huffed and puffed in search of a leveler in the dying embers, but it never came as their dreams of a first European title were dashed yet again. Spain, though, became the first side to win the championship four times.
Here are the player ratings for England:
Jordan Pickford - 7.5/10
The England custodian was unable to save Williams' strike, but produced a brilliant save from Lamine Yamal's effort in the 66th minute to prevent Spain from doubling their lead. He was at it again a while later, punching away the Barcelona youngster's shot with less than 10 minutes of normal time remaining.
Kyle Walker - 6.5/10
Walker made good overlapping runs to help out attackers in stretching the Spanish defense, but was out of position for La Roja's second goal, allowing Cucurella to lay it off for Oyarzabal to score.
John Stones - 7.5/10
With eight clearances, it's safe to say Stones was vigilant and read the game well, but will be kicking himself for playing Oyarzabal onside in the buildup to Spain's winning goal.
Marc Guehi - 7/10
He perfectly complemented Stones at the heart of England's defense with a solid display, even making a vital block in each half.
Luke Shaw - 7/10
Shaw, making his first start for club and country since recovering from injury, was a shock inclusion in the XI but mostly came up trumps in his battle against Yamal.
Kobbie Mainoo - 6/10
Energetic and industrious, Mainoo was unfazed by the scale of the occasion tonight but lacked the end-product. His first touches weren't the best and passes not up to scratch.
Declan Rice - 6.5/10
Rice misplaced a couple of passes and lacked bite in his attempts at goal, notably a header in second-half stoppage time.
Bukayo Saka - 8/10
The Arsenal star was roughed up by Marc Cucurella a few times but was still effective in creating chances for England. In fact, he was the architect of England's equalizer, as Saka raced down the right flank before taking out two Spanish players to lay the ball off for Bellingham, who then set up Palmer.
Phil Foden - 6/10
Not the best night for Foden, who was well below his attacking best. He did force a brilliant save from Unai Simon in the first half, but that was about as good as it got for him.
Jude Bellingham - 8/10
He constantly asked questions of Spain's defense with his intelligent movement and link-up play and set up Palmer for the equalizer, despite being off-balance.
Harry Kane - 5/10
The ace striker didn't see many goalscoring chances and was often crowded out by Spanish defenders. He was hooked after the hour mark in favor of Ollie Watkins as Southgate sought to boost England's frontline.
Substitutes
Ollie Watkins - 6/10
No late goal heroics from Watkins on a night when England needed it the most.
Cole Palmer - 8/10
Having come of age with Chelsea last season, Palmer once again demonstrated his precocious talent tonight with a fabulous strike from range that brought England level in the match.
Ivan Toney - N/A
Spain were well on their way to the win by the time he came on.