The long decades without a major international football trophy for the English men’s football team are set to continue following the side’s dramatic defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final, played in the early hours of the morning Macao time.
Spain took the lead early in the second half at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, with Nico Williams hitting home after a pass from teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, the BBC reports.
England equalised in the 73rd minute with a goal from Cole Palmer, raising hopes that the squad could stage a comeback and take home England’s first international trophy since the 1966 World Cup, which was played at London’s Wembley stadium. The Euro 2024 trophy would have been the first such major cup won by England overseas.
[See more: Who is the youngest goal scorer in Euro football history, Lamine Yamal?]
However, English fans were doomed to disappointment. Four minutes from the final whistle, Mikel Oyarzabal netted a cross from Marc Cucurella after what had been a gruelling match.
England’s men lost the Euro final against Italy three years ago as well as a World Cup semi-final in 2018 and a World Cup quarter-final in Qatar in 2022. However, the English women’s team were crowned Euro champions in 2022.
The latest defeat calls into question the future of manager Gareth Southgate, while an out-of-form captain Harry Kane has come under fire for what many see as a subpar performance throughout the Euro tournament.
