ITV trump BBC during Euros final battle of the broadcasters with cutting Roy Keane telling it like it is, writes KIERAN GILL

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If we wanted screaming and sobbing, an English captain powerless in his pursuits, an engine room overwhelmed, men scrambling and even a band playing to the annoyance of the crowd around them, we would have flicked over to Titanic on Channel 4.

But such a tale of tragedy was not what the nation craved on Sunday night. We wanted to witness history of the coming home kind, an England team refusing to sink to a seemingly unstoppable force in Spain, a story of salvation and satisfaction. 

Big ask, but therein lied the choice when picking up the clickers in our living rooms in the hope of an euphoric evening: do we go with the BBC or ITV? Gary Lineker or Mark Pougatch? Juan Mata wedged between two former England defenders in Rio Ferdinand and Micah Richards, or Gaizka Mendieta filling a Roy Keane and Ian Wright sandwich? Guy Mowbray and Alan Shearer in the commentary booth, or Sam Matterface, Lee Dixon and Ally McCoist?

I suspect the Gill household was not alone in starting with the Beeb. That way, our build-up would not involve Sir Geoff Hurst flogging bottles of Budweiser or Chris Rock telling us to use BetMGM or any other number of adverts (although the BBC have shown an increasingly annoying penchant for plugging their other programmes on air).

My choice at least meant I missed a fawning pitch-side interview by Gary Neville with Keir Starmer over on ITV – already being shown on a loop to sinners in hell's waiting room, apparently – as the Beeb did their best to big up the occasion.

ITV's build-up to Sunday's Euro 2024 final between England and Spain featured Gary Neville (right) interviewing prime minister Sir Keir Starmer on the pitch at Berlin's Olympiastadion

Ex-England star Neville, pictured later in the evening, after the conversation turned to football

The BBC's coverage was fronted by former England and Barcelona striker Gary Lineker

Yet just as theatre actors will not say 'Macbeth' for fear it will bring a hex upon their heads, there was a reluctance to mention '66, Lineker citing that number only when reminding us of how many goals Harry Kane had scored for his country.

When Lineker was not putting on a Spanish accent in his pronunciations – yes, we know you played for Barcelona, Gary – Mata provided the perspective from Spain. 

While the oft-immature offerings of Ferdinand will never win me over, it was refreshing to hear Mata tell us why they were scared of England. He was a nice addition to the punditry table, much like Cesc Fabregas earlier in these Euros, and Bob Mortimer's contribution to the celebrity vox pop won my favourite moment in a sea of BBC montages.

Over on ITV, it took 20 minutes for Neville to replace Mendieta and their overall tactical analysis was impressive, such as that of Spanish wonderkid Lamine Yamal.

At half-time, Keane cut through the bull to tell us which players needed to perform better, Kane included as Neville and Wright dissected his diminishing impact and why he may soon be replaced by Gareth Southgate, which he was.

Former Manchester United and Ireland captain Roy Keane was part of ITV's punditry team

Gaizka Mendieta was also on the ITV panel - who provided good tactical analysis overall

Former Chelsea and Man United ace Juan Mata provided a Spanish point of view on BBC One

England's equaliser was encapsulated perfectly by Mowbray's 'ooooh yes', as I tried my best to stifle the screaming so as to not wake the baby upstairs, and the deflation in Shearer's voice summed up our own moods.

After a night of flicking to and fro, the view from my sofa was that the BBC won the battle of the commentaries, while ITV were victorious among the pundits. Sadly, we ended up with that sinking feeling come full-time, as if we had watched Titanic after all.