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England Win European Under-21 Championship Final Against Spain After Dramatic Ending

By Chris King • Published: 09 Jul 2023 • 20:43

Image of England winning the Under-21s European Chamionship.

Image of England winning the Under-21s European Chamionship. Credit: Twitter@England

England lifted the European Under-21 Championship trophy last night, Saturday, July 8, in the Georgian port city of Batumi.

Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford was the hero of the day for Lee Carsley’s side against Spain after pulling off a dramatic last-minute double save from a last-minute penalty.

He faced Abel Ruiz – who plays his club football in Portugal for Braga – in the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time. Not only did the 20-year-old keeper manage to save the kick, but he also kept the rebound out of the net.

England finished without conceding one goal in the tournament

The Young Lions completed the six matches of the tournament without conceding a single goal. At the other end of the pitch, they produced an incredible display of attacking talent that can only be good for the future of the men’s full national side.

Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon gave Spain their first fright, forcing Arnau Tenas into an early save. The Magpies youngster was again involved when he set up Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White. Only a timely interception from Jon Pacheco stopped England from taking the lead.

Villarreal’s Alex Baena tested Trafford as he curled a shot around the post. He then came close to scoring after latching onto a bad pass from Gibbs-White, but his mis-hit effort went wide.

Cole Palmer provided a beautiful ball into the box which was met by Levi Colwill. However, the Chelsea defender’s header was foiled by the crossbar.

Liverpool’s Curtis Jones scored the winner

The Man City striker was again involved when his free-kick was deflected beyond Tenas by Liverpool’s Curtis Jones to give Engald a 1-0 lead.

Palmer’s subsequent celebration led to a clash between the benches of both teams. This resulted in Ashley Cole and Spain’s fitness coach Carlos Rivera being ordered to the stands.

Spain had the ball in the net in the second half when a Baena cross was headed home by Ruiz, only for the linesman to raise his flag for offside. The Braga forward had another opportunity from just six yards but sent his header wide of the post.

Nine yellow cards and four reds were handed out

The drama was not over as both Gibbs-White and Antonio Blanco saw red cards in the dying seconds as the match threatened to boil over. A total of nine yellows and four reds were dished out by the ref during the game.

Trafford’s dramatic penalty save in the 99th minute was enough to give England their first victory in this tournament for almost 40 years.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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