UEFA has released its technical report following the Euro 2024 final, which saw Spain crowned European Champions with a 2-1 victory against England.

The report, drafted by a panel of UEFA’s Technical Observers, assesses the trends, data, and coaching observations throughout the tournament, aiming to deliver practical insights for coaches currently operating in the game.

The panel, comprising renowned coaches such as Rafael Benitez, Fabio Capello, Frank de Boer, Avram Grant, David Moyes, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, among others, have also delivered their verdicts on how Gareth Southgate’s side were beaten by Spain in the final.

After Cole Palmer had cancelled out Nico Williams’ opener in the second half of the match, Marc Cucurella would slide in a cross to Mikel Oyarzabal, who crushed England’s hopes of ending a 58-year wait for a major trophy with a late winner.

The panel has now revealed just how England succumbed to Spain in the final, citing that the Three Lions’ energy levels dropped significantly after being outmaneuvered by Spain.

The Three Lions became the first side to suffer back-to-back losses in the final of the tournament following a 2-1 defeat by Spain

Gareth Southgate (pictured) stated after the match that England had struggled to control possession and that their energy levels had dropped

According to Moyes, England failed to utilize the ball effectively when they had the opportunity, leading to fatigue.

“England couldn’t get on the ball as well as Spain and couldn’t find a way to build better,” the former West Ham manager said.

The panel added that this inability to maintain possession led to ineffective pressing, which took a physical toll on the team.

That is also something that Southgate noted in his post-match press conference, with the England boss stating his side struggled to keep the ball and advance out of Spain’s press.

England made 31 pressures in the first half, with Spain beating England’s press five times. Conversely, De la Fuente’s side were pressed 30 times by their opponents in the second half and beat England on 11 of those occasions.

The report also identifies a positive correlation between the number of chances Spain had in the first 45 minutes, three, to their numbers after half-time, which rose to 11.

Spain, meanwhile, were crowned European Champions for the second time, and did so by breaking through England’s press in the second half of the match

Former Man United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (right) was also included in the panel

Moyes also noted that England struggled to keep the ball against Spain and that was perhaps why their press laboured in the second half

The panel added England had tired in the second half, with Spain having more chances on goal after half-time

Cole Palmer’s strike would be only England’s second shot on goal of the match and came in the 73rd minute, indicating England’s lack of creativity in the final.

The panel, reflecting on Palmer’s goal, noted: ‘It fitted a pattern of big moments from individual players during their run through the tournament.’

Speaking of goals, the panel also gave their verdict on the best strikes of the tournament, with Jude Bellingham’s sensational over-head kick placing second in the rankings, to Lamine Yamal’s goal in Spain’s 2-1 victory against France.

While it was a difficult tournament for England, who were criticised for their lack of creativity and lacklustre performances, the panel did outline several key points about the Three Lions that impressed them.

Firstly, the panel heaped praise on ‘influential goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’ who they said made ‘key saves’. The Everton No 1 notably helped England advance to the semi-final by saving a penalty from Switzerland’s Manuel Akanji during their quarter-final shootout.

Equally, the panel praised the ‘solid centre-back pairing of John Stones and Marc Guehi’ while also hailing ‘Bukayo Saka’s one-on-one ability and creativity from the right wing.’

Jude Bellingham’s stunning bicycle kick goal was ranked the second-best goal of the tournament by the panel

Lamine Yamal’s epic strike against France was ranked by the panel as the best goal of the tournament