Gary Neville on England’s Struggles in Euro 2024 Final Against Spain
Former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes that England’s failure to keep possession of the ball caused their 2-1 defeat against Spain in the Euro 2024 final. Spain’s goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal ensured their fourth Euro title, while England became the first team to lose the final two consecutive times.
England struggled to maintain possession, holding only 34% of the ball compared to Spain’s 66%. Spain capitalized on their possession, taking 16 shots with six on target, while England managed nine shots with four on target.
“We can focus on a lot of things, but Southgate’s answer on how we did not keep the ball well enough should be the title of the England book,” Neville told ITV Sport. He added that every England manager and player has experienced this issue, leading to fatigue and weaker performances in the latter parts of games.
In the first half, both teams defended well, each managing only one shot on target. Spain took the lead early in the second half with a goal from Nico Williams, assisted by Lamine Yamal. England equalized in the 73rd minute, but Neville felt that their lack of control could have led to a larger deficit before the equalizer.
“Spain had a lot of chances, they could have won the game before we equalized. We got back into it, but we could have been 2-0 down before that,” Neville said. He emphasized that England’s recurring issue of losing control in crucial games has been a long-standing problem.
In the 86th minute, Mikel Oyarzabal scored the winning goal, securing Spain’s fourth Euro title.
