There are no such endings! The English goalkeeper took a penalty in the Eurocup final at 90+8 minutes! Video
Anatoly Romanov July 8, 2023, 21:25 Moscow time
The unreal drama of Spain and the ecstasy of the British: they have been waiting for almost 40 years for the gold of the youth Euro Cup.
The England team is the winner of the Junior European Championship! In a spectacular final with a crazy ending, Lee Carsley’s team beat Spain. The Brits have not won Euro U21 gold since 1984, when they beat the Spaniards by an aggregate score of 3:0 over two games.
From the start, it was clear that the final would be cautious. Spain had more possession of the ball (63% before the break) and tried to find something without losing their minds, while England relied on counterattacks. She was easier with the ball. Before the final, Karsley’s team did not concede a single goal in the entire tournament, and with such statistics, the British had reason to hope that a reliable defense would lead them to gold. Both teams successfully provoked each other into making mistakes by pressing or blocking the direction of passes. Such episodes led to the most dangerous moments of the first half. Also, the rules.
After five minutes of play, Carsley’s side created two chances in a row with a pair of Gordon-Gibbs-White forwards. The Newcastle striker scored the first shot on goal of the game, and then, flying on the counter-attack, Gordon fired at Gibbs-White, representing Nottingham Forest. How Morgan did not find the ball, being in front of the goal, he probably will not explain himself. If Gibbs-White (the best assistant in the Eurocup) gave the pass to a teammate, and not the other way around, there would most likely be an early goal. Gordon, in 45 minutes, only gave one accurate pass.
How England and Spain beat their rivals in the semi-finals
The Spanish coach Santi Denia asked his players to play more compactly. They listened to the main one, crushed the opponent. Spain organized two dangerous counterattacks after interceptions by midfielder “Villarreal” Baena. He almost scored after a corner kick and a free kick. In general, not a wall in the defense of England, as you might think, looking at the statistics. The Trafford goalkeeper generally helped a lot: before the final, he had 10 saves from free kicks, the best indicator along with Noah Atubolu of the German national team.
But the end of the half went to the British, who also shone from set pieces. Center back Colville hit the post from a free kick and midfielder Palmer scored from a free kick. True, not without luck, with the help of a rebound from Jones. It is curious that the banner of an optional free kick is “brought” by Palmer’s Man City teammate Sergio Gómez. After the goal, a fight almost broke out on the field, members of the coaching staff of the national team were dismissed. England have Ashley Cole.
After the break, the Spanish team tried to increase the speed to the maximum. The goal added spectacle to the final. The brilliant attacking quartet of young “Red Furies” Rodri – Sunset – Sergio Gómez – Ruiz, with the support of their teammates, turned the round of attacks, but the most striking thing is that the Spaniards failed to launch their first shot in goal in this match. And even when they finally did, Ruiz’s goal was disallowed for offside. The captain, a centre-forward, could take the lead in the tournament’s scoring run, scoring his fourth goal of the tournament and pulling away from Sergio Gómez. That’s offside it really was.
At the end of the hour of the game, the coach of the Spaniards made an unusual decision, changing three key players in one slot. Apparently, according to Santi, Rodri, Sunset and Baena, despite their individual ability, expended too much energy in the playoffs, and would not have been strong enough for the final. In addition, Baena “requested” his dismissal. It seemed that the spare parts were going to the team more negatively than positively. Immediately, England made two most dangerous counter-attacks: Gibbs-White again correctly missed the ball and a shot from Liverpool Jones stopped Tenas’ super save. Even so, it seems strange that Barça would release this goalkeeper as a free agent.
The Spanish were looking for their sniper Ruiz in the English area. Sergio Gomez himself did everything possible to correct the mistake – he became the best in the final in terms of the number of passes under attack – five. Ruiz had an opportunity, but it was not successful. Otherwise, Carsley’s team got by by drinking time. The Chelsea central defender, Colville, collected very powerful statistics: seven clearances, three tackles and blocks, two interceptions, 10 of 12 games won, almost the six minutes added were wasted by the Spanish. But what a final outcome for Colville and Ruiz! The defender committed a foul on the Spanish captain, and the referee awarded a penalty after seeing the VAR. And then came Trafford’s finest moment: the Man City goalkeeper taking both the 11-meter shot and the rebound. England won gold by finishing the European Championship without conceding a goal.
