Key events
24 mins: Gomes goes into the book after taking down Baena to end his dribbling venture through the middle of the pitch. Baena is on the deck having a good old fashioned moan about the infraction. It’s a foul, get up, move on.
22 mins: A little rub of his noggin’ and Garner is back on.
20 mins: Spain have a corner on the left. Sergio Gomez curls it into the box straight Paredes, who flicks it just past the far post.
Some concern for England with Garner being assessed by the medical staff after a blow to the head. He is on his feet but looks a little weary.
18 mins: Spain are quite worried about Palmer. He receives the ball on the right flank and is immediately surrounded by three men.
Spain are having a bit more of the ball now but England look very dangerous on the break. They definitely have the greater pace in the final third.
16 mins: More lax work from England as Jones loses concentration and allows Baena to collect a pass that is meant for the Englishman. The Spanish midfielder drives forward but fires wide.
14 mins: Miranda whacks through the back of Palmer. I am not sure he fancies coming up against the City fan. He’s looked nervous from the start.
12 mins: England try to play out from the back but Trafford’s pass is a poor one, allowing Spain to come straight back at them. Baena gets the ball on the edge of the box but flashes his shot just wide.
10 mins: Spain work the ball into the England box but Miranda has no conviction in his cross and Colwill whacks clear.
8 mins: England have dominated possession in the early stages. Spain will be looking to get a foot on the ball soon because they will also be keen to dictate the tempo.
6 mins: Some great work from Gordon on the left sees him cut in and fire a shot across Tenas, who gets down smartly to his left to palm the ball away. The ball almost goes straight to Palmer but he is caught on his heels.
Seconds later, Gordon gets beyond the defence on the left-hand side on the box and slides the ball across for Morgan-Gibbs. It looks like the Forest man has a tap in but Pacheco does well to put him off and the ball rolls to safety.
4 mins: Miranda pulls down Palmer on the right flank. I am not sure if this is an indication that he is in for a tricky evening against the City winger.
“My weather app says the humidity is 90% in Batumi, but more importantly, there are thunderstorms in the area,” says Joe Pearson. “Stay vigilant!”
That sounds unbearable.
2 mins: There was some booing when England took the knee. I can’t tell if it because the England players want equality and the fans are unhappy or because Spain did not make the same gesture.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Word on the ground in Batumi is that it’s pretty humid, so exactly the same as the UK. Stay hydrated, kids.
Channel Four’s coverage has begun. Who have we won? Jules Breach, Stuart Pearce and Shaun Wright-Phillips. Yes, please.
Goalkeepers’ Union.
I was on MBM duty for England’s semi-final against Israel and I can confirm today will be a lot tougher. Israel stuck 11 men behind the ball and had nothing going forward. Spain have plenty of talent, unsurprisingly, who will be hoping to take advantage of England’s lack of a traditional holding player.
And, for balance, Lee Carsley.
Get in the mood with some pure Sid Lowe on Spain.
Starting lineups
England: Trafford; Garner, Harwood-Bellis, Colwill, Aarons; Gomes, Jones, Smith Rowe; Palmer, Gibbs-White, Gordon
Subs: Griffiths, Rushworth, Thomas, Skipp, Archer, Branthwaite, Cresswell, Johnson, Doyle, Elliott, Madueke
Spain: Tenas; Victor Gomez, Paredes, Pacheco, Miranda; Blanco, Alex Baena; Rodri, Sancet, Sergio Gomez; Abel Ruiz
Subs: Agirrezabala, Leo Roman, Hugo Guillamon, Riquelme, Barrenetxea, Martinez, Mario Gila, Veiga, Aimar Oroz, Manu Sanchez, Camello, Bernabe
Preamble
Here we are: the final. England arrive after five wins in as many games through the tournament, which is pretty impressive. To make it more impressive, they are yet to concede a goal. Lee Carsley has formed an exciting and efficient side that has breezed their way to this stage. Morgan Gibbs-White’s form has been superb in this tournament, taking his performances at club level into international football. England have not won this competition since 1984, so it would be a fine achievement to do so 39 years later.
Spain have been pretty good themselves, thrashing a talented Ukraine team 5-1 in the semi-finals. Needless to say, this is an incredibly talented generation of young Spanish players. Barcelona and Real Madrid provide a single player each to the squad, which is an impressive eclectic mix. Osasuna, Girona and Athletic Bilbao are represented, as is Braga, who have two players within the team.
Whoever comes out on top will have thoroughly earned this trophy and will be a proud moment but the important thing for their respective nations will be to build on this success.
Let’s hope for a cracker!
Kick-off: 5pm BST
