Lee Carsley's England survive late drama to claim European Under-21 crown

England U21s 1-0 Spain U21s

James Trafford saved a stoppage-time penalty to earn England European Under-21 Championship glory for the first time in 39 years as they edged past Spain.

The Burnley goalkeeper repelled Abel Ruiz’s spot-kick, awarded after a VAR review in the sixth minute of added time, and then kept out substitute Aimar Oroz’s follow-up at the end of a pulsating contest at the Batumi Arena in Georgia.

In the process, he became the first man to keep six clean sheets at the finals to help his side claim glory courtesy of a 1-0 victory, having not conceded a single goal at the tournament.

It crowned a tremendous tournament for manager Lee Carsley, the former Republic of Ireland midfielder who is often mentioned as a future manager of his national side.

Liverpool Curtis Jones’ had earlier given England, playing in front of senior boss Gareth Southgate, the lead in first-half stoppage time when he deflected Cole Palmer’s free-kick past keeper Arnau Tenas.

A third title and a first since 1984 was delivered on a dramatic evening in Georgia which saw England coach Ashley Cole and one of his Spanish counterparts, as well as substituted midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White and Spain’s Antonio Blanco, sent off on the sidelines.

Newcastle's Anthony Gordon made his presence felt early on, cutting inside from Emile Smith Rowe’s pass to force Tenas into a fifth-minute save, with Palmer unable to convert the rebound, then turning smartly and crossing unselfishly to hand Gibbs-White a tap-in, had it not been for defender Jon Pacheco’s intervention.

The Spanish response was concerted as Manchester City’s Sergio Gomez and Braga striker Ruiz brought their influence to bear.

Trafford was sent sprawling across his goal by Alex Baena’s