How England won the European Under-21 Championships

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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)

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