In this brief Scout Notes round-up, we’ve got the key Euro 2024 Fantasy notes from Sunday’s final.
Spain were crowned champions after beating England 2-1, with substitute Mikel Oyarzabal scoring the winning goal in the 86th minute.
SPAIN WIN EURO 2024
In the end, the best team won.
Across the tournament, Spain claimed victory in all seven of their matches, scored the most goals by far (15), conceded only four, whilst playing brave, attacking football.
In Berlin, England were sunk by substitute Oyarzabal’s late winner, but it was Nico Williams who lit up this final.
The winger scored the opener, combining brilliantly with Lamine Yamal, whilst posting match-leading totals for shots (three) and key passes (three).
He ended Matchday 7 as the highest-scorer on 10 points, having been awarded the Player of the Match award.
In truth, Spain could and should have made it 2-0, with Williams, Dani Olmo and Yamal all having decent chances.
However, they left it late, with Oyarzabal sliding home Marc Cucurella’s excellent cross to seal the win.
As for Rodri, he was named Player of the Tournament but was withdrawn at half-time with a hamstring injury.
HEARTBREAK FOR ENGLAND
England will take no shame in this defeat, they simply came up against a better team, but over the tournament, their performances weren’t up to scratch.
They scored just eight goals in seven matches, seven fewer than Spain, while their 6.17 expected goals (xG) tally was bettered by nine other nations. That’s despite playing seven times.
| Matchday | Opponent | Goals scored | xG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serbia | 1 | 0.52 |
| 2 | Denmark | 1 | 0.87 |
| 3 | Slovenia | 0 | 0.80 |
| 4 | Slovakia | 2 | 1.52 |
| 5 | Switzerland | 1 | 0.65 |
| 6 | Netherlands | 2 | 1.25 |
| 7 | Spain | 1 | 0.55 |
A 9.5 minutes per chance ratio ranked joint-18th, meanwhile.
Here, they switched to a back four formation, with Luke Shaw at left-back and Harry Kane leading the line in a 4-2-3-1.
The latter earned a share of the Euro 2024 Golden Boot by scoring three goals but was out of sorts against Spain and substituted on the hour.
Cole Palmer did at least raise hopes of a dramatic comeback with a composed left-foot strike from a Jude Bellingham assist, but England failed to kick on and lacked control throughout.
“I think Spain were the best team in the tournament. We didn’t keep the ball well enough. We were in it until the last 10 minutes. I’m devastated for everyone. We have just fallen a little short.
“We had a little bit of momentum in the game at that point [when Cole Palmer equalised]. There’s a big chance at the end to equalise too but across the 90 minutes, I’m not sure we did enough.
“Spain press well and you have to keep the ball when you win it back. In the end, that’s the bit that takes more out of your legs.
“I think the players will take enormous credit for getting us to where we did but when you’re as close as that, you have to take your chances. They have represented the shirt with pride and haven’t been beaten until the very end. I just think tonight Spain had more control of the game.” – Gareth Southgate
EURO 2024 FINAL: TOP-SCORING PLAYERS
- Nico Williams – 10 points
- Cole Palmer – 7 points
- Marc Cucurella – 6 points
- Mikel Oyarzabal – 6 points
- Jude Bellingham – 6 points
- Lamine Yamal – 5 points
- Dani Carvajal – 4 points
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