England’s surprise run to the Under-21 Euros final – and how to watch it in UK
So bad were England’s men at the last European Under-21 Championship that no UK broadcaster took up the rights to show this summer’s edition of the tournament.
Now it is here and the Young Lions have exceeded expectations, blazing a trail to the final against Spain on Saturday in Georgia.
It’s enough to cause a few rueful looks at Sky Sports, and has now prompted a last-minute effort to televise the match in Britain.
To be fair to Sky, who showed the disappointing 2021 campaign, England have done little over the last 30-odd years to suggest they would prove to be the hottest kids on the Eastern Bloc.
They have reached the final just once since defending their title back in 1984, around two decades before most of the current squad were born, and they had only made the semi-finals on two other occasions in 17 appearances before this tournament.
But this time a team featuring Liverpool’s Curtis Jones, Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal, Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, Anthony Gordon of Newcastle and Manchester City’s Cole Palmer have proven unstoppable – so far, at least.
England topped their group with maximum points after beating Germany, Israel and the Czech Republic and have seen off Portugal and Israel – again – in the knockout stage.
They have not been behind at any stage of the tournament because they are yet to concede a goal.
For all of their talent from the biggest clubs in the Premier League, one of their most important players has been Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.
He scored the opener in Wednesday’s 3-0 semi-final win over Israel and has set up another three goals at this championship.
Gibbs-White knows all about success with England age-group teams, having scored in the final when the under-17 side won their World Cup six years ago.
England have blossomed under the understated tutelage of Lee Carsley, who replaced Aidy Boothroyd after the massive underachievement at the last Under-21 Euros.
The former tough-tackling Everton, Derby, Coventry and Birmingham midfielder may not seem an obvious facilitator of the beautiful game but has found a winning blend that has already outstripped his predecessor’s achievements.
Of 20 games in charge of England Under-21s, Carsley has overseen 16 wins and just three defeats.
Is England v Spain U21 Euros final on TV in UK?
Spain will be no pushovers in the final, however, as they showed by dismantling Ukraine 5-1 in the semi-finals.
The Spanish have dominated this tournament in the last decade or so, winning three times and reaching two more finals, including this one, since 2011.
They haven’t had it all their own way here, though, and needed extra-time to overcome Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
England fans thirsting for international action during the close season can now watch Saturday’s final on Channel 4. Kick-off is 5pm UK time.
The broadcaster swooped for the rights at the last minute, seeing off rival interest from the BBC. The match is also available to watch Uefa’s website.
Channel 4 have made a habit of snatching late deals for sporting moments of national interest, such as Emma Raducanu’s 2021 US Open final. Now it’s the Young Lions’ turn for youthful triumph.