Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was on the right side of history on Sunday as Spain beat England 2-1 to win Euro 2024. The Spaniard was an unused substitute as Unai Simon maintained his place between the sticks, although could do nothing about Cole Palmer’s second-half equaliser.

Mikel Oyarzabal was an unlikely hero as he ghosted in to slot past Jordan Pickford in the dying embers to break Three Lions’ hearts. Raya’s Arsenal teammates, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Aaron Ramsdale were in the England squad that tasted successive European Championship final disappointment.

While Ramsdale failed to usurp Jordan Pickford throughout the tournament, Gareth Southgate enlisted his trust in both Rice and Saka as they were mainstays in the England starting 11 throughout the month-long tournament. England faced scrutiny on their path to the final after disappointing performances against the likes of Denmark, Slovenia and Slovakia.

Following the match, Rice and Saka – both dejected by the full-time result – were consoled by Raya as the goalkeeper put a supportive arm around his club teammates in two separate instances. The 28-year-old shot-stopper made his move to the Emirates Stadium on a permanent basis during the tournament as he ended his association with fellow London club, Brentford.

The focus has been on whether Southgate will remain in position as England head coach moving forward. However, Rice faced criticism from Dutch media and in particular from former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart.

“100m for Declan Rice… what does he do? He comes to collect a ball only to pass it back to John Stones. He is useless. If you are truly worth 100m, then you should be able to play a ball forward.”

Extended breaks loom for the Arsenal contingent at the European Championships. The Gunners will embark on a pre-season tour of America where they will face Premier League opponents in AFC Bournemouth, Manchester United and Liverpool before getting their top-flight campaign underway at home to Wolves.