England U21s lift first Euros trophy since 1984 after thrilling final

England Under 21s have brought home their first Euros trophy in almost 40 years, after beating Spain in a thrilling 1-0 final.

The Young Lions took the lead thanks to a deflected Cole Palmer free kick in the last seconds of the first half and held on throughout a Spanish onslaught in the second.

The Spaniards were slow to start however, and the Young Lions got a bit lucky. Palmer's free-kick on the edge of the box was deflected by Liverpool's Curtis Jones, which saw it sail into the bottom corner of Arnau Tenas' net. 

Spain came out pressing in the second half, but England's defence held firm, and once again got a bit lucky when Abel Ruiz's headed goal was ruled out for offside. Spain had scored 13 goals in the tournament coming into the final, but couldn't find a way past England's back line, with just 4 shots on target from a total of 21 shots.

England continued to have moments of attacking, catching Spain on a counter a few times in the second half, and could have doubled their lead on more than one occasion had it not been for an immeasurable Arnau Tenas, who made good stops to several of his opponents' chances.

Spain's chances came and went, but none of them were enough to score a goal. The final drama came in the 9th minute of added time, thanks to a VAR review on a Colwill foul on Spain captain Abel Ruiz, which awarded a penalty.

In a nail-biting finale, Ruiz had his 99th-minute penalty saved by Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford to preserve England's record of not conceding a goal all tournament. Trafford produced a stunning double save to deny Aimar Oroz on the rebound and Rodrigo Riquelme shot the third over the bar. The third time was not the charm.

The drama-filled final saw both sides have a player each sent off on double yellows at the death, as well as coaching staff receiving straight reds following a scuffle after England's first half goal.

Lee Carlsley's men won all six games in Georgia and Romania to continue a golden age for England's youth sides. The Three Lions are also reigning European champions at under-19 level and won the under-17 and under-20 World Cups back in 2017.

 

July 8, 2023