England Win Under-21 European Championship After Controversial Penalty Incident
England have won the Under-21 European Championship for the third time in their history after a dramatic 1-0 victory over Spain in the final on Saturday. The game was marred by a controversial penalty incident in the dying minutes, which saw tempers flare between both sets of players.
Manchester City’s Cole Palmer was at the centre of the incident, with his free kick deflecting off Curtis Jones to give England the lead on the stroke of half time. Spain were then given a penalty in the final minute of injury time after a VAR review spotted Levi Colwill’s foul on Abel Ruiz inside the area.
Sergio Gomez, who plays alongside Palmer for City, has hit out at his teammate for his lack of apology following the incident.
England’s Winning Goal Sparks Brawl
England’s winning goal sparked a brawl between both sets of players as Spain were unhappy with the nature of the celebrations. Gomez told Spanish radio station Cadena SER: ‘It surprised me. He didn’t want to apologise or anything like some of his other teammates. I don’t know, I would have celebrated it in a different way and my teammates would have done it in a different way as well. They [England] have the attitude they want to have. This is not the first time something like this has happened with this team. We have tried to represent our country in the best possible way and have the utmost respect for all our rivals. They wanted to celebrate it like this and also after the missed penalty.’
James Trafford Saves Penalty to Secure Victory
Ruiz stepped up to take the penalty but it was saved by England goalkeeper James Trafford, who also blocked the rebound. This save secured England’s victory and their third Under-21 European Championship title.
Conclusion
England’s victory was marred by a controversial penalty incident and brawl between both sets of players. Despite this, England held on to secure their third Under-21 European Championship title and will be hoping to build on this success in future tournaments.