England Under 21s crowned European champions after hard fought victory over Spain

James Trafford wrote his name into the history books in the most dramatic fashion to end England’s Under 21s’ 39 year wait for silverware.

Trafford was the man of the moment in the last seconds of the game and he denied Spanish striker Abel Ruiz with a last minute penalty save in a hugely nerve wracking final.

Lee Carsley’s Three Lions side roared to victory without conceding a single goal in the tournament and they recorded an impressive six victories from six games - scoring 11 goals along the way.

England midfielder Curtis Jones proved to be the match winner on the night. The Liverpool midfielder scored with a fortuitous deflection on the stroke of a half time after a free kick from Cole Palmer.

The final at the Adjarabet Arena was far from a classic in terms of quality and both sides cancelled each other out in a closely fought and aggressive tactical battle.

More to follow. 

Story of the game

England started the final strongly in a special night in Georgia and Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon lit up the opening 5 minutes with a number of pacey runs behind the backline. Cole Palmer was unfortunate to miss a chance to score from a low Gordon cross.

Spain controlled the pattern of possession and Alex Baena went close to scoring with a curling shot from the edge of the box.

However, Spain struggled to cope with England’s pace and it was the Three Lions who posed the great threat on the counter in a nervy first half.

Levi Colwill went close with a header from a set piece which struck the post late in the first half.

Manchester City’s Cole Palmer struck a free kick on the stroke of half time which inadvertently struck Curtis Jones in the wall and fortuitously sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to give England the lead.

Tempers began to flare after the goal - Spain’s Oihan Sancet and England’s Levi Colwill were booked, but there were even harsher punishments on the sidelines for the coaching staff as Ashley Cole was sent off along with one of his Spanish counterparts.

Speaking ahead of the game - Carsley said England would need one hell of a performance to overcome the Spaniard and the defence continued to face an onslaught of attack from Spain in the second interval as they dominated possession.

Abel Ruiz was denied a goal in the 50th minute after it was ruled offside and the striker went close 15 minutes later with a header on goal which went narrowly wide.

Spain were unable to carve out many clear openings in a scrappy second half affair and England’s defence grew deeper as the game progressed.

The Three Lions looked to be on the verge of European glory in the dying moments of the game. But their luck seemed to run out when Levi Colwill conceded a penalty in the 99th minute.

However, it proved to be a night to forget for Ruiz and the tournament’s joint lead scorer was denied from the penalty spot after a wonder save from Manchester City showstopper James Trafford.

The 20-year-old who is reportedly a target for Burnley this summer, saved a second shot from Spain and England eventually cleared the ball.

The result secures England’s Under 21s a first major trophy since 1984 and will have caught the eye of first team manager Gareth Southgate who is hoping to add to that success next summer in Euro 2024.