Destiny presents providential moments, crossroads where everything can be gained or lost in the path of a person, a team, or a nation. Sometimes, the difference between what will always be remembered and what could have been is no more than eleven meters. This Sunday has been one of those days.

Spain has been crowned as the best national team in Europe in a colossal final decided favorably from the penalty spot.

HERE IS THE SUMMARY OF THE FINAL

The coach lined up the same starting eleven as in the semi-finals against Italy, with the exceptions of Fabián and Asensio in place of Merino and Rodrigo Moreno, but maintained the suffocating pressure and offensive mindset that characterizes the team.

Twelve minutes into the game, a steal by Gavi was just inches away from becoming the first goal of the final, but the shot from the Sevillian player grazed the post of Livakovic.

Later, Croatia showed their teeth with headers towards the left-wing incorporations of Perisic, who was omnipresent throughout the match.

Morata also tried his luck in the air, but the defenses prevailed over the forwards at halftime, and after the break, it was the Balkan team that started pressing.

A cross-shot from Juranovic was met with an attempt from Asensio, with Spain thwarting each and every one of the opposition's counterattacks in a commendable display of defensive solidarity.

The substitutions injected freshness into the final, and coming off the bench, Ansu Fati came close to deciding the match after a pass from Mikel Merino with only six minutes remaining.

Extra time became inevitable, although Asensio made an attempt in added time with a well-placed right-footed shot. The additional 30 minutes were filled with tension and maturity from Luis de la Fuente's players.

Nacho, who had come on for Le Normand, precisely saved Majer's close-range effort, and Dani Olmo attempted a volley twice, narrowly missing the elusive target throughout the final. The same fate awaited the Croatian players after Unai Simón thwarted their last attempt.

The supreme luck of penalties became reality, and in it emerged the saving foot of the Alavés goalkeeper, a shot from Laporte hitting the crossbar, another flight of Air Simón, and a closing moment of genius with a Panenka-style penalty from Dani Carvajal.

Four thousand and four days later, almost eleven years since the exhibition in Kiev, Spain reigns once again in Europe. Destiny has changed. A new hegemony begins.