Under-19 EURO final report: Netherlands edge Spain for first title

Raúl Jiménez's own goal was the deciding moment in the 2025 Under-19 EURO final as holders Spain ceded their crown to first-timers Netherlands.

Match in brief: Netherlands edge cagey encounter

A keenly-contested first half saw chances at either end, but the deadlock remained intact at the break despite Jon Martín and Izan Merino coming close for Spain in the closing stages.

The early signs after the interval suggested it would not be goalless long, with woodwork shaken three times within seven minutes.

The players emerge for the second halfUEFA via Getty Images

First up was Netherlands midfielder Tygo Land, hitting the left post with a low-driven effort from outside the box, but Spain were quick to reply, Antonio Cordero cutting in from the left and almost bending a sublime curler into the top-right corner.

Óscar Marcos' header then hit the crossbar via a touch from Netherlands goalkeeper Joeri Heerkens, before arguably the pick of the chances fell to Ayoub Oufkir at the other end. The No7 raced through and attempted to chip Raúl Jiménez, but the Spain goalkeeper made a strong save.

Netherlands captain Givairo Read celebrates the openerUEFA via Getty Images

The Spain captain was hit by some misfortune six minutes later, though, when a low delivery from fellow skipper Givairo Read deflected in to the goal off his foot.

That proved to be the decisive moment, with Spain not seriously threatening Heerkens' goal in the closing stages, and Oufkir passing up a decent chance to double the Dutch advantage at the death.

Key stats

• This is Netherlands’ first Under-19 EURO title. They are the first new winner since Portugal in 2018.
• Peter van der Veen has now coached Netherlands to a title in both the Under-19 and Under-17 European Championships, having won the latter in 2019.
• Netherlands won all five of their games at the final and were undefeated in their six qualifying matches (W5 D1).
• The race for top scorer finished with a four-way tie for only the second time. Ben Brereton Diaz (England), Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden, pictured), Joël Piroe (Netherlands) and Ryan Sessegnon (England) all hit three goals in 2017.
• The Netherlands are only the second nation after Germany to win all of UEFA's current national-team football championships (men's and women's EURO, U21 EURO, men's and women's U19 EURO, men's and women's U17 EURO, the latter of which they won for the first time last month).

Player of the Tournament, Player of the Match and joint 2025 finals top scorer Kees SmitUEFA via Getty Images

Reaction

Peter van der Veen, Netherlands coach: "It felt so good but it was so intense. Even the last ten minutes felt intense because you feel the press from Spain – it was tough. We always celebrate together, but if someone has a dip or feels sad, we pick them up. We have trust in that process and it's just unbelievable that we did it with this group. We've had some lows over two years so it's unbelievable."

Givairo Read, Netherlands captain: "It feels amazing and I'm very proud of the team and of myself to be the captain. I'm very honoured. We are a very good team – we work together and fight together. The main thing we showed today is we are real lions. In the closing stages, the only thing in my mind was that we needed to not concede. Just defend, defend – we all had the same mindset."

Kees Smit, Netherlands midfielder: "We defended very well. Luckily for us, we have a good goalkeeper and the defence was good as well. I'm very proud of the team. We said at half-time that we needed to play our football more, but Spain played a good final and were a good team. It was difficult to play against them but we won, so we did a great job."

Joeri Heerkens, Netherlands goalkeeper: "This is something I've been thinking about for two years with this team. Suddenly, it's a reality. I just can't find the words, I'm speechless. I was just lying there [on the pitch], enjoying the moment. For this whole two weeks, I've imagined this moment."

Line-ups

Spain: Raúl Jiménez; Olmedo, Martín, Cuenca (Granados 84), Muñoz; Marcos (Junyent 66), Merino, Monserrate (Huestamendia 77); Pablo Garcia, Janneh (Dani Díaz 66), Cordero (Virgili 77)

Netherlands: Heerkens; Read, Ugwu, Janse, Dijkstra; Verkuijl (Rots 81), Smit, Land (Boogaard 77); Oufkir, Konadu (Panneflek 90+4), Sliti