England’s hearts were broken in the Euro 2024 final, Spain scoring late to seal a 2-1 win; Mikel Oyarzabal’s 86th-minute goal won it after substitute Cole Palmer cancelled out Nico Williams’ opener; England’s trophy wait will extend to 60 years by the 2026 World Cup
Mikel Oyarzabal’s late sucker punch earned Spain the Euro 2024 trophy via a 2-1 win over England, whose wait for a trophy will go into a 60th year.
Spain controlled possession and applied pressure which resulted in Nico Williams’ opener just two minutes after half-time following Lamine Yamal’s excellent run and pass. It was the perfect boost to losing Rodri to a half-time injury.
But after England captain Harry Kane was taken off following a disappointing display up front, Cole Palmer was the latest England hero off the bench as his superb strike levelled matters up. The Chelsea man rifled home Jude Bellingham’s lay off and it threatened a turning point in Berlin.
Extra-time was looming and England felt momentum shifting – but then Spain put the pressure back on. Jordan Pickford denied Lamine Yamal, afterwards named the young player of the tournament, with a superb stop.
It was one of two brilliant second half stops by England’s No 1, as he denied Spain’s 17-year-old star at 1-0England thought they had levelled when Declan Rice met Palmer’s corner unmarked. Unai Simon parried it as far as Marc Guehi who nodded the ball towards the line, but Dani Olmo cleared it away. Rice put another rebound over
Source: skysports
In other news – Alessandro Buongiorno joins Napoli from Torino
Buongiorno played his first match for Italy in 2023 and has won four caps. He was part of Luciano Spalletti’s squad for the European Championship but remained on the bench for all four matches.
Napoli have signed Italy defender Alessandro Buongiorno from Torino, both Serie A clubs announced on Saturday. Italian media reported that the 25-year-old had signed a five-year deal with Antonio Conte’s Napoli, with the transfer fee around 35 million euros ($38.17 million. Read more