English U-21 Lads Take European Glory

James Isaacs

England U-21 side have won the UEFA U-21 competition. This comes after a 39-year wait as they have only won it twice, back to back in 1982 and 1984.

The Lee Carter led side secured a 1-0 victory over their Spanish counterpart through a deflected free kick from Cole Palmer off Curtis Jones, which wrong-footed the Arnau Tenas, the Spanish goal stopper in the 4th minute of additional time in the first half – and sparked a celebration that led to a heated argument on both benches only to see a member of the coaching staff sent off on either side.

With the Spanish side boasting of 13 goals in the build up to the final, it was evident that the encounter was going to produce nail-biting events on the field of play. The second half produced a goal in the dying embers as Abel Ruiz was thought to have equalized for his side but was disallowed due to an offside call.

The climax of this encounter saw a frenetic end with James Trafford, the England goalkeeper making a sensational low spot-kick save and also made another stop before the final whistle ensuring a jubilant England team. The final minutes of the match produced 2 red cards to either side and 12 yellow cards in all.

The England youngsters also set a new record of six successive clean sheets throughout the tournament. Both teams featured stars like Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal and Rodri of Manchester city for the Spanish side.