No. 8 Spain wins record-setting fourth Euro championship

The GIST: No. 8 Spain secured a record-breaking fourth Euro championship yesterday, topping No. 5 England 2–1 to cap off an epic undefeated tourney. Here’s how La Roja got their 24 karat on.

Spain’s youth movement impresses: The next generation of crafty Spain wingers — 17-year-old Lamine Yamal and 22-year-old Nico Williams — worked in tandem to open the scoring in the 47th minute before creative English substitute forward Cole Palmer equalized in the 73rd.

• The game seemed destined for extra time thanks to crucial saves by both teams’ keepers (and whoever else was in goal) until Spaniard Mikel Oyarzabal’s 86th minute winning strike, a moment of redemption for the young leader whose knee injury kept him out of the 2022 World Cup.

• No question about it — Spain was the best squad wire-to-wire, scoring a record-setting 15 goals across their unbeaten run.

England underwhelms as title drought continues: Expectations were sky-high for talented England to finally realize their potential in their second straight Euro final and bring a men’s trophy back to soccer’s birthplace for the first time since the 1966 World Cup.

• Now the promise of superstars like midfielder Jude Bellingham and captain Harry Kane remains unfulfilled and English head coach Gareth Southgate faces questions about his future with the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup fast approaching.