How England won the European Under-21 Championships

-

England U21 1 - 0 Spain U21

England won the European Under-21 Championship for the first time in nearly 40 years.

James Trafford's dramatic last-minute penalty save ensured the Young Lions beat Spain. The young goalkeeper, who is set to join Burnley from Manchester City in a deal that could be worth up to £19m, kept out Abel Ruiz's low spot-kick in the 99th minute.

The 20-year-old then produced another brilliant stop on the follow-up before being mobbed by his team-mates.

More England news from every level can be found here.

You can watch the highlights of the match in the video below. England U21 1-0 Spain U21 | Heroic James Trafford Makes Young Lions European Champions! | Highlights - YouTube

England just about had enough to overcome Spain

The winning goal came with virtually the last kick of the first half when a Cole Palmer free-kick deflected off team-mate Curtis Jones and wrong-footed goalkeeper Arnau Tenas to find the bottom corner.

Spain had a Ruiz goal ruled out for offside after half-time before Trafford's late heroics sealed England's victory.

The win meant Lee Carsley's talented side are the third England team to win the competition after winning in 1982 and 1984. England were also the first team to record six successive clean sheets in this tournament's history.

There's an exciting future ahead for the young English players

The Young England side played exciting football in Georgia throughout the tournament. They started the final positively, with Newcastle's Anthony Gordon having the first meaningful chance when his shot was pushed wide by Spain keeper Tenas.

Gordon was then involved again as he looked to tee up Morgan Gibbs-White before an interception from Jon Pacheco prevented the Nottingham Forest player from having a tap-in.

Spain soon came into the match, with Alex Baena curling an effort past Trafford's post. He then scuffed another effort wide after picking up a loose pass by Gibbs-White.

Defender Levi Colwill headed against the crossbar from an excellent delivery from Palmer. The Manchester City man helped give England the lead when his free-kick was deflected in by Liverpool's Jones. After that, England had decent possession but you always suspected that Spain were still in the game. 

It didn't quite happen for Spain but the future is bright for their players

Towards the end of the final, England were under immense pressure, and for the Spanish, it looked to have paid off when Ruiz headed in from a Baena cross, only for the offside flag to go up. Ruiz also had another chance to equalise, but headed wide from inside the six-yard box.

There was then that dramatic ending. How did this no go in? 

How many of the Spanish side will go on to careers like Juan Mata, David Silva and Andrés Iniesta? You stay informed with all the latest news and stories from Spain by clicking here. 

Some of the best reaction

Liam, a Manchester United fan, watched the match on TV. He spoke about the hard work that the players put in across the season: "That is a great way for some of these young players to end what must feel like a never-ending run of football. From the pre-season of 2022-23 that started in July last year through to this match, some of these lads have seriously grafted. However, they've been rewarded with a nice little trinket and some glorious memories to show for it."

Frank spoke about a moment of history that these players will never forget. He added: "It is hard to believe that this is England U21s' first Euros triumph in 39 years. It is the third time they've won the competition, after 1982 and 1984. Regardless of what the players do now (I think they'll all have great careers) they will always have this moment."

More football news from Europe can be found here: European Super Football (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)

Popular posts from this blog

Win for United in Ruud's last match as Interim Manager

-
Image
Manchester United 3 - 0 Leicester City Bruno Fernandes celebrated his 250th appearance for Manchester United by delivering an impressive performance as Ruud van Nistelrooy concluded his time as interim manager with a 3-0 victory over Leicester in the Premier League. Author - Olivia T Fernandes opened the scoring and later netted a second goal that was officially credited as an own goal by Victor Kristiansen. He also assisted Alejandro Garnacho for a brilliant third goal, helping United secure their third win in four matches since the departure of Erik ten Hag as manager. The home fans serenaded Van Nistelrooy at the final whistle . The Dutchman can be pleased with the return of three wins and a draw from four games, even if United remain in the bottom half of the table. He now leaves Old Trafford after it has been confirmed that he won't form a part of the new manager's coaching staff.  Super Reds News Post Match Review: United 3 - 0 Leicester Fernandes shines for Ruud
Read more

PL News: Ten Hag sacked by Man United

-
Image
There has been a managerial change at Old Trafford. Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag due to the club's disappointing start to the season. Author - Olivia T Ten Hag's last match ended in a 2-1 defeat against West Ham , leaving the club in 14th place in the Premier League with only three wins from their first nine matches. The Red Devils are also 21st of 36 teams in the Europa League league stage, having drawn their three opening matches. Club sources from the club have reportedly suggested that this was a difficult decision but a unanimous one among all the key decision makers.  The club exercised a one-year extension in Ten Hag's contract after their FA Cup final win against Manchester City in May . However, just over three months later, he has been dismissed. United currently sit on 11 points after nine games, marking their second-lowest tally in the Premier League at this stage (only slightly better than the 10 points they had in the 2019-20 season)
Read more

EFL Cup: United progress after difficult few days

-
Image
Manchester United 5 - 2 Leicester City  Ruud van Nistelrooy began his tenure as Manchester United’s interim manager on a high, with his team cruising past Leicester to secure a spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. Author - Olivia T Just two days after stepping in following Erik ten Hag's dismissal , Van Nistelrooy’s call for an exciting performance was more than delivered by his players. Casemiro got the party started with a stunning long-range strike and went on to score again before half-time. After an initial header rattled off both posts, the Brazilian reacted quickly to slot the ball in from eight yards out. Alejandro Garnacho contributed his fifth goal of the season , and captain Bruno Fernandes had a bit of luck with his free-kick, which deflected off Leicester’s James Justin and into the net. Defensively, United weren’t flawless. Some familiar issues allowed Bilal El Khannouss and Conor Coady to pull goals back for Leicester before the break. Coady’s finish, a firs
Read more