A Spain with ' Barça DNA' won the U-17 Women's European Championship this Saturday, crushing the powerful England in the final with an unappealable victory (0-4) in Sweden. Sevilla's Alba Cerrato and an own goal from England's Rachel Maltby left the title on track before the break, while Barça's Celia Segura scored a double after the break that rounded off the fifth European Championship in the category (2010, 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2024), in a tournament where Kenio Gonzalo's team put together one exhibition after another.
La Rojita, who had not been European champion since 2018, finished the final phase winning with absolute authority in the five matches they played, with 19 goals in favor and only one against, the one conceded in the semifinals against a France that was beaten (6-1) for the promising Spanish soccer players, who will arrive as one of the great favorites for the next World Cup of the category that will be held in the Dominican Republic between October 16 and November 3, 2024.
Alba Cerrato, chosen MVP of the tournament, also finished as the championship's top scorer by scoring seven goals, adding to the 10 she scored in the qualifying phase. The Sevilla FC forward scored two goals against Portugal, Belgium, and France, and one more in the final victory over England. Second, with five goals, was the attacker of the Barça reserve team Celia Segura.
Kenio Gonzalo's team proved to be the best team by far in Malmö (Sweden). England had the merit of holding off the voracious Spain for almost half the time, which opened the scoring in the 41st minute through Alba Cerrato after taking advantage of a cross from Celia Segura from the right wing. In first-half stoppage time, English full-back Rachel Maltby scored an own goal after a corner kicked by Barça youth player Lorena Cubo.
After the restart, Kenio Gonzalo's team continued without giving England a break. Celia Segura put an end to any hope for Natalie Henderson's side by beating goalkeeper Hope McSheffey at point-blank range in the 59th minute after a pass from winger Lua Calo, a 15-year-old footballer from Victoria FC of Santiago de Compostela.
Just eight minutes later, in the 67th minute, Celia Segura scored her second goal of the afternoon with a header placed inside the area after a pass from her teammate Clara Serrajordi. The young player, another rising star from the Barça youth team, marked her sixth assist of the European Championship, with four of them coming against France in the semi-finals. La Rojita didn't want to cause more damage, and the 0-4 scoreline was enough to secure their fifth European Championship. Only Germany, with eight titles, has won more European Championships than Spain.england04spain
England: McSheffrey; Las, Harbert, Peacock, Wellesley-Smith, Maltby; Parkinson, Junald, Brown (Cassap, 79th min); Jones (Oboavwoduo, 65th min) and Fisher (Hibbert-Johnson).
Poland wins the consolation and will play in the 2024 World CupOn the other hand, in the match for third and fourth place, Poland beat France in the penalty shootout (4-2). The match ended 2-2 with goals from Oliwia Zwiazek (10') and Oliwia Lapinska (80') for the Polish team and with a double from Justine Rouquet (11' and 40') for the French.
Extra time did not decide anything, from eleven meters Amber Ouazar and Celia Chabod missed their shots and Poland achieved its second best result in history after its historic first position in 2013, the year in which it was proclaimed champion after winning the final 1-0 to Sweden. This Saturday, the victory allowed the Poles to qualify for the 2024 World Cup in the Dominican Republic.
This content has been translated and adapted from the Spanish version of the digital newspaper