England win under-17 World Cup

England came from two goals down to beat Spain 5-2 and clinch the under-17 World Cup in Kolkata.
A brace from Barcelona B forward Sergio Gomez had seen the Young Lions trailing by two with just half an hour played, but goals from Rhian Brewster, Morgan Gibbs-White, Phil Foden and Marc Guehi in reply helped England earn a remarkable comeback against the three-time runners-up.
The result also marks an incredible double for England following the under-20s’ success in their World Cup earlier this summer and makes them just the second country in history to win two World Cups in different age brackets in the same calendar year.
Despite England’s early dominance, Spain were quick on the counter and duly grabbed an early advantage through 17-year-old Gomez.
Skipper Abel Ruiz played in for Barca teammate Juan Miranda in the area, the resultant cross landing neatly for Gomez, who tapped in for his first off the afternoon despite being in an offside position.
England were on the front foot as the contest wore on but found themselves two goals down just after the half-hour mark as Gomez bagged his second of the evening.
England did manage to halve the deficit just before the whistle, however, when Sessegnon’s excellent shot from the right found a waiting Brewster, who headed in simply past Fernandez.
It was momentum to the Lions after the break and Gibbs-White almost restored parity when he collected a long ball on the left of the box but sent his shot blazing over.
Ten minutes later the Wolves youngster did get on the scoresheet, however, tapping in past Fernandez from Sessegnon’s cross into the six-yard box from the right.
An open contest ensued, with chances at both ends of the pitch as the two sides hunted for a winner, but it was England who managed to get a tentative hand on the trophy with 20 minutes remaining.
Foden was the hero, his hard work all evening bearing fruit as he slotted in past Fernandez following a smart cross from an onrushing Sessegnon down the left.
Sessegnon was then called upon to keep his side in front, making an impressive goalline clearance after Anderson had failed to meet the challenge of Ferran Torres’s corner.
Any nerves England had over the result were settled in the dying minutes however, as first Guehi found the net and Foden claimed his second of the evening to complete the remarkable turnaround.
Hudson-Odoi’s free kick found its way to the head of Latibeaudiere, Guehi turning the cross neatly past Fernandez to all but wrap up the result.
With seconds remaining, Foden delivered the added gloss to the result, showing great composure to shoot in after Hudson-Odoi’s long cross from the left.
The result saw England, who had never made it past the quarter-finals of the competition before, also become the first side in history to score more than three goals in an under-17 World Cup final.