The Spanish press have blasted Gareth Southgate’s England following Sunday night’s Euro 2024 final, labelling Spain’s victory as ‘justice done’.
England can have few complaints about the result, with Spain the better side in almost every department.
Controlling possession from the off, the now four-time European champions created chances at ease, with England indebted to their goalkeeper Jordan Pickford for a string of important saves.
In a way, it was much of the same from the sheepish Three Lions, whose big-name players failed to deliver when it mattered once again.
Not that the eventual victors are complaining though, with Spanish outlet AS running with the headline: “Football does justice,” a nod to Spain’s deserved Euro 2024 victory.
Such sentiment appears to be shared across the Iberian peninsula, with SPORT claiming an England victory would’ve caused ‘irrepreable damage within the sport.’
Their assessment read: “With a squad like the English one, with world-class players in all its lines, the English tournament could not have been more disappointing.
“The defeat of Gareth Southgate in this European Championship represents the claudication of mediocrity in this continental tournament.
“England’s victory would have meant a surely irreparable damage within this sport, which is increasingly pressured by resultalism at the cost of limiting the spectacle on the pitch.”
It seems harsh to claim England’s tournament ‘could not have been more disappointing’ when they reached the final – their first-ever on foreign soil.
But the feeling in Spain appears to be that they got off lightly in the final, with England happy to sit back and concede possession to their ball-dominant opponents.
It’s something that was picked up by the AS article, which served up a bruising assessment of Southgate and England’s approach during the goalless first-half.
It read: “That, transferred to football, meant that his players did not risk stealing the ball but waited behind, without any shame as the minutes passed and their fans went cold.
“The minutes ticked by and, despite the 0-0, England won. Let me explain. England played as they have done throughout the Euros, that is, for nothing, with the value of the team less than the sum of its individualities, Foden missing, Saka not receiving the ball and Bellingham fighting alone.”
But above all, the biggest criticism fell at the feet of Harry Kane. The nation’s record goalscorer was lambasted for his languid display, which saw the England skipper hauled off on the hour mark.
Marca wrote: “Then, of course, there is the curse of Kane. The London striker, who did not have a good tournament despite scoring three goals, was substituted after 60 minutes in the grand final… and with the defeat his jinx for the titles remains intact. Six finals played… six finals lost.”