Spain wingers Williams and Yamal inspire Euro 2024 triumph

Mikel Oyarzabal scored Spain’s winning goal in the Euro 2024 final against England on Sunday, but La Roja’s triumph was inspired from start to finish by explosive wingers Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal.

Young players played a key role in their team’s run to the final in Berlin and gave Spain the lead against England, a moment that seemed fitting given their supreme summer.

Williams’ well-taken strike gave Spain a deserved lead and both players came close to extending it before Cole Palmer equalised for England.

Yamal, 17, and Williams, 22, who both celebrate their birthdays just days before the final, gave Spain a thrilling attacking edge they have lacked for much of the last decade, leading the team to a record fourth European Championship triumph.

Spain had not won a major trophy since 2012, ending a golden era that saw them lift the Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup trophies.

Since then, they have struggled in the wilderness, both on the pitch and, more recently, off it, due to the crisis affecting their football federation.

This summer, many did not consider them the overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy, but the infectious flair and spirit of Yamal and Williams have added a vital spark to a national team known for their ability to dominate possession.

Yamal became the youngest goalscorer in Euro history at 16 in the semi-final win over France with a brilliant long-range strike and was named young player of the tournament after Spain’s triumph.

“It’s the best (birthday) present I could have, it’s a dream,” Yamal said after winning the first trophy of his short career.

Williams played a key role in the group stage win over Euro 2020 winners Italy and shone in the last-16 victory over Georgia, where Spain came from behind to triumph.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said the pair had been given a “gift from God” earlier in the tournament and he deserved credit for choosing to deploy both players, rather than taking a more cautious route.

As a result, Spain did not always have more of the ball than their opponents, but that did not matter to them or their fans as they celebrated with the trophy.

– Nerves –

Despite their superb performances before the final, De la Fuente’s young Spain side, many of whom were playing the biggest game of their careers, failed to find their rhythm in the first half against England.

Gareth Southgate’s cautious side stifled them to some extent but La Roja also showed some nervousness, fumbling with some passes and making more errors of precision than on the road to the Olympiastadion.

Yamal, the youngest player to feature in a Euro or World Cup final, initially struggled to make an impact against Luke Shaw despite it being the Manchester United defender’s first start since February.

The England manager changed his system to 4-2-3-1 to ensure there was less space for the Spanish wingers to take advantage of and for a while it worked.

But they came back in the second half reinvigorated, encouraged by their coach, and quickly reaped the rewards of their efforts.

Yamal burst forward from the right and sought out Williams with a low pass into the box. The Athletic Bilbao winger caressed the ball beyond Jordan Pickford and into the far corner, an assured finish.

It was the 22-year-old’s second goal of the tournament and Yamal’s fourth assist, the most this summer with several other players tied on two.

“I wanted the game to end there and there, but it didn’t. We had to suffer, we suffered like animals,” Williams told reporters.

Williams set up Dani Olmo who fired wide and then sent a low shot inches wide of the post, offering by far the biggest threat for Spain.

Yamal played a lovely pass for Alvaro Morata but the Spain captain failed to find a clean finish.

It was ultimately Oyarzabal who settled the score, but Spain’s victorious campaign will rightly be remembered for its courageous wingers.

“Lamine is incredible, isn’t he? He was voted best young player of the tournament, he proves it day by day, I don’t think he has any limits,” said Williams, himself voted best player of the match in the final. “He’s also a very good person.”

The Athletic winger has been Yamal’s “big brother” during the tournament, a role model for the youngster, even though he himself is only at the beginning of what promises to be a brilliant career.

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