LIVE: Euro 2024 final – Devon and Cornwall on the sidelines for England game

Speaking from Berlin’s Olympiastadion ahead of tonight’s epic final, England boss Gareth Southgate said his players may have been inhibited at the start of the tournament in Germany, but they have certainly improved and are now playing more freely.

He told the press conference: “Spain are excellent, I have a lot of admiration for them. They were excellent with and without the ball, they work as a team and without a doubt they deserve to be in the final.

“But we have to hope we rise to the occasion every time. There is no doubt that we improved with the ball and we needed to. We were inhibited at the beginning of the tournament and we were more free in the last games. We showed great resilience in going through a difficult time when people doubted us.

“I am very proud of the players and now we have a possibility of making history rather than a fear. It’s a different mentality.”

He added: “I think it feels different to 2021. To qualify for a first final in 50 years was a huge milestone at home and took a lot out of us emotionally. This semi-final has taken a lot of emotion, but there is a real desire to make that number go past that trophy one last time.”