Tempers flared as England beat Spain 1-0 in the Under-21 European Championship final (AP)
Sergio Gomez has hit out at his Manchester City teammate Cole Palmer following England’s 1-0 win over Spain in the Under-21 European Championship final on Saturday.
Palmer’s free kick deflected off Curtis Jones to give England the lead on the stroke of half time but Spain were given a penalty in the final minute of injury time after a VAR review spotted Levi Colwill’s foul on Abel Ruiz inside the area.
Ruiz stepped up to take the penalty but it was saved by England goalkeeper James Trafford, who also blocked the rebound.
Both England’s goal and penalty save sparked a brawl between both sets of players as Spain were unhappy with the nature of the celebrations.
And Gomez, who plays alongside Palmer for City, is upset with the lack of apology from his club teammate.
Asked if he was surprised by Palmer’s attitude after Spain’s defeat, Gomez told Spanish radio station Cadena SER: ‘It surprised me.
Spain were furious with Cole Palmer’s celebrations for England’s winning goal in the first half (AFP via Getty)
‘He didn’t want to apologise or anything like some of his other teammates.
‘I don’t know, I would have celebrated it in a different way and my teammates would have done it in a different way as well.
‘They have the attitude they want to have. This is not the first time something like this has happened with this team.
England have won the Under-21 European Championship for the third time in their history (PA)
‘We have tried to represent our country in the best possible way and have the utmost respect for all our rivals.
‘They wanted to celebrate it like this and also after the missed penalty.’
‘He didn’t want to apologise or anything.’