BERLIN — Spain won a record fourth European Championship on Sunday with an 87th-minute goal from Mikel Oyarzabal to beat England 2-1, ending England’s painful, decades-long wait for a major title.
The match at Berlin’s Olympiastadion looked set to go into extra time after England’s resilience in the tournament, when Oyarzabal slid in to score from Marc Cucurella’s cross.
England took the lead in the 47th minute when Nico Williams scored from a pass by 17-year-old prodigy Rameen Yamal, but substitute Cole Palmer cancelled out the lead with a 73rd-minute equaliser.
Spain also won the tournament in 1964, 2008 and 2012.
The England men’s team have now lost consecutive European Championship finals and have not won a major title since winning the World Cup in 1966.
It was another bitter defeat for one of the world’s worst performing national teams, in front of Prince William and King Felipe of Spain, at a venue built for the 1936 Olympics.
After the final whistle, Williams put his hands over his face before being embraced by his teammates, and Dani Carvajal collapsed on the field and was pushed down by his jubilant teammates.
Yamal, Marc Cucurella and Dani Olmo were among the first players to jump over advertising billboards to reach the Spanish fans at the east end of the stadium.
