England had 35% possession in the final, with nine attempts at goal compared to Spain’s 16. England also had 16 touches in the opposition’s penalty area, while Spain had 30. Former England striker Gary Lineker said on BBC One that it was a “heartbreaking defeat for England, but in some ways a victory for attacking football”.
Rio Ferdinand and Chris Sutton expressed their opinions that England had not been sufficiently “brave” during their time in Germany. Ferdinand mentioned that the players in the England team have the quality and are brave in the big moments when playing for their clubs, and that they need to display the same courage when playing for their country. Sutton, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, added: “England were not brave enough on the evening to make the next step. It is a good thing for football that Spain won the tournament with the brand of football they played. Spain played the beautiful game and England didn’t – the beauty of Gareth’s team has been getting over the line. Spain are a team. England are bits and pieces.”
