England vs Spain live score, updates, highlights as Young Lions lead Euro U21 final
England and Spain will be battling for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship title in the Georgian city of Batumi, with Young Lions pushing for their first European title at this level since 1984.
Both teams had gone clean through to the final with five wins each and Lee Carsley’s England have yet to concede a goal in the tournament.
Opponents Spain, with six titles alongside Italy, is the jointly most successful team in the history of the U21 European Championship, the last competition victory came in 2019.
Sporting News follows live updates and highlights on the England v Spain scoreline in the high-risk UEFA European Under-21 Championship final.
MORE: England Under-21 squad and managers as Young Lions seek first European Championship title since 1984 in 2023
England vs Spain live score
| 1H | 2H | final | |
| England | 1 | ||
| Spain | 0 |
Goals:
Jones – ENG – 45+3 mins
Confirmed Lineups:
England (4-4-2, right to left): Trafford (GK) – Garner, Harwood-Bellis, Colwill, Aarons – Palmer (Elliott), Jones, Gomes (Skipp), Smith-Rowe (Madueke) – Gibbs-White (Archer), Gordon (Doyle)
Spain (4-2-3-1, right to left): Tenas (GK) – Gomez (Barrenetxea), Parades, Pacheco, Miranda – Blanco (Camello), Baena (Oroz) – Rodri (Riquelme), Sancet (Veiga), Gomez – Ruiz
MORE: UEFA Euro 2023 Under-21 Championship fixtures, standings, schedule and results
Live updates England v Spain, highlights from the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final
90 minutes: England have the perfect chance to seal the deal but Tenas fights back to parry Madueke.
ADDED SIX MINUTES!
88 minutes: England are now forced to step in with more changes with Tommy Doyle and Harvey Elliott coming on.
80 minutes: Spain patiently built their way into the English box but Riquelme’s shot went wide.
75 minutes: A FIRMLY The final 15 minutes are upon us as Carsley comes out with renewed vigour, while Oliver Skipp and Cameron Archer take turns while Gomes and Gibbs-White take the lead.
Trafford cautioned for wasting time.
72 minutes: GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR SPAIN!
Gomez delivers a perfect cross into the box but Ruiz heads wide. Spain needed their captain to score there!
70 minutes: England push forward again and Jones’ long-range effort forces a save from Tenas. Chelsea winger Noni Madueke is on for Smith-Rowe.
66 minutes: England break through Spanish pressing and almost decided the tie, but Gibbs-White can’t get clean contact with Gordon’s cutback.
62 minutes: First changes for Spain: The esteemed Gabri Veiga comes in for Sancet and Aimar Oroz and Rodrigo Riquelme replace Baena and Sanchez.
60 minutes: Spain are pushing hard for the equalizer and Colwill is looking to bolster England’s defence.
55 minutes: Spain have the ball in the net when Ruiz flicks a header past Trafford but VAR backs the referee’s declaration of offside against the La Roja captain.
50 minutes: The big debate at half-time – when everyone had calmed down – was over over who put the finishing touches to England’s goal.
Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones got the goal as Palmer’s free-kick last touched him.
46 minutes: BACK ON THE ROAD IN BATUMI!
HALFTIME: ENGLAND 1 SPAIN 0
Palmer’s shot gave England the lead at half-time but the goal sparked a scuffle on the field and touchline as Colwill and Oihan Sancet were cautioned.
The Spanish bench were unhappy with Palmer’s celebration and the argument sparked a scrum that saw England manager Ashley Cole sent off!
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45+3 minutes: TOR: 1:0 ENGLAND!
BREAKTHROUGH FOR THE YOUNG LIONS!
Carsley’s England take their chance just before half-time when Palmer’s free-kick deflects viciously off the wall and flies past Tenas!
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45 mins: OFF THE POST!!!
What a chance for England!
Levi Colwill escapes from a free kick and his header goes down the post!
44 minutes: England tried to improve before the break when Manchester City’s Cole Palmer comes in and tests Tenas from the edge of the box.
40 minutes: Gordon is causing problems for Spain with Antonio Blanco booked for a trip on the Newcastle speedster, but he hasn’t had any real impact on the game just yet.
35 minutes: Spain beat England again when Gomez’s free-kick went wide and Rodri Sanchez fired a shot just wide.
Baena is cautioned for fouling Gordon.
30 minutes: All clear when we reached the half hour in Batumi. Gordon’s early chance is England’s next chance for a breakthrough while Spain are ahead in a close game.
25 minutes: A game stoppage allows England to regroup after the period of Spanish pressure. But star midfielder Angel Gomes conceded the game’s first yellow card when he caught Baena with a late foul.
20 minutes: A huge mistake for Spain
Gomez shoots in a corner, Aitor Paredes keeps shooting, but Abel Ruiz can’t stretch far enough to hit the ball at the back post!
15 minutes: A warning for England as Villarreal’s Alex Baena fires a superb shot just wide of the James Trafford post.
10 mins: Another shot from England as Gordon’s low ball across the box almost reaches Morgan Gibbs-White but Jon Pacheco manages to clear for Spain.
A brilliant start from England as Spain try to get into the game.
7 minutes: England got the first chance of the game when Anthony Gordon’s sharp effort forced a clever stop from Barcelona goalkeeper Arnau Tenas.
5 minutes: A balanced start here at Adjarabet Arena. England’s defensive prowess got them through to the final and they will be confident of putting La Roja’s attack to the test.
KICK OFF: WE ARE ON THE MOVE IN BATUMI!
15 minutes to KO: Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard had a stirring message for Gunners team-mate Emile Smith-Rowe ahead of the final
30 minutes to KO: Some GIGANTIC Names have won the U21 Euro Player of the Tournament award, but no English player has won since Mark Hateley in 1984!
45 minutes to KO: Spain duo Sergio Gomez And Abel Ruiz Will the joint top scorers of the U21 European Championship 2023 make the difference tonight?
1 hour to KO: TEAM NEWS IS HERE!
Just a change for England from the semi-final win over Israel, as Max Aarons replaces Luke Thomas at left-back and Spain are unchanged in Batumi.
1 hour and 30 minutes to KO: England have scored 10 goals and conceded zero this summer. Can they pull off another winning moment tonight?
England vs Spain confirmed lineups
Carsley remembered Max Aarons following his suspension for the semi-final win over Israel as Luke Thomas falls on the bench.
England (4-4-2, right to left): Trafford (GK) – Garner, Harwood-Bellis, Colwill, Aarons – Palmer, Jones, Gomes, Smith-Rowe – Gibbs-White, Gordon
Spain Under-21 coach Santi Denia remains with the same starting XI that led to a 5-1 semi-final win over Ukraine.
Spain (4-2-3-1, right to left): Tenas (TW) – Gomez, Parades, Pacheco, Miranda – Blanco, Baena – Rodri, Sancet, Gomez – Ruiz
England vs Spain Live Stream, TV Channel
UNITED STATES: The 2023 UEFA European Championship can be viewed via the CBS Sports Network with streaming options on Fubo, Paramount+ and ViX.
Canada/Australia: With no national broadcaster hosting the tournament in these countries, fans can follow every match on UEFA TV.
UNITED KINGDOM: A late deal means Channel 4 will broadcast the game on free-to-air TV. Fans can stream the final via Channel 4’s online service or via UEFA TV.