BATUMI: Goalkeeper James Trafford was the hero as England won the European Under-21 Championship for the first time since 1984 with a 1-0 victory over Spain in the final in Georgia.

The Manchester City keeper, who is on the verge of a £19m move to Burnley, dived to his right to save a stoppage-time penalty from Spain captain Abel Ruiz and then also saved Aimar Oroz’s follow-up.

England’s other key moment was what proved to be the winning goal when Cole Palmer’s deflected free-kick in first-half stoppage time ricocheted into the net off Curtis Jones.

Spain, who had scored 13 goals in the tournament, had an Abel Ruiz goal ruled out for offside after half-time, before Trafford’s late heroics sealed England’s victory.

The win meant Lee Carsley’s talented side are the third England team to win the competition after previously picking up the trophy in 1982 and 1984. They are also the first team to record six successive clean sheets in the tournament’s history.

The Young Lions had played an exciting brand of football in Georgia, with a side packed with attacking talent.

England started the final positively, with Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon having the first meaningful chance when his shot was pushed wide by Spain keeper Tenas.

Gordon was then involved again as he looked to tee up Morgan Gibbs-White before an interception from Jon Pacheco prevented the Nottingham Forest player from having a tap in.

Spain soon came into the match, with Alex Baena curling an effort past Trafford’s post before scuffing another effort wide after he had picked up a loose pass by Gibbs-White.

Chelsea defender Levi Colwill headed against the crossbar from an excellent delivery from Palmer, before the Manchester City man gave England the lead when his free-kick was deflected in by Liverpool’s Jones.

Palmer’s celebration led to a melee between both benches, which resulted in England coach Ashley Cole and Spanish fitness coach Carlos Rivera being sent to the stands.

England were under immense pressure during the second period, and it looked to have paid off for Spain when Ruiz headed in from a Baena cross, only for the offside flag to go up. Ruiz had another chance to equalise, but headed wide from inside the six-yard box.

The match ended in dramatic style when Colwill – so highly rated by England’s staff following his week training with the senior team – was judged to have fouled Ruiz in the box.

Trafford got down well to save the resulting penalty and an immediate follow-up to give England victory and spark scenes of jubilation.

The scuffling exploded with nine yellow and four red cards handed out by the final whistle, as Gibbs-White and Antonio Blanco were both sent off.

Trafford said: “I told everyone this morning I was going to save a penalty, I knew I was going to save it.”

Now Trafford is on the verge of becoming Burnley’s record signing. The Premier League newcomers have agreed an initial £15m fee with Manchester City that could rise to £19m with add-ons, which is beyond what the Clarets paid for striker Chris Wood in 2017.

It would also make Trafford the third-most expensive English goalkeeper ever, after Aaron Ramsdale and Jordan Pickford, and comes off the back of a successful spell on loan at Bolton in League One.

Two years ago, he was on loan at Accrington Stanley, yet the 20-year-old has never doubted he will one day be his country’s number one.

England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley said: “James has shown in this tournament that he’s a high-level goalkeeper. He’s very consistent. The lads have been very impressed. I’m sure he’s going to have a big future ahead of him.”

The finals:

Gp A: Georgia 2, Portugal 0; Belgium 0, Netherlands 0 – Georgia 2, Belgium 2; Portugal 1, Netherlands 1 – Jun 27: Netherlands 1, Georgia 1; Portugal 2, Belgium 1. Points: Georgia 5, Portugal 4, Netherlands 3, Belgium 2.

Gp B: Ukraine 2, Croatia 0; Romania 0, Spain 3 – Romania 0, Ukraine 1 – Spain 1, Croatia 0 – Jun 27: Croatia 0, Romania 0; Spain 2, Ukraine 2. Points: Spain 7, Ukraine 7, Croatia 1, Romania 1.

Gp C: Czech Rep. 0, England 2; Germany 1, Israel 1 – Czech Rep. 2, Germany 1; England 2, Israel 0 – Jun 28: Israel 1, Cech Rep. 0; England 2, Germany 0. Points: England 9, Israel 4, Czech Rep. 3, Germany 1.

Gp D: Norway 1, Switzerland 2; France 2, Italy 1 – Switzerland 2, Italy 3; Norway 0, France 1. Jun 28: Italy 0, Norway 1; Switzerland 1, France 4. Points: France 9, Switzerland 3, Italy 3, Norway 3.

Qtr-finals, Jul 1: Georgia 0, Israel 0 (aet, 3-4 pens); Spain 2, Switzerland 1 (aet) – Jul 2: England 1, Portugal 0; France 1, Ukraine 3.

Semi-finals, Jul 5: Israel 0, England 3; Spain 5, Ukraine 1.

Final, Jul 8 (Batumi, Georgia): England 1, Spain 0.

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