Thank you very much for joining me (but mainly Rob).

Keep the party going by reading …

Jacob Steinberg’s report.

Nick Ames on Harry Kane.

Jonathan Liew on England shortfalls.

Player ratings.

Barney Ronay on regrets.

Rob Draper on England being denied.

Sid Lowe on Spain.

Football Association chief Mark Bullingham praised the “huge commitment” of Gareth Southgate and his England side after their Euro 2024 final defeat.

England lost 2-1 to Spain in Berlin on Sunday night, their second successive European Championships final defeat. Mikel Oyarzabal’s late winner was enough to see Spain over the line after substitute Cole Palmer cancelled out Nico Williams’ opener.

It remains to be seen if Southgate will stay at the helm moving forward with the 53-year-old refusing to be drawn on the subject in his post-match media duties.
Bullingham, who will be tasked with finding a successor should Southgate depart, admitted everyone at the FA was “hurting” as a result of the defeat at the Olympiastadion.

“We came to Germany to win the tournament, and we didn’t want it to end this way,” the FA chief executive said. “We are all hurting tonight, but we should be incredibly proud. I would like to thank Gareth, Steve (Holland, assistant manager), all of the players and the support team for their huge commitment and hard work to try to win the trophy for the country. They will be more disappointed than anyone to fall just short.”

Harry Kane reacts.

Jan knows.

Sid Lowe gets the comparisons out.

This will for ever be their competition; the future belongs to them too. It may belong to Spain too on this evidence. They had to suffer, sure, England finding hope from somewhere with Cole Palmer’s strike at a time when Rodri had gone, Morata had gone, Robin Le Normand had gone and Nacho was on, but Spain deserved it. This team is a cuadrilla the coach says – a Basque word for group of mates who stay together for life – and it was a Basque who won it for them, Oyarzabal, on as a sub and sliding the ball beyond Jordan Pickford, which felt fitting too.

Spain were the better team but still needed some last-ditch defending to see them through. Rob Draper looks at the chest thumping.

Jude Bellingham bemoans the “crazy schedule” saying the players were “exhausted” coming into the tournament.

And here’s what you could have won.

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The trophy lift.

One big happy family.

One foot out the door?

England striker Ollie Watkins praised Southgate, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “He brings a real togetherness. It is a tight-knit group, so close. Since he has come in, he has been the most successful England manager there is. I think he deserves a lot more praise than he gets. Back to back finals. He deserves a lot of credit - his record speaks for itself. I would have loved for us to win tonight because he deserves it more than anyone, him and Steve Holland. I am really gutted.”

Spain midfielder Rodri: “Surely the best day of my sporting career. We have built a family, we are European champions, as difficult as it is, and now we are the most successful team in the European Championship. We have beaten everyone.”

Alvaro Morata: “Positive messages lead to positive things, and we have seen how Spain believed in us and well, I hope they are proud of this team, of everything that is coming in the future, because you have seen it.”

More reaction from the Spanish camp.

Lamine Yamal: “Very happy and looking forward to coming back to Spain and celebrating with all the fans. It is really the best present there is. It’s a dream. When we were drawing it was difficult. They pushed us hard, but I don’t know what this team is made of, but we always come back, we always win.”

Marc Cucurella: “We deserved it from the start. Not many people backed us, but we kept quiet and did our job, which is to play football. We know how to suffer as a family.”

All that time, money and effort to get to Berlin for England fans. Was it worth it?

Barney Ronay on regrets and there are plenty.

This was at least an excellent final, a full-throated affair against the team of the tournament. Spain has been the dominant football culture of the last quarter century, a tactical atelier that has fed the universal global coaching style, not least the Premier League’s own age of Guardiola-imprint possession football.

Josh Halliday went to join fans at Manchester’s Nynex/MEN/AO Arena. Pints and sadness aplenty.

Get your player ratings.

England speak.

Cole Palmer didn’t look to eager to speak to Gabriel Clarke but he got some words out: “Spain have been brilliant all tournament, they are great team. Congratulations. “We hoped to get back into the game but we didn’t do that. Gutted.

“We got to another final, there are positives to take but everyone wanted to go one step further. Gareth has been amazing for the group, he’s got to back to back finals. The World Cup is in two years time, hopefully the players will remember this feeling.”

Rodri: “It is unbelievable, this is a dream. We are the best national team in Europe, it’s unbelievable.

“We made history but we cannot stop here. We have the talent to keep going. It is important to celebrate this moment.”

King Charles and Justin Welby have some words of wisdom for England.

Gareth Southgate refused to be drawn on his future as England manager.

He told ITV: “I don’t think now is a good time to make a decision like that. I’m going to talk to the right people and, yeah, it’s just not for now.

“I think England are in a really good position in terms of the experiences they’ve got now, the age of the squad. Most of this squad are going to be around not just for the World Cup but the next Euros as well. There’s a lot to look forward to but at this moment that’s not any consolation.”

Jonathan Liew on Southgate’s plan (or lack there of).

“Honestly, apart from it coming home, I think this might have been the second best outcome for the country of England tbh,” reckons Samuel Dodson. “It provides limitless despondent argument and debate and further nostalgic pining for the past, which is what we seem to crave deeply. Plus it gives so much weight to both sides of the Gareth Southgate debate that sprang up this year.

“On the one hand, we played terribly for most of the tournament, only actually playing really well for 60 minutes (25 against Serbia, 35 against the Netherlands). But the two claims against Southgate before this tournament were that he never reacted well to the flow of the game – and that we lost to the first good side we played against after receiving very lucky draws. Yet in this tournament, all our best moments came from Southgate decisions – to stick with Kane and Bellingham against Slovakia; to bring on Trent and Toney against Switzerland; to bring on Watkins against Holland; to bring Palmer on in the final. What’s more, in beating the Netherlands (deservedly), we actually beat a good side at a crucial moment.

“In short, nobody is totally vindicated. There are no clear answers. Everyone can claim they are right. Everyone can claim everybody else is wrong. The ideal thing for every person in England. And while football might not have come home; perhaps something more valuable and precious to us did: our ability to keep arguing, keep dreaming; and keep hoping.”

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Jude Bellingham sat in the England dugout, away from his teammates, while Spain were on the stage collecting their medals and trophies.

Spain’s coach Luis de la Fuente: “I couldn’t be happier. To see the fans, to see the players. A real team, European champions. I said I was proud and today I am even prouder. It confirms what we are. For me, they are the best in the world and today I confirm that definition.”

Nick Ames looks at what Harry Kane did (and did not) do in Germany this summer.

As Spain celebrated in the centre circle Kane stood impassively in the technical area, gathering his emotions before making his way around his stricken, desolate teammates. He had hoped to crown his life’s work here but instead all the goals and personal accolades that, the day before the final, he had offered to swap for collective success will have to stay put.

A big season for three Athletic Bilbao players. They won the Copa del Rey and now this.

Gareth Southgate: “We’ve competed until the very end of the final. Today we didn’t keep possession quite well enough, especially when we defended well, they pressed us well and we had to get out of it, which meant they had the best of the game. It is fine margins but Spain were the best team in the tournament and they deserve it.

“There is a disadvantage to having a day less to prepare but we were in game up to 80 minutes.

“Physically it’s been a tough period for Harry, he was short of games and didn’t get up to speed. Ollie’s freshness would allow us to pressure more and it did.”

Some joyous scenes in Madrid.

0:49

BBC were speaking to Southgate and then it cut away to Spanish TV …

Reaction from the Spanish camp:

Nico Williams: “Euphoric. All our people deserve it. We suffered a lot. They had a good team. They have players who can make the difference but we were able to counter their weapons and in the end we won the European Championship and we are very happy.”

Mikel Oyarzabal: “I have done my job. I did what I had to do at every moment to try to help. I was lucky enough to give the victory. Just the fact of being in the 26, you value it a lot here. To have the moment to help as it has happened to me is the best. It happened to me but could have happened to anyone.”

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Lineker seems to think Southgate will depart now. That leads to the obvious question … who next?

Give it a year and then try for Guardiola? Whisper in Klopp’s ear? Lee Carsley?

Queen’s We Are The Champions blares out around the stadium. The England fans have made their exit.

“Hi MBM team.” Hi Amanda Nielsen. “Thanks so much for your killer insights and good humour throughout the tournament. As a Dane, I have been Anyone But England (I’m not yet over 2021, and probably never will be with 2024 to now add insult to injury), but regardless of what has happened on the field, the MBM team are the real MVPs of the Championships for me.” You’re too kind, Amanda.

Alvaro Morata is the last man up. He gets his golden medal around his neck before being handed the trophy by the king of Spain. The trophy is held aloft and there is confetti everyone, then comes a fireworks show.

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A less sombre occasion as Spain get ready to celebrate on stage. The head coach is up first and stops for a chat with the king. The stadium has been turned red and yellow, which is a cracking shot.

Harry Kane leads England up to get hold of their silver medals. Will they use this as fuel for the next major tournament? No one wants to finish second.

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Nico Williams is given man of the match. He will get a few days off now before a summer of rumour around his future at Athletic Bilbao. His release clause is around €53m, I think, which seems a bargain. I’d quite like him to stay for a season though, if you wouldn’t mind, mate.

Lamine Yamal and Rodri get a guard of honour from their teammates on their way to collect some individual trinkets.

Harry Kane: “Losing in a final is as tough as it gets. We did really well to get back in the game and to 1-1. We could have used that momentum to push on but we couldn’t keep the ball and we got punished.

“We didn’t keep the same intensity and pressure. It is the last game of the tournament, there are a lot of physically and mentally tired players out there.

“It’s been a tough tournament, we’ve had to show a lot of resilience. We wanted to do it so badly for ourselves but also our fans. For now it is a huge disappointment.

“We love the manager but that is his decision. This is not the time to talk about it. He will go away and think about it.”

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Jacob Steinberg’s report has landed.

“Better players won,” says Gary Naylor. “Kane, Bellingham and Foden summed to about two players per game at most. Away from Pep’s instructions, Palmer is a much better player than Foden, a fit Watkins is better than an unfit Kane and Bellingham and Mainoo are too young to play seven matches in best form. We kept going one-down because the starting XI was weaker than the one that played the last 20 minutes.”

The post-mortem has begun on BBC who look at why England have come second once again. Basically, they have decided that England need to be less conservative which is what a lot of people said at the start. Being brave is a great quality in football.

What a night for the Basques with the goals coming from Williams and Oyarzabal. I am sure those in Euskadi will be ecstatic to know the rest of the country have them to thank for a European triumph.

The stat lives on

In time, I think England will regret the 2021 final more than tonight. There were times during the game I thought England weren’t imposing themselves enough in attack, but the more it marinates, the clearer it becomes that Spain were just too good. The best team won, the end.

I’m going to take a break, but Will Unwin is wiping away the tears, ready to bring you all the reaction. Thanks a lot for your company and emails.

Gareth Southgate has been so gracious, making a point of seeking out people like Rodri. He takes a few seconds alone, pressing his forehead, then beckons all the squad over to thank the England fans. His decency and dignity almost bring a lump to the throat.

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BBC 1-2 ITV

Spain now sit alone with four European Championship wins. This might be the most impressive of the lot, which is saying something given how good they were in 2008 and 2012. They were much the better team tonight, even without the injured Rodri in their second half. Fabian Ruiz and Nico Williams in particular were brilliant, and we’ll be talking about Lamine Yamal’s tournament forever.

It’s a desperate night for England, who become the first side to lose successive men’s European Championship finals. Gareth Southgate and Kieran Trippier are going round consoling the England players; Southgate, dignified to the last, made a point of seeking out Luis de la Fuente in the celebratory Spain huddle.

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Lock the door, close the curtains: football won’t be home for another couple of years at least. But Spain are European champions, and no team has ever deserved it more.

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90+3 min Saka catches Cucurella, who goes down holding his face to waste a bit more time. The offside technology confirms that the knee of Guehi (I think) was playing Oyarzabal onside.

90+1 min Watkins is booked for a high tackle on Nacho, who takes the opportunity to get the physio on.

90+1 min Four minutes of added time.

90 min: Off the line by Olmo! Palmer’s outswinging corner is met by Rice, whose powerful header is pushed away by Unai Simon. Guehi’s follow up is headed off the line by Olmo and Rice’s second attempts goes just over.

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89 min: Spain substitution Mikel Merino replaces Lamine Yamal.

88 min Bellingham’s through pass is miscontrolled by Watkins in the area. That was half a chance.

England substitution: Phil Foden off, Ivan Toney on.

Oyarzabal played a simple pass out to Cucurella and got on his bike. Cucurella guided an immaculate low cross back towards Oyarzabal, who got away from Guehi and slid the ball past Pickford from seven yards.

There’s a check for offside but I think he’s okay. Yep, the goal stands. And it was a terrific goal too.