Gareth Southgate summed up the results of the match in which the “Three Lions” failed to win the trophy.
England head coach Gareth Southgatespoke about the defeat from Spain in the final of Euro 2024.
In the decisive match of the tournament at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, the team of Luis de la Fuentedefeatedthe English with a score of 2:1.
“I think Spain were the best team in the tournament and they were the best team today. Our big problem was that we didn't use the ball well enough. We actually defended very well in the first half as a team, but when we won ball, we couldn't pass because of their counter-pressing often enough.
Will I manage England at the World Cup in 2026? It's hard to think so quickly after such a defeat. Of course, taking England to two finals has never happened before. didn't succeed, but we came here to win, and we couldn't do it.
So many of our players came to camp having missed the end of the season. That physical fatigue was definitely a problem for us, but of course it gets worse when you don't have the ball at the start of the game. But we have to hold our hands up: Spain were better and that's the whole point.
I'm very proud of the players. They couldn't give me more and they couldn't give the country more. For me today the key was possession of the ball, and we lacked control. Losing in the final is incredibly difficult,” the official UEFA website quotes Southgate as saying.
England reached the European Championship final for the second time in history, but again failed to win the trophy. In the decisive match of the previous Euro, which… due to the coronavirus pandemic took place in 2021, Southgate's team lost to the Italians in a penalty shootout (1:1, pen. 2:3).
Spain won the European Championship for the fourth time in history and became theabsolute record holder in this indicator, beating Germany by one title.
Previously it became known who received the prize for the best football player of the Euro 2024 final, as well as who was recognized as the best player and best young player of the tournament.