Now, the Young Lions are just one more win away from taking their first Euro U21 title since overcoming Spain 3-0 on aggregate in 1984.
These days, of course, there’s only one chance to get it right and that might not necessarily favour England, who lament a negative record against La Rojita this century (W1, D2, L2).
However, there are elements working in their favour too – not least of which is an unblemished defensive record in this edition, potentially setting them up to become the first Euro U21 squad to lift the trophy without conceding since the Spanish youngsters of 1998!
As for Spain, they have had to travel nearly 2,000km from Bucharest to engage in this final showdown. But they do so after an even bigger semi-final win (5-1 vs Ukraine), and have a great source of motivation, with an outright-best sixth Euro U21 trophy just one win away.
A victory here would make it four trophy lifts in this competition across just 12 years as well, so Spain’s culture for going all the way certainly eclipses that of two-time winners England.
Unlike their opponents, La Rojita have failed to keep a clean sheet in three matches ahead of kick-off, conceding beyond the 80th minute on two occasions during this time.
On a similar note, Spain’s two most recent Euro U21 finals (in 2013 and 2019) have also seen both sides find the net, with those games marking the only times across the previous seven editions that the final has witnessed goals on each side of the scoreboard.
Players to watch: After a semi-final goal between two assists against Israel, England’s Cole Palmer is a clear threat to Spain.
Meanwhile, after scoring first and last respectively in Wednesday’s later semi-final, Abel Ruiz and Palmer’s Manchester City teammate Sergio Gómez currently stand on a joint-high three goals for this tournament. Both will be vying to become the first Spaniard since Saúl (in 2017) to end up as an outright Euro U21 top scorer!
Hot streak: None of the previous four Euro U21 finals have separated the sides by a margin of 2+ goals.
