Spain 2-1 Germany: Report, Ratings & Reaction as La Roja Are Crowned Euro Under-21 Champions
Spain were crowned Euro Under-21 champions after they defeated Germany 2-1 on Sunday, thanks to goals from Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo.
Spain flew out of the starting blocks and took the lead after just seven minutes, courtesy of a stunning strike from Napoli's Fabian Ruiz. The midfielder drove into a pocket of space outside the 18-yard box and curled a wonderful effort into the corner of the German goal.
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There was very little in the way of goal-mouth action for the remainder of the first half, with the only other talking point being a horrific challenge from Spain's Jesús Vallejo, who was fortunate not to be sent off after a VAR review.
Germany looked to be more of a threat after the interval, but they found themselves two goals behind with just over twenty minutes left on the clock when Dani Olmo took advantage of a mistake from Alexander Nubel.
A tense finale was set up during the closing exchanges when Nadiem Amiri's deflected effort flew in from long range, but it proved to be too little too late for Germany.
Check out the full breakdown of the final below.
SPAIN
Key Talking Point
Spain were in superb form against France in the semi-finals, dispatching Les Bleus 4-1, so they would have been full of confidence heading into the final, in spite of the opposition in front of them.
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That confidence clearly translated to their performance on the pitch, as they controlled the final from start to finish, avenging their defeat against Germany two years ago. Ruiz and Marc Roca dictated the game from the middle of the park and the attacking trio of Olmo, Pablo Fornals and Mikel Oyarzabal caused all sorts of problems.
Very few would have predicted Spain as the tournament winners after their opening defeat to Italy, but they managed to bounce back and ended as deserving winners.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Sivera (6); Aguirregabiria (6), Nunez (7), Vallejo (6), Firpo (6); Ruiz (8*), Roca (7), Olmo (7), Ceballos (6), Fornals (5); Oyarzabal (6).
Substitutes: Soler (6), Mayoral (6), Merino (N/A).
Star Man - Fabian Ruiz
An excellent performance from the Napoli man, who set the ball rolling with an excellent strike early on.
He continued to excel thereafter, controlling the tempo of the game in the middle of the park, while providing sufficient support at both ends of the pitch. It's no wonder why he was named as the player of the tournament.
GERMANY
Key Talking Point
Germany came into the tournament as favourites and they hadn't really put a foot wrong heading into this one.
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On paper, they should have easily been capable of going toe-to-toe with Spain, but they unfortunately never got going and struggled to piece together any threatening passages of play, particularly during the first half. Their passing was often neat and tidy, but they lacked any real penetration and their failure to involve Luca Waldschmidt proved to be costly.
It'll be bitterly disappointing to fall at the final hurdle, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see a number of players from this side progress to the senior setup over the next few years.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Nubel (4); Klostermann (6), Tah (6), Baumgartl (5), Henrichs (5); Serdar (5), Eggestein (5), Dahoud (4); Oztunali (6), Amiri (6), Waldschmidt (5).
Substitutes: Neuhausat (5), Nmechaat (6), Richter (5).
Star Man - Nadiem Amiri
A decent showing from Amiri, who worked hard to cause problems down the left flank and was rewarded with a decent goal - although it did take a deflection on its way in.
While he didn't lack endeavour, his final ball was often lacking, much the like rest of his teammates in the final third.
