England didn’t score a goal in the final and dominated the small EURO

On Saturday evening, the European Under-21 Football Championships culminated in Batumi, Georgia. In the final match, the undefeated teams of England and Spain faced each other. The team from the British Isles won 1:0, having not scored a goal in the entire tournament.

The English created the first chance of the match after five minutes of peaceful play. Gordon shot from a good shooting position to the far post, but Spanish goalkeeper Arnau Tenas cleared his shot off the three posts.

Baena tried a similar shot on the other end in the 12th minute, but the ball flew just wide of James Trafford’s goal. The Spaniards came close to scoring seven minutes later, but Paredes’ header after a corner was inaccurate.

Both teams continued to threaten the opponent’s goal in the rest of the opening act. For example, Albion stopper Colwill’s header after a standard situation in the 44th minute hit the crossbar.

However, a direct free-kick in the fourth minute of stoppage time brought joy to the England team, as Palmer’s shot ended up in the net thanks to a run. Curtis Jones was eventually named as the author of the goal.

Immediately afterwards, there was a scuffle at the bench, after which the Norwegian head referee Espen Eskås issued one red card to a member of the management teams of each camp and a yellow card to two players on the pitch. Specifically, it was the aforementioned Levi Colwill of England and Oihan Sanchet of Spain.

In the 51st minute, the Iberian side celebrated an equaliser, however prematurely. Ruiz, who successfully finished with a header, was offside, which was subsequently confirmed by VAR.

The Spaniards continued to push for an equaliser, yet England were able to increase their lead in the 65th minute. A quick attack was finished by Jones, who was saved by Tenas. On the other side of the pitch, the Iberians were creating opportunities after occasional mistakes in their opponents’ passing.

Riquelme, who hit only the side netting from close range in the 77th minute, failed to take advantage of his interesting opportunity, nor did a scuffle in the English whitewash six minutes later. At the end of the six minutes, the referee ordered a penalty after Colwill’s illegal intervention on Abel Ruiz and watching the situation on video.

But the fouled player did not convert the penalty kick, and the Trafford goalkeeper also intervened against the finish. Because of this, the team led by Santi Denia lost their last hope for the title of European champions.

The precious trophy was therefore won by the Irish coach Lee Carsley’s charges, who did not score a single goal during the whole tournament. England won the Little EURO for the third time overall and the first time since 1984. It tied Germany in the historical table.

Italy and Spain are the best with five triumphs. The next championship will be hosted by eight stadiums in Slovakia in two years’ time.

Source: UEFA, CT Sport