The Netherlands have been crowned UEFA European Under-19 champions for the first time in their history after a second-half own goal secured a 1-0 victory over Spain in a tightly contested final on Thursday.
The decisive moment came in the 67th minute when a low cross from Netherlands captain Givairo Read was unfortunately deflected into his own net by his Spanish counterpart, goalkeeper Raúl Jiménez.
After a goalless first half in which Spain’s Jon Martín and Izan Merino came closest to scoring, the game opened up after the break. Netherlands midfielder Tygo Land struck the post with a long-range effort, before Spain’s Antonio Cordero and Óscar Marcos both hit the woodwork in quick succession.
The best chance from open play fell to Netherlands winger Ayoub Oufkir, who raced through on goal but saw his attempted chip well saved by Jiménez.
Following the fortuitous own goal, the Dutch defended resolutely, limiting Spain to few clear opportunities in the closing stages to see out the historic victory.
The triumph marks a significant achievement for Netherlands coach Peter van der Veen, who has now led his country to titles at both the Under-19 and Under-17 European Championships, having won the latter in 2019. The Dutch team completed a perfect tournament, winning all five of their matches at the finals in Northern Ireland.
“It felt so good and was so intense,” a delighted Van der Veen said after the match. “We have trust in that process and it’s just unbelievable that we did it with this group.”
Captain Givairo Read added: “It feels amazing and I’m very proud of the team. The main thing we showed today is we are real lions.”
The victory also makes the Netherlands only the second nation, after Germany, to have won all of UEFA’s current men’s and women’s national-team championships.
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