Spain are crowned European champions for the fourth time after beating England 2-1, but it was hard work. Big cheers at the final whistle

After a first half with just one dangerous shot on goal, few would have believed that this European Championship final between Spain and England could develop such momentum. The first act was provided by Nico Williams – when the English were obviously still in the dressing room

After 47 minutes, he was played in by Lamine Yamal after a fine move and shot in. England were able to counter this with a 1:1 through Cole Palmer (73′), but then allowed Mikel Oyarzabal to make it 1:2 (86′) to crown “La Furia Roja” as European champions for the fourth time in their history. “It’s a miracle. I’m very happy that we won. It’s great for our parents, for the fans who supported us. We are very happy to be European champions,” said Williams afterwards on the TV microphone.

The 22-year-old is one of the discoveries of the tournament, although of course some people already know him from his regular club Athletic Bilbao. The question is: how long will he play there? Rumors of a move to FC Barcelona persist. There he would meet his congenial wing partner and the best young player of the tournament: Lamine Yamal.

“A dream has come true,” said the Spaniard jubilantly. The 17-year-old was named the best young player of the tournament and his team-mate Rodri the best player of the tournament. Who will play with whom in the coming season? Questions that don’t interest Williams for the time being. “We suffered a lot. We had to give 100 percent and in the end we did it. The English had a wall, but we broke through it. It was all for the fans, they deserved it.”

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Meanwhile, Oyarzabal was modest after scoring the winning goal: “I did my job, I did my duty. I helped the team. I’m super happy and super proud of everything. We are a team. We are a family. It’s unbelievable.”

He could be part of a team that ushers in an era similar to that of 16 years ago. Spain won the European Championship with a 1-0 win over Germany and were the measure of all things for four years. Only Germany broke Spain’s dominance – with the 2014 World Cup title. Is the prospect now good enough to establish such dominance again? The names Yamal and Williams already suggest so