England did not deserve it, but came up against a superior Spain team on Sunday in the Euro final. Gareth Southgate acknowledged the superiority of La Roja, while ensuring he was very proud of his players.
All of England believed in it when Cole Palmer equalized in the 73rd minute and Gareth Southgate, author of well-judged changes during the second half, more than the others. But the England coach had to admit defeat, once again, as in 2020 against Italy. The Spanish were indeed the strongest on Sunday in Berlin, they who ultimately was the must win team 2-1 as predicted. The fact remains that the regrets were great on the English side.
The difference between the two teams? Possession
“Losing a final is incredibly tough… Spain were the best team in the tournament and the best team tonight,” began Gareth Southgate, who believes that possession was key. “We didn’t have enough control, we couldn’t keep the ball, but we were in the game until the last ten minutes. I’m devastated for everyone, but I’m proud of the players. There was very little missing. They couldn’t give more. They represented their country with dignity,” assured the coach.
As always in the knockout matches (Slovakia, Switzerland, Netherlands), England were behind on the scoreboard, but, as always, they came back. “I think the players have earned a lot of credit during this month of competition by getting us to the final. They fought well in every match and until the end, they gave everything not to be defeated, including tonight. They showed a lot of character and resilience,” appreciated Gareth Southgate, who nevertheless noted that the end of the match had not been controlled, regretting in particular a phase of possession lost on a touch when the score was 1-1 and described as “a turning point at the end of the match”.
“We had a good moment when we equalised and we could have done it a second time at the very end of the game, by the way. But maybe we didn’t do enough over the 90 minutes,” he regretted, believing that the physical dimension had probably played a role.
Still here in 2026? Not sure
Will he still be in charge of the national team in 2026 in North America and Mexico? “It’s difficult to project yourself after such a defeat. I understand your question, I understand that you ask it. But I’m not going to talk about this in public. I have to talk about it with the people responsible behind the scenes,” he said before slipping away in disappointment.
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