It was our time - Taylor Harwood-Bellis praises England U21 'family' for Euro win
England Under-21 captain Taylor Harwood-Bellis said 'it was our moment' after Young Lions' European Championship success.
Lee Carsley's side lifted the trophy for the first time in 39 years in Georgia with a win over Spain in Saturday's final and Manchester City defender Harwood-Bellis hailed the collective effort of the team.
Keeper James Trafford saved Spain skipper Abel Ruiz's penalty and Aimar Oroz's follow-up in a thrilling 1-0 win at the Batumi Arena as England finished the tournament without conceding.< /p>
England last lifted the trophy under Dave Sexton in 1984 after beating Spain 3-0 on aggregate over two legs and Harwood-Bellis said: "We talked about it a lot and we felt that it was time to do it.
"There was a lot of pressure on us to do well because we have a good team. We are like a big family, it's like a club. We will all celebrate together."
Harwood-Bellis also hailed City team-mate Trafford, who revealed after the win over Spain that he told teammates and friends before the match that he was going to save a penalty.
>Harwood-Bellis added, "Traffic has to take a lot of the credit, but everyone played their part.
"We kept a clean sheet against Germany, they're a top team, it's not easy to do that. All the guys pushed each other when they weren't playing.
"It's something we're proud of. We dug against Portugal, we dug again here, and having that in our locker is huge."
The Under-21s lost runners-up in 2009, but Saturday's success follows the Under-19s' triumph at the Euros last year, while the Under-17s and Under-20s both won their Age Group World Cups in 2017.
The Football Association's chief executive, Mark Bullingham, who was present at Saturday's final, said: "Congratulations to Lee Carsley, his players and his support team on winning the European U21 Championship .
"The way this England side have progressed in the tournament has been hugely impressive, and to do so without conceding is nothing short of remarkable."
Bullingham added: "This is the second summer in a row that one of our men's development teams has been crowned European champions, which is a testament to the work going on throughout our England journey and the outstanding work done by the clubs. .
"We are fortunate to have talented people at St George's Park and we continue to invest in building winning England men's and women's teams who regularly reach the final stages of tournaments."
England Under-21 captain Taylor Harwood-Bellis said 'it was our moment' after Young Lions' European Championship success.
Lee Carsley's side lifted the trophy for the first time in 39 years in Georgia with a win over Spain in Saturday's final and Manchester City defender Harwood-Bellis hailed the collective effort of the team.
Keeper James Trafford saved Spain skipper Abel Ruiz's penalty and Aimar Oroz's follow-up in a thrilling 1-0 win at the Batumi Arena as England finished the tournament without conceding.< /p>
England last lifted the trophy under Dave Sexton in 1984 after beating Spain 3-0 on aggregate over two legs and Harwood-Bellis said: "We talked about it a lot and we felt that it was time to do it.
"There was a lot of pressure on us to do well because we have a good team. We are like a big family, it's like a club. We will all celebrate together."
Harwood-Bellis also hailed City team-mate Trafford, who revealed after the win over Spain that he told teammates and friends before the match that he was going to save a penalty.
>Harwood-Bellis added, "Traffic has to take a lot of the credit, but everyone played their part.
"We kept a clean sheet against Germany, they're a top team, it's not easy to do that. All the guys pushed each other when they weren't playing.
"It's something we're proud of. We dug against Portugal, we dug again here, and having that in our locker is huge."
The Under-21s lost runners-up in 2009, but Saturday's success follows the Under-19s' triumph at the Euros last year, while the Under-17s and Under-20s both won their Age Group World Cups in 2017.
The Football Association's chief executive, Mark Bullingham, who was present at Saturday's final, said: "Congratulations to Lee Carsley, his players and his support team on winning the European U21 Championship .
"The way this England side have progressed in the tournament has been hugely impressive, and to do so without conceding is nothing short of remarkable."
Bullingham added: "This is the second summer in a row that one of our men's development teams has been crowned European champions, which is a testament to the work going on throughout our England journey and the outstanding work done by the clubs. .
"We are fortunate to have talented people at St George's Park and we continue to invest in building winning England men's and women's teams who regularly reach the final stages of tournaments."
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