JAMES TRAFFORD was the hero with a 98th-minute penalty save as England completed a youth clean sweep for this generation.
Senior boss Gareth Southgate watched on as the Under-21s – the team he managed before stepping up to the big job – edged out Spain to lift their version of the Euros.
It was a repeat of the Under-17 World Cup final six years ago, the tournament most fans romanticise as sparking this golden age of English development football.
But unlike that 5-2 Phil Foden-inspired blitz that day, this was a tempestuous affair settled by a Curtis Jones fluke and Trafford’s spotkick intervention at the death.
Tempers boiled over throughout with England assistant Ashley Cole and Spanish fitness coach Carlos Rivera both sent off following a melee involving both squads and staffs in the aftermath of the matchwinner.
While Morgan Gibbs-White also saw red after the dramatic penalty right at the end.
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Yet even if this was not won via the free-flowing fare Lee Carsley’s side have served up throughout this tournament, all that matters is the name on the trophy.
After hitting the Under-21s jackpot out here in Batumi, Georgia’s answer to Las Vegas, England’s youth sides have now clinched every prize going over the last six years.
The Under-20 World Cup in South Korea was actually claimed a few months before that Under-17 success in 2017.
The Under-19s also won the Euros that year, also in Georgia, and again 12 months ago in Slovakia. Now, this.
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Southgate will have had a real sense of pride watching on, given it was he who spearheaded a review into youth football when FA head of elite development in 2011.
Among the proposals was that children were not allowed to play 11-a-side games until Under-13 level, learning lessons from the Spanish in how they moulded youngsters.
Twelve years on, the first generation to benefit from that switch beat Spain at their own game.
But the mastermind behind this particular success has to be Carsley, who has made it all look very easy over the last three weeks.
Given England had gone out at the group stage of five of the last six Under-21 Euro tournaments before this one, to win it here without conceding a single goal is some feat.
He did it despite his centre-forward Flo Balogun switching allegiances to the USA on the eve of the tournament and the likes of Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher stolen away by the seniors.
The self-deprecating Brummie has rapidly debunked the claim of predecessor Aidy Boothroyd that the England Under-21 coach’s role is “the utterly impossible job” because the priority of promoting players to the seniors conflicts with on-pitch tournament success.
But winning this final was by no means easy.
England, fresh off steamrollering most of their opponents in Georgia, made a confident start and missed two decent early chances.
But after that it became clear that Spain were a step-up from all the other teams the Young Lions have faced in this tournament and a battle of wits ensued.
England almost paid for their high-risk playing out from the back, as a James Trafford pass did not meet its target, allowing Alex Baena a sight of goal – but he curled just wide.
To those fans with a vested interest, it was nail-biting.
To the neutral locals just here for a good time, it was probably dull, hence the Mexican wave that broke out midway through the half.
Yet towards the end of the half, the action exploded into life.
First came a Levi Colwill header that crashed against the woodwork from a Cole Palmer cross.
Manchester City kid Palmer, kept in the team ahead of close mate Noni Madueke, was becoming a big influence and in first-half injury time, he was tripped just outside the D.
This time a foul was given and Palmer fired in the resulting free-kick via a huge deflection off the unwitting Jones, was later credited with the goal.
That was lively, but what happened next was positively barmy.
Palmer raced towards the dugouts in celebration and appeared to stare down the Spanish bench, who did not take it kindly.
A number of La Roja subs raced onto the pitch to confront the 21-year-old, sparking a full-on melee between both squads, with Colwill and Oihan
The heated scenes were not just limited to the players.
Carsley, usually so cool and collected, was in the Spanish dugout along with Cole, angrily defending their side.
Cole’s set-to with fitness coach Carlos Rivera was deemed so incendiary that both were sent off.
The walk down the tunnel at half-time was tasty too, with the players in red continuing their war of words with Palmer.
Striker Abel Ruiz thought he had netted the first goal of the tournament against England when he thundered home a header on 51 minutes, but he was offside.
With Spain chasing, the game opened up.
Jones had a great chance to grab his second – with this one very much intentional – as he drove towards goal but his shot was repelled by a fine save.
Ruiz should have levelled with 21 minutes to go as he rose to meet Sergio Gomez’s cross but planted his header wide.
Spain kept pushing but could not find a way past England’s stubborn rearguard, hellbent on victory and another clean sheet.
It looked as if they were to be denied as, incredibly, England conceded a penalty in the 96th minute when VAR adjudged Colwill to have brought down Ruiz.
But the Spanish hitman was denied by an astonishing penalty save from Trafford, who then repelled the follow-up and Spain’s third rebound was fired over the bar.
Tensions boiled over again as the two dugouts rowed and the already subbed Gibbs-White was sent off.
The players raced onto the pitch to mob Trafford at full-time, as they became the last age English group to realise their potential in the past half decade.
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Now the Under-21s is in the bag, there are no more worlds left to conquer, barring at senior level, where it really matters most.
Over to you, Gareth.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
