2023-07-05 20:51:00
The expected smashing finale takes place: England and Spain lived up to their role as favorites in the semi-finals of the U21 European Championship and got themselves in the mood for the title with clear victories.
The Young Lions defeated the surprise team Israel 3-0 (1-0) in Batumi, Georgia, while the Toros Rojos defeated Chelsea star Michailo Mudryk’s Ukraine 5-1 (2-1) in the Romanian capital Bucharest.
In the final on Saturday (6:00 p.m./Sat.1) in Batumi, England is fighting for their third European title following 1982 and 1984. Spain might surpass Italy with triumph number six and become the sole record champion. Reaching the semi-finals was a great success for the Israelis and the Ukrainians, both nations thus qualifying for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
Morgan Gibbs-White headed the lead for England (42′), previously the 23-year-old from Premier League club Nottingham Forest had put a penalty next to the goal (17′). In the second round, Cole Palmer (63rd) from treble winners Manchester City and substitute Cameron Archer (90th) provided the other goals.
“I’m pretty speechless right now. We all believed in it,” Gibbs-White said. Team manager Lee Carsley also enthused: “The boys are so motivated, I’m so happy. We want to write our own history.”
In the second semi-final, captain Artem Bondarenko surprisingly gave Ukraine the lead (13th) following a remarkable assist by 100 million men Mudryk. But the favorite from Spain dominated: Captain Abel Ruiz (17′) and Oihan Sincet (23′) quickly turned the game around, Antonio Blanco (54′), Aimar Oroz (68′) and Sergio Gomez (78′) increased following the break .
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