For all the talk of an England victory being written in the stars at Euro 2024, the Three Lions' oldest failing returned to haunt them in Sunday's final.
If you cannot control matches at the elite level, you lose control of your destiny.
That was exactly what happened at the Olympiastadion as Spain – the tournament's outstanding side – won a record-breaking fourth European crown, and deservedly so.
It briefly looked like England might cap the most remarkable of knockout runs with another rescue act when Cole Palmer came off the bench to cancel out Nico Williams' opener.
But at 1-1, England ceded control and territory, and as was the case against Croatia at the 2018 World Cup and Italy in the Euro 2020 final, it cost them.
Mikel Oyarzabal matched Palmer's feat by scoring as a substitute with four minutes to play, ensuring the Three Lions' wait for silverware will stretch to at least 60 years.
It was a familiar sinking feeling for Gareth Southgate, and few could really argue his team deserved anything more.
No Rodri, no problem for Spain
Asked how England would go about the challenge of facing Spain this week, Southgate joked: "We'll have to get the ball off them first."
While Spain only generated chances worth 0.28 expected goals (xG) in a cagey first half, Luis de la Fuente's side had 69.2% possession and completed 265 passes to England's 100.
While some excellent last-ditch defending from John Stones and Luke Shaw kept Spain at bay, Declan Rice and Kobbie Mainoo struggled to establish a foothold as Fabian Ruiz, Rodri and the excellent Dani Olmo set the tone in the middle of the park.
And even when Rodri was forced off through injury at the halfway point, Martin Zubimendi being introduced in a switch that would have given England hope, little changed, Spain enjoying 60.7% of the ball in the second period.
Indeed, Rice completed just 77.5% of his passes (31/40), Mainoo 72.2% (13/18) and Jude Bellingham 67.7% (21/31) throughout the 90 minutes, with Luke Shaw (93.3%) and Bukayo Saka (91.3%) the only England starters to record a pass completion rate of over 90%. Five of Spain's 10 outfield starters did so.
England's 16 touches in Spain's area, compared to 30 for La Roja, told the story of a team penned back by a foe more accomplished and confident in possession.
Spain racked up 1.77 xG to England's 0.55 by full-time, and had the Three Lions somehow found a way to edge the game, Jordan Pickford would surely have been Man of the Match, denying Lamine Yamal with two wonderful saves.
England have relied on moments of individual brilliant to get them through this tournament, from Bellingham's overhead kick against Slovakia to Ollie Watkins' winner versus the Netherlands.
But Sunday's final was just a bridge too far as they lost to the most organised side at the competition.
Roja wingers run the show
Much of the pre-match talk centred upon how England could stop Spanish wingers Williams and Yamal. Spoiler alert: they didn't stop them.
William's opener was the result of some excellent work from Yamal, the 17-year-old skipping between Shaw and Rice to carve open the Three Lions' backline and register his fourth assist of the tournament.
No player on record – since Euro 1980 – has registered more in a single edition of the tournament, while Yamal has 10 goal involvements for Spain since his senior debut in September 2023 (three goals, seven assists) – more than any other player.
At the age of 22 years and two days, meanwhile, Williams is the second-youngest player to score in a European Championship final, after Italy's Pietro Anastasi in 1968 (20 years, 64 days).
Williams and Yamal created three chances apiece, a tally not matched by any other player on the field, with the latter's 19 chances created the highest figure at the tournament overall.
What next for Southgate?
For England, questions will now inevitably turn to Southgate's future.
Sunday's final will have done nothing to win over those who believe the Three Lions would be better served by approaching the 2026 World Cup under a more progressive coach.
Southgate made some strides at this tournament, not least with his use of substitutions, and Palmer's dramatic intervention off the bench was further evidence of his evolution in that department.
The Chelsea man found the bottom-left corner with a measured finish just 142 seconds after entering the fray, England's fastest-ever goal by a substitute at the Euros.
The Three Lions spent a few minutes on the front foot after their leveller, but they soon fell back into old habits as Spain re-established control.
Southgate is the first boss to ever lose two European Championship finals, while England are the first team to fall short in two straight showpiece matches.
And this time around, whereas perhaps it was not the case in tournaments gone by, England had the personnel. They had the quality in depth. But Southgate struggled to get an attack featuring LaLiga's best player, the Premier League's best player and the Bundesliga's best player from last season to click.
The Harry Kane conundrum is particularly frustrating. Indeed, Kane had just one touch in the opposition box across the Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 finals, one fewer than Jack Grealish had; Grealish played 21 minutes in the 2020 final and didn't make the squad this time around.
Southgate may have given England's fans some unforgettable moments, but his legacy will be that of a manager just unable to get over the line on the biggest stage.
Atletico and Sociedad reach agreement over Le Normand transfer
Atletico Madrid have "reached an agreement" with Real Sociedad over the signing of Robin Le Normand.
The Spain defender, who was part of the side that won Euro 2024, will finalise his move to Atleti "in the coming days" for a fee believed to be in the region of €34.5million.
French-born Le Normand started his career with Brest before spending eight years with Txuri-Urdin, for whom he made 221 senior appearances across all competitions, while winning the 2019-20 Copa del Rey.
The 27-year-old is fresh from international success in Germany, where he played in six of Spain's seven matches, while he also helped La Roja win the Nations League last year.
A statement on Atletico's official website read: "Atletico and Sociedad have reached an agreement for the transfer of Le Normand. The deal will be finalised in the coming days when the player returns from his holiday.
Meanwhile, Sociedad wrote on X: "We'll always remember his dedication and gratitude to the colours that have shaped him into the player he is today. Good luck."
McAllister cannot see Klopp or Guardiola succeeding Southgate
Gary McAllister finds it hard to believe that either Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola will succeed Gareth Southgate as England manager.
Southgate, who led England to back-to-back European Championship finals, ended his eight-year tenure following their defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 showpiece.
The 53-year-old was often accused of a cautious approach despite only Walter Winterbottom (383) and Alf Ramsey (224) overseeing more England goals than his 213, with supporters wanting to see a more attack-minded manager take over.
And two of the names linked with the vacant position have been pioneers of Premier League football in recent years.
Klopp ended his nine-year stay at Liverpool in May to take a break from management, while some expect Guardiola to leave Manchester City at the end of his current deal, which expires next year.
The pair have won 653 games between them and shared 25 major honours during their time in England and could be seen as the ideal candidates to end the Three Lions' 58-year wait for silverware.
However, former Liverpool and Scotland midfielder McAllister believes Klopp and Guardiola are unlikely to become England's next manager.
McAllister, who played 57 times for his nation, believes supporters would prefer an English manager at the helm.
"I think people are linking Jurgen with the England job purely because he has experience working in the English Premier League," McAllister told Stats Perform.
"He's worked with elite players for many years now at Dortmund and at Liverpool. So people are putting two and two together.
"Personally, I don't see it happening and I think I also see that there were links to Pep Guardiola and I don't see Pep managing England either.
"It's hard for me to comment on this because I'm obviously not English, I'm Scottish.
"The people I speak to within the game, there is a feeling that the manager of England should come from St George's Park, which is the headquarters of English football, the FA and all the coaching programmes that they have there.
"Why would you have all this and then put a manager not from England in? I think most of the people in England are looking for an English manager."
The Three Lions' next game is a Nations League clash with the Republic of Ireland in September, with Finland their next opponents three days later.
Lindstrom joins Everton on loan from Napoli
Everton have completed the loan signing of Jesper Lindstrom from Napoli, the club confirmed on Friday.
Lindstrom will join the Toffees for the 2024-25 season with the deal including an option to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.
The 24-year-old becomes the fourth addition at Goodison Park following the arrivals of Tim Iroegbunam, Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Harrison.
Lindstrom arrives after a difficult season with Napoli, playing just 416 minutes in 22 league appearances for the Serie A side.
The Denmark international arrived in Naples from Eintracht Frankfurt where he scored 14 goals in 80 appearances, helping the German side lift the Europa League in the 2021-22 season.
“I feel very good. It’s amazing to represent Everton," Lindstrom said in his first interview with the club.
"This is a big club, with big history, a good stadium and, as I’ve seen, very good facilities as well. I’m very, very happy to be here and I feel like this is a good fit.
“I actually heard of Everton’s interest a while ago – not only from now but previously. England is very similar to Denmark so I will feel at home quickly.
“I’ve spoken to the manager. It sounds as though he likes the way I play football and I can be a good fit for the team with my speed, so now I want to deliver."
The search for another attacking option out wide had been the priority at Everton, having seen Arnaut Danjuma return to Villarreal following the completion of his loan deal, and the sale of Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa.
Everton managed 40 goals last season, the second worst in the Premier League ahead of Sheffield United (35), and Dyche believes Lindstrom has a lot to offer in the final third.
"Jesper is a player with very good ability who can operate in a number of different attacking roles, which will benefit us heading into the new season," said Dyche.
"He joins us with a range of different experiences. He is hungry and eager to succeed with us, and that's a strong starting point as we look to add more productivity to our attack."
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