England Triumph in World Cup Final
Posted by Rob Shepherd on Monday, June 12, 2017
England have only gone and done it! The young Lions are world champions, let that sink in for a minute! England are world champions.
I never thought I would live to see the day that the national team have won something. It may be the under 20’s but don’t let that take anything away from this amazing victory, they can only beat what is put in front of them and that is exactly what they did to lift the World Cup in South Korea. The only downside is the incredibly thick head I have this morning from celebrating maybe a little too hard, but it was worth it!
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s Goal was Enough
England won their first major tournament since 1966 with a Dominic Calvert-Lewin goal scored in the first half. It certainly wasn’t plain sailing for the Lions though and they needed a fantastic penalty save from Newcastle goalkeeper Freddie Woodman to keep their slender advantage.
Woodman was quite fortunate not to be beaten by an audacious strike from over 40-yards by Venezuela’s Ronaldo Lucena, he didn’t get close to it but luckily it hit the post.
His penalty save was world class, Adalberto Penaranda was fouled by Kyle Walker-Peters and the referee pointed to the spot. England players disputed the decision and the referee referred it to the video assistant. This is the first time I have seen this used and must admit it worked brilliantly. There was very little delay and the correct decision of a penalty was given.
Penaranda took the penalty himself and his shot looked to be going in when Woodman stuck out a fist and managed to get enough power on the ball to keep it out. The English defence were able to stop the rebound.
After the match, Calvert-Lewin said, “”Thankfully Freddie saved the penalty. I was watching through my fingers from the halfway line and it was an incredible moment. It was a big, big moment that helped turn the game. To be one of only three Englishman to have scored in a World Cup final is amazing.”
Dominic joins legends, Sir Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters as the only Englishmen to have scored in a World Cup final.
Another England player worthy of a mention is Tottenham’s Joshua Onomah. Joshua hit a brilliant shot that cannoned off the crossbar and was close to going over. If that shot had of gone in we would have been talking about it for months, it was that good!
Manager Plays Down Expectations
England manager Paul Simpson was quick to play down the huge expectations that will undoubtedly be placed on the young English Lions. When asked if the players were the next golden generation, Simpson said, “It is too early for that, we could sit and make all sorts of bold statements.”
“Let’s enjoy what we have done, it is a wonderful achievement from them. We are the world champions at under-20 level which isn’t easy.”
“Let’s see what comes next and hope they continue to develop. We hope we can lead them and guide them through these next stages to get the football they need and they can go on to be successful.”
This will be an incredible experience for them to take forward whatever they go on to do. They will remember this for the rest of their lives and get confidence from this and hopefully the whole of the country can enjoy their achievements.”
Paul is an ex-pro himself and made 550 appearances, 121 as sub and scored 150 goals in a career that spanned clubs such as Derby County, Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanders. As a manager, Paul has managed Rochdale, Carlisle United, Preston North End, Shrewsbury Town, Stockport County and Northwich Victoria.
What makes winning the World Cup so special for Simpson is that he only took over the U20’s team this year. Not a bad achievement in your first season! Indeed, the last time England competed in this tournament back in 2013 they finished rock bottom of their group and failed to win a single game. Ross Barkley, John Stones, Harry Kane and Eric Dier were part of that team.
Who are the U20’s and Who Do They Play For?
| Name | Position | Club | Loan Club | Apps | Starts | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dean Henderson | GK | Manchester United | Grimsby Town | 7 | 7 | 630 |
| Freddie Woodman | GK | Newcastle United | Kilmarnock | 14 | 14 | 1260 |
| Jake Clarke-Salter | Def | Chelsea | Bristol Rovers | 12 | 9 | 841 |
| Callum Connolly | Def | Everton | Wigan Athletic | 17 | 14 | 1302 |
| Dael Fry | Def | Middlesbrough | Rotherham | 10 | 10 | 900 |
| Jonjoe Kenny | Def | Everton | N/A | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Fikayo Tomori | Def | Chelsea | Brighton | 9 | 2 | 390 |
| Ezri Konsa Ngoyo | Def | Charlton | N/A | 32 | 30 | 2547 |
| Lewis Cook | Mid | Bournemouth | N/A | 6 | 4 | 431 |
| Ovie Ejaria | Mid | Liverpool | N/A | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Ainsley Maitland-Niles | Mid | Arsenal | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Josh Onomah | Mid | Tottenham | N/A | 5 | 0 | 18 |
| Adam Armstrong | Str | Newcastle | Barnsley | 34 | 21 | 1922 |
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin | Str | Everton | N/A | 11 | 5 | 345 |
| Harrison Chapman | Str | Middlesbrough | Sheffield United | 12 | 0 | 280 |
| Ademola Lookman | Str | Everton | N/A | 8 | 3 | 290 |
3rd Place Play-off
I have never been a fan of the 3rd place match, it’s just so pointless, no matter what the competition. 3rd or 4th, who cares? But anyway, I’ll stop moaning and let you know that the score from the 3rd Place Play-off was a 1-4 penalty win for the Italians.
Award Winners
Adidas Golden Ball: Dominic Solanke
Adidas Silver Ball: Federico Valverde
Adidas Bronze Ball: Yangel Herrera
Adidas Golden Boot: Riccardo Orsolini
Adidas Silver Boot: Joshua Sargent
Adidas Bronze Boot: Jean-Kevin Augustin
Adidas Golden Glove: Freddie Woodman
Fair Play Award: Mexico