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by IANS |
July 15 (IANS) Mikel Oyarzabal came off the bench and scored the winning goal in the 86th minute to help Spain beat England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final in the Olympia stadium here late on Sunday night. England played it safe from the outset, defending deep from the kick-off, while the Spanish side dominated possession. However, Spain couldn't find a way past England's defence and missed a few chances in the final third. There weren't many goal-scoring opportunities in the first half. John Stones blocked a promising effort from Nico Williams, while the first clear-cut chance fell to England when Phil Foden tested Spain's goalkeeper Unai Simon from a tight angle in the dying seconds of the first half, reports Xinhua. The Spanish team started the second half on the front foot, with Daniel Carvajal passing to youngster Lamine Yamal before feeding Williams, who skillfully finished with a well-placed shot past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford just 69 seconds in. Luis de la Fuente's team increased the pressure and should have scored more goals to extend their lead, but Dani Olmo narrowly missed, while John Stones blocked another shot from Alvaro Morata before Williams also missed. Gareth Southgate responded to Spain's pressure by making two substitutions, bringing on Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins. The Three Lions made the most of Spain's wastefulness moments later as Palmer benefited from Jude Bellingham's lay-up and fired the ball from 21 metres into the bottom left corner in the 73rd minute. Despite the equalizer, England retreated and handed control to Spain, who set up their pass play and created chances. In the 82nd minute, Pickford was on guard against Yamal, but he was helpless moments later. Marc Cucurella's pinpoint low ball into the box allowed Oyarzabal to tap home the 2-1 winner. England pressed and almost leveled again in the dying minutes of the clash, but Simon and Olmo cleared on the goal line to avoid another late equalizer by the Three Lions. As well as being the Euro record champions with the fourth title, Spain is the first team to win all seven tournament matches, beating Italy, Germany, France and England along the way. "I am proud of my team. They gave it their all, but we weren't good enough to win today. Spain was better throughout the tournament and deserved to win the title. We didn't have many chances to score, and we made a few mistakes at the end, which made a difference," said England coach Southgate. "Spain has won the Euro title for the fourth time. I couldn't be happier. It is a good day for us. My team deserved to win the European Championship. I am so proud, prouder than I was a few days ago already," said Spain coach De la Fuente.
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