Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the man whose name will be written in the record books, his goal ensuring the Young Lions beat Venezuela 1-0 in South Korea, but praise must be heaped upon Freddie Woodman too, whose incredible penalty save kept England in the game.
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| Dominic Calvert-Lewin scores for England |
Argentina, South Korea, Costa Rica, Mexico and Italy had all fallen by the sword of St George before this one, and Venezuela were the final victims of a team that deserve every second of their success.
In Suwon, the first real chance of the match fell the way of Dominic Solanke, the new Liverpool signing with four tournament goals to his name before the final.
Making the most of a slip in the Venezuela defence, he found himself with space for a shot, but his first-time effort was scuffed and saved by Wuilker Farinez.
Five minutes later, Solanke struck again. This time wide of the post, but the 19-year-old was finding his feet as England's Young Lions dictated the pace of the game.
Ademola Lookman in particular looked at ease with the occasion. This is a player who already has eight Premier League appearances, and a debut goal, to his name.
The Everton man carved England's next opportunity, holding off the challenge of Manchester City midfielder Yangel Herrera to shoot at goal, but Farinez was there to beat the ball away again.
For all England's pressure, it was Venezuela who enjoyed the first major chance when Ronaldo Lucena unleashed a fierce effort from 40 yards out.
Catching the Young Lions off-guard, the Venezuela man struck his free-kick goalwards, with the ball bending towards the far corner of Woodman's goal. He will have breathed a sigh of relief to see it cannon off the woodwork and away from danger. A wake-up call for Simpson's side, though.
Hearts were in mouths as Venezuela looked for their equaliser, but the strong hand of Woodman – just when he looked to have dived the wrong way – kept the penalty out, and England managed to hold on for a history-making victory.
To put this triumph into context, England's last U20 World Cup campaign saw the team finish bottom of a group containing Iraq, Chile and Egypt… and all with Harry Kane, Eric Dier, John Stones and Ross Barkley in the squad.
The pressure on this new generation will be heavy and, at times, hard to deal with. That Prince William sent the squad a letter pre-match shows that there is national interest in their progress.
But regardless of what happens, whether these players are the heart of England's golden generation or not, they will always be able to call themselves champions of the world.
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