England captain Gomes credits his side for not wilting under pressure despite trailing Spain in final; says team stuck to their style to claim victory
In the 1994 FIFA World Cup final, Brazil's Rai did not get the chance to lift the Jules Rimet Trophy as Carlos Dunga did the honours instead following the Samba boys' 3-2 win over Italy on penalties in Pasadena, USA. Fortunately for Angel Gomes, the Manchester United U-17 midfielder and England's official captain was introduced in the 90th minute of the final against Spain to have the rare honour of lifting the first World Cup from the FIFA President at the Salt Lake Stadium on an emotional Saturday night. But as a true leader, he refused to accept the trophy alone! He insisted on receiving it with his teammates since he was not always an obvious first-team choice during the tournament.
ADVERTISEMENT
England players celebrate after winning the FIFA U-17 World Cup final with a 5-2 win over Spain at Kolkata on Saturday. Pic/PTI
And the acting-captain, Joel Latibeaudiere too did not take credit of leading his side to victory as he dedicated the title to teammate Jadon Sancho. "I want to dedicate this victory to Jadon who had to leave us after the group games. Not only me, the whole team felt that we should win the trophy for him. He was an integral part of this team. This is for you, Jadon." The original captain Gomes later said, "England never pressed the panic button. We believed in what our coach said that no matter whether the result is 0-2 or 0-3, if we continue playing our way, we could always score one goal more than our opponent." Playing the way they have been doing as per the England DNA was the key. Steven Cooper, the coach emphasised, "We had beaten Spain by playing our own game. We thought this is how we want to play. England teams will typify that. If it symbolises Spanish game, it's great that they have been successful, but this is doing our thing our way. We have shown that we can do the best against the very best."
England captain Angel Gomes
What was surreal for Cooper, was heartbreaking for Spain's coach Santiago Denia. However, both coaches had special mention of the third goal in the match and England's first, by the Golden Boot winner Rhian Brewster. "Their first goal really hurt us", said the Spanish coach, while for the English coach, "It gave the boys a boost just before the half time." Cooper had a special mention for India. "They hosted a top tournament. Results did not go India's way, but they can take massive heart out of their performances. Hopefully, more kids will kick the ball now. I hope a legacy has been left in India for football." In 1966, the Bobby Moore-led England won the World Cup playing all their seven matches at Wembley. Fifty-one years later, they played six of their seven games at Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata to achieve a similar result.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
