U-21 UEFA Euros 2023: England win their 3rd European title by beating Spain 1-0

The England Under-21 team achieved a historic victory in the European final after James Trafford emerged as the hero. In the 98th minute, he made a crucial penalty save, securing a 1-0 win over a poorly disciplined Spain side.

Trafford, the talented goalkeeper from Burnley, denied Abel Ruiz’s penalty in the dying moments of the game, igniting scenes of joy from the England bench.

The Young Lions had been comfortably on their way to victory, thanks to Curtis Jones’ fortunate goal just before halftime. The Liverpool midfielder inadvertently deflected Cole Palmer’s free-kick into the net while evading the defensive wall.

6/6 clean sheets ✅
Double save from a penalty in injury-time in the final ✅
Wins U-21 Euros ✅

Clutch from incoming Burnley keeper James Trafford, showing why at 20 he's valued at £19m.🧤 pic.twitter.com/BferhZGZIK

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 8, 2023

Amidst the euphoria of England’s celebrations, a chaotic brawl erupted involving players and coaches from both teams. Assistant manager Ashley Cole received a red card and was ordered to leave the touchline.

Despite Spain’s Ruiz having a goal disallowed due to an offside decision aided by VAR and missing a close-range header, England faced relatively little trouble until the sixth minute of injury time in the second half. VAR determined that Levi Colwill had fouled Ruiz, resulting in a penalty. However, Trafford’s exceptional save denied the Spain striker, preserving his clean sheet throughout the entire tournament.

The intensity of the final was further emphasized by red cards shown to Morgan Gibbs-White and Antonio Blanco, who had already been substituted. In total, the match featured 30 fouls, 11 yellow cards, and four red cards issued to players and coaches on the benches.

Spain’s Abel Ruiz won the Golden boot during the U-21 Euros as he bagged 3 goals. Cole Palmer, one of the hero in the final got the most assist – 3 and England Goalkeeper James Trafford did not let the ball go past his hands for even once as he kept 6 out of 6 clean sheets.