Once Yamal and Williams helped Spain out of its 'tiki-taka' rut, no rival could resist at Euro 2024

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain arrived in Germany with no huge stars and no real expectations. Six weeks later, Luis de la Fuente’s team headed home with a European Championship title to celebrate and reason to believe in a bright future.

The youthful spark of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams combined perfectly with the veteran poise of Rodri and other mainstays who had yet to win a major trophy as Spain completed its superb Euro 2024 in the final with a 2-1 win over England on Sunday.

The key was making Spain a more dynamic and versatile attacking team to end a decade of “tiki-taka” misfires.

Even though Williams later rolled out the platitudes of enjoying the moment and going forward step by step, the Athletic Bilbao winger couldn’t help but look forward to the 2026 World Cup.

“We hope this can keep going and we can shoot for the World Cup,” the 22-year-old said after scoring the opening goal of the final. “I said before the tournament, nobody can hang with us. We are a great team.”

The euphoria was justified.

Spain won all seven games — with none going to penalties — and scored a record 15 goals at a European Championship. And those victories came against the top traditional powers on the continent, as Spain downed Croatia and Italy in the group phase before eliminating Germany and France to reach the final.

“We made history beating four world champions in a row," Rodri said. "This is the most difficult tournament that our team has faced, without a doubt. We toppled them all.”

The team flew to Madrid on Monday, when captain Álvaro Morata showed off the trophy on the stairs leading down to the tarmac. The team then visited Spain’s King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez before partying with thousands of fans in the capital.

Passing the torch

Rodri was named the player of the tournament, even without playing the second half of the final due to a leg problem. The Manchester City midfielder is Spain’s leading candidate to finally win its first men’s Ballon d’Or award since Luis Suárez back in 1960. Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas have won the women's Ballon d’Or the past three years.

The title ends a 12-year wait since a group piloted by Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández dominated world soccer after sweeping up the 2008 and 2012 Euros and the 2010 World Cup.

“The previous generations showed us the way," Rodri said. “This is something that is cultivated and nurtured and you work hard for. Today we are champions of Europe and we are not going to stop here.”

The only member of the team who knew what it was like to win a major title was the 38-year-old Jesus Navas, who played at the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.

Iniesta, Spain's scorer in the 2010 World Cup final, also had a small part in helping this bunch stay together.

Morata credited Iniesta and former player Bojan Krkic for helping to convince him to play the Euros. The Atlético Madrid striker has spoken out about the emotional pain he experienced after receiving hateful comments on social media.

Fittingly, Iniesta, Xavi and former Spain striker David Villa were together in the stands at the Olympiastadion to watch this new batch of players add a new dimension to Spain’s game.

New style

While nowhere close to England’s anguishing title drought since the 1966 World Cup, Spain had entered a period of underachieving since its success at Euro 2012. Its attempts to maintain the “tiki-taka” ball-possession playing style failed. Without Iniesta and company, Spain fell into the doldrums of making sometimes over 1,000 passes but scant few scoring chances in the biggest games.

In Germany, however, Spain deployed some new weapons that left defenses scrambling to cover attacks from all angles.

The imprint of those great Spain teams was still there to be seen, of course. Rodri and fellow midfielder Fabián Ruíz could latch onto the ball when required.

Yet the strength of Spain shifted to the wings.

Yamal put on a show in each game from the right side. The Barcelona forward, who turned 17 a day before the final, scored an instant classic of a goal to help beat France 2-1 in the semifinals, and he delivered his fourth assist of the tournament to set up Williams’ goal against England.

Williams romped on the other flank, where he doubled up with Marc Cucurella to make a duo that no defenders could handle. Cucurella delivered the pass for Mikel Oyarzabal to score the winner over England.

Williams was named the player of the final. The Athletic Bilbao forward and Dani Olmo, who plays for Leipzig, have boosted their value and are likely going to draw the attention of major clubs.

Olmo stepped in as a starter after Pedri González was injured and finished as joint-leading scorer of the tournament with three goals. He also pitched in at the other end when he cleared a ball off the goal-line that could have sent the final into extra time.

De la Fuente, for his part, managed to keep his team isolated from the scandals afflicting Spain's soccer federation.

“Our veterans provided the guidance for our youngsters to ensure we kept our poise in the tough moments, while our youngsters made us dynamic, joyful, and we formed a well-balanced group,” De la Fuente said.

“I don’t know if anyone believed me, but from day one I said that I had the best 26 players in the world. They always rose to the challenge.”

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AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024