![Spain's Nico Williams scores in the Euro 2024 final, much to the frustration of England pair Kyle Walker and Jordan Pickford](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/07/14/TELEMMGLPICT000385616060_17209953747700_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqdXEWkwHY5dXSRPI2yUh47goEIhTaFGwOESNKUOJ_A0I.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Ten minutes during which England switched off and lost control
Spain triumphed thanks to late winner but superb spell at start of second half proved pivotal — and was due to series of key tactical shifts
![Spain's Nico Williams scores in the Euro 2024 final, much to the frustration of England pair Kyle Walker and Jordan Pickford](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/07/14/TELEMMGLPICT000385616060_17209953747700_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqdXEWkwHY5dXSRPI2yUh47goEIhTaFGwOESNKUOJ_A0I.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Mikel Oyarzabal’s winning goal came in the 86th minute but, in truth, the Euro 2024 final started to get away from England in a porous first 10 minutes of the second half.
Spain struggled to create chances before half-time, but could have been 3-0 up by 55 minutes during a spell in which England’s defensive shape fell apart.
Jordan Pickford kept Gareth Southgate’s team in the contest, but England were second best in and out of possession against a Spain side who were the best collective in the tournament.
Southgate felt it necessary to hook his captain Harry Kane for Ollie Watkins after 60 minutes, a sign that England’s manager was losing patience with what he was watching.
This is how England started sinking into the mire and made costly errors.
Southgate’s defensive switch creates space for opponents
England spent most of the first half defending deep in a 4-4-2 shape, which did not make for the most exciting of games but did slow down Spain’s attacks. The majority of the game was played in a condensed space in their own defensive third.
After the break, England tried to squeeze higher up the pitch, with Declan Rice and Kobbie Mainoo more aggressive in their positioning, but the midfield found itself bypassed by Spain’s passing combinations or a longer ball. Suddenly, the pitch looked an awful lot bigger (see below) and England’s players were running back towards their own goal.
![Spain v England, Euro 2024 final](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/07/14/TELEMMGLPICT000385636623_17209949279150_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bqym5kVmwSwpcpIVW82Q2gL0rT7qZfhHsXPkLRQnIjdXE.jpeg?imwidth=350)
Simón steps into playmaker role
There is a simple reason why ball-playing goalkeepers are in demand: if your goalkeeper is involved in build-up play, you are effectively playing with 11 outfield players against 10 and should always be able to find a spare man.
Unai Simón made glaring errors at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, but settled down in this tournament and his passing from the base of Spain’s team drew the venom out of England’s press.
In the second half (see below), Simón completed four raking passes into midfield areas. Even when Simón went long unsuccessfully, Spain were very good at ensuring red shirts were in close proximity to win the second ball.
![Unai Simon's second-half pass map v England, Euro 2024 final](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/07/14/TELEMMGLPICT000385636619_17209949904950_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqIlB8N0-eCKir34PrHbfoBIdB9BP7G10Pw4zzsQBBXHU.jpeg?imwidth=350)
Spain moves switch from right to left
In the build-up to Nico Williams’s opening goal, Dani Carvajal sent Lamine Yamal goal-side of Luke Shaw with a cute pass to the inside. Rice and Mainoo were out of the picture, meaning Kyle Walker had to track the run of Dani Olmo and leave Williams free on the outside.
Several of Spain’s attacks followed this pattern, building play down the right before switching play to the dangerous Williams on the left. Walker was dragged inside, creating space for Spain’s left winger.
Carvajal was clever with his positioning, with Spain’s No 2 regularly popping up in central midfield positions (see below). These underlaps narrowed England’s shapes and gave Yamal and Williams the chance to attack Shaw and Walker in isolation.
![Spain v England, Euro 2024 final](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/07/14/TELEMMGLPICT000385636622_17209950363880_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq4J7r88xNRHxBjHjQmdZaxn1fBzdowKT6pahG45Xt_d4.jpeg?imwidth=350)
England struggle with the press again
Southgate’s men also lost their composure in possession, with Rice guilty of giving the ball away cheaply twice in his own defensive third. England’s midfielders might say with some justification that they lacked out-balls to hit.
Southgate spoke post-match about England not keeping possession well enough and failing to find a way through Spain’s aggressive pressure. It is a familiar English flaw in big tournament matches.
With England struggling to pass out from deep, they resorted to going back to Pickford, who launched long balls straight to Spain’s centre-halves.
A desperate centre-forward performance from Kane did not help England’s cause, with the team unable to turn Spain around or bounce passes off their captain. Cole Palmer’s equaliser raised hopes of another England comeback, but they were simply outclassed.