England won the men’s under-21 football European Championship gold after dramatic stages. James Trafford, who saved a penalty kick in the final and kept a clean sheet throughout the tournament, is receiving praise.
England celebrated the men’s under-21 football European Championship gold after a long break when they defeated Spain 1-0 in the final match played in Batumi, Georgia on Saturday. England’s previous championship was 39 years ago.
The hero of the team was the one who kept a clean sheet in the EC tournament James Trafford, who saved a penalty kick in the last moments of the extra time of the match.
First, Trafford was tackled by the Spanish captain by Abel Ruiz attempt from 11 meters, after which he had the follow-up attempt that followed the save stopped.
– He is great in his own right. Wherever he goes and wherever he plays, he has an absolutely incredible mentality. He has been dominant throughout the tournament. Conceding zero goals is a fantastic performance, under-21 head coach Lee Carsley praised the BBC after the final.
The English keeper is moving In the ranks of Burnley, who returned to the Premier League. The promotion is about to shell out 15 million pounds for the 20-year-old goalkeeper, but the sum could rise to 19 million.
He could become the third most expensive English goalkeeper of all time by Jordan Pickford and Aaron Ramsdal after.
A dramatic EC final
England’s only hit was marked to Curtis Jones. The winning goal came in extra time of the opening half, when England received a free kick from a great position. Cole Palmer centered and the shot took a bounce off the wall.
Spain captain Ruiz headed the ball into England’s net at the start of the second half, but the shot was ruled out for offside.
The championship was England’s third in the under-21 European Championships. Previous wins are from 1982 and 1984.
The previous men’s championship, the World Cup gold, is still more than 50 years ago, from the home games in 1966. There has also been success in youth competitions in recent years: England is the reigning European champion in boys under 19, and at the World Cup level it won gold in the under 17 and in the under-20s in 2017. Also in the women’s category, England is the reigning European champion.
England’s next number one keeper?
Trafford exuded confidence throughout the tournament and appeared confidently in front of the media after the final as well.
– I told everyone in the morning that I would catch the comma. I knew I could catch it, so to be honest… It was pretty easy, Trafford assured.
Teammate Cole Palmer has walked the same paths with Trafford since junior, and says he was impressed by the goalkeeper’s moves early on.
– He is really good, you should have seen him at the academy. It was hard to pass him in practice and I’m so happy that others can see it now. He knows himself how good he is, but he is not arrogant. He’s a nice guy who believes in himself, Palmer described.
Also representing Everton at club level James Garner was convinced of the goalkeeper’s grip.
– It also gives you self-confidence when you know that there is such a good and confident goalkeeper playing behind you. He is a quiet person, but on the field he is always loud. He says he feels he can already play in the Champions League final. He has incredible confidence for a young goalkeeper.
Trafford, signed by Manchester City, played last season on loan at Bolton Wanderers in the English First League, i.e. at the third highest league level. He has never played higher in the men’s league.
However, the strong performances throughout the EC tournament made the British media ecstatic. Multi the BBC, of the Guardian and Sky Sports with the management, it was rumored that Trafford will be seen as England’s number one goalkeeper in the future.
– I really believe that he can become England’s top keeper. I don’t doubt it for a second, Bolton’s goalkeeping coach Matt Gilks assured the Guardian.
– There is a competition for the position of England’s number one goalkeeper, but Trafford leads the game at the age of 20. A place in the A national team is soon possible, Sky Sports predicted.