Hard-working striker Mikel Oyarzabal emerges as Spain's unlikely hero in Euro 2024 final

BERLIN (AP) — While Spain’s exhilarating youngsters led the charge to a record fourth European Championship, it fell to a player who has lived through the hard side of soccer to clinch the title.

Mikel Oyarzabal went on as a second-half substitute and scored the championship-winning goal when he poked in an 86th-minute winner to beat England 2-1 on Sunday.

“I don’t know if it was karma, fate or who knows what, but something put me in that position to score that goal,” Oyazarbal said.

Oyarzabal, a 27-year-old player for Real Sociedad, has been a regular for Spain both under coach Luis de la Fuente and his predecessor, Luis Enrique. Not a flashy performer, Oyarzabal is valued for his speed in open space, his work ethic, and for being a cool-headed penalty taker.

But just when he seemed bound for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Oyarzabal, who is from the Spain's northern Basque Country, was sidelined for several months with a left knee injury.

“After my injury, I am so fortunate to be able to feel this immense joy after having gone through what I went through, I am just incredibly happy and proud,” Oyarzabal said Sunday. “It fell to me to score the winner, but it could have been any of my teammates.

“We have been here 45 days, giving it our all, and we feel like we are a family.”

Oyarzabal was one of five Sociedad players in a squad that had a great mix of clubs — and not dominated by Barcelona and Real Madrid — and featured two breakouts with teenager Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams. Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino went off the bench to score a last-gasp winner to topple Germany in the quarterfinals.

As he has throughout the tournament, De la Fuente sent on Oyarzabal to replace starter Álvaro Morata in the 68th minute. His mission was to help protect the lead Williams had given Spain, but after Cole Palmer equalized, he had to lead a renewed attack.

So when Oyarzabal saw Marc Cucurella making yet another run down the left flank, he played the ball wide to the Chelsea defender and then surged forward. Cucurella threaded a perfectly weighted ball forward for Oyarzabal to just stay onside before etching his name into Spanish soccer history.

“I did my job and was just lucky enough to score the goal for the victory,” Oyarzabal said. “At the end, after having gone through such a hard time, just being here among the 26 players on the squad is enough, but if you then get the chance enough to help out, well, you can’t beat that."

That was goal No. 12 in 37 appearances for Spain since Oyarzabal's debut in 2016 under Vicente del Bosque. It was his only goal at Euro 2024 after appearing in all seven games, which all ended in victory for Spain. And it will join his winning goal for Sociedad in the 2020 Copa del Rey final over fierce rival Athletic Bilbao as his career highlights.

De la Fuente praised Oyarzabal for his contributions. The coach and player go back a long way and were part of Spain’s under-19 and under-23 teams before both moved up to the senior squad.

“Mikel is always a sure bet. We have been together nine years now and Mikel never lets you down,” De la Fuente said. “He can play on either flank and as central striker, like he did today. Today he scored, but he always provides us something.”

Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.

Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the final match between Spain and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal, center, scores his side's second goal during the final match between Spain and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal, right, celebrates with Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, left, after scoring his side's second goal during the final match between Spain and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal celebrates with Alvaro Morata, right, after scoring his side's second goal during the final match against England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal celebrates with Nico Williams, left, after scoring his side's second goal during the final match between Spain and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the final match between Spain and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal celebrates after winning the final match against England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has a new advertising push to draw attention to her plan to build 3 million new homes over four years, a move designed to contain inflationary pressures that also draws a sharp contrast to Republican Donald Trump's approach.

Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, highlights her plan in a new minute-long ad released Tuesday that uses her personal experience, growing up in rental housing while her mother saved for a decade before she could buy a home. The ad targets voters in the swing states including Arizona and Nevada. Campaign surrogates are also holding 20 events this week focused on housing issues.

In addition to increasing home construction, Harris is proposing the government provide as much as $25,000 in assistance to first-time buyers. That message could carry weight at this moment as housing costs have kept upward pressure on the consumer price index. Shelter costs are up 5.1% over the past 12 months, compared to overall inflation being 2.9%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Vice President Harris knows we need to do more to address our housing crisis and that’s why she has a plan to end the housing shortage” and will crack down on “corporate landlords and Wall Street banks hiking up rents and housing costs,” said Dan Kanninen, the campaign’s battleground states director.

The Harris plan would create tax breaks for homebuilders focused on first-time buyers and expand existing incentives for companies that construct rental housing. Because local zoning often restricts the supply of homes, she would also double the available funding to $40 billion to encourage local governments to remove the regulations that prevent additional construction.

Although Trump made his reputation as a real estate developer, data shows that there was a shortage of available housing during his presidency that has continued.

That shortage became more problematic when inflation jumped as the country recovered from the pandemic and faced higher food and energy costs after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The high inflation damaged the approval ratings of President Joe Biden, who Republicans and some economists blamed for sparking the price runups with his pandemic aid.

Mortgage rates climbed to levels that were prohibitively high for many would-be buyers. At the same time, many existing homeowners held off on listing their properties for sale in ways that compounded the inflation challenge.

Trump has floated an array of ideas for lowering housing costs — including his suggestion in a June speech in Wisconsin that stopping illegal immigration would reduce demand for housing and bring down prices.

“I will also stop inflation by stopping the invasion, rapidly reducing housing costs,” Trump said.

There is also the possibility of opening up more federal land for home construction with the Trump campaign proposing a competition to charter as many as 10 new cities. Economists supportive of Trump's agenda have suggested — despite deficits climbing during his presidency — that Trump would get federal spending under control if he was president again, which would lower interest rates.

The Trump campaign has also opposed efforts by Democrats to encourage the construction of apartments and condominiums in suburbs and cities, which could alleviate the housing shortage. Trump has said in a video that such efforts are “Marxist” and would be a “war on the suburbs” that would destroy property values.

Still, Trump's main play has been to claim that Harris can't pay for her housing agenda. That's even though he also attacks her for supporting tax increases and other revenue raisers proposed by Biden that could in theory offset the costs.

“She has no clue how'd she paid for $25,000 to every first-time homebuyer, including illegals,” said Trump at an August 19 rally in York, Pennsylvania, claiming without clear evidence that her policy would support immigrants without legal status.

The Harris campaign plans to hold housing affordability events in the Pennsylvania cities of Lancaster, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as well as the Arizona cities of Phoenix and Tucson. There will also be events in the Nevada cities of Las Vegas and Reno and the North Carolina cities of Asheville and Charlotte, in addition to Savannah, Georgia.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right, waves as she steps from Air Force Two upon the arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool via AP)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris greets members of the Aliquippa High School football team during a campaign stop at their school, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024, in Aliquippa, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024, in Rochester, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

FILE - Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, June 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)