Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka admits England's Under-19s European Championships triumph was "a dream come true".
Chukwuemeka and the Young Lions came from behind in the final of the competition on Friday night in Slovakia, to defeat Israel 3-1 in extra time. Oscar Gluh had handed Israel a first-half lead with a fine effort, before a second half equaliser from Manchester City defender Callum Doyle took the game to extra-time.
Ian Foster's men then showed their powers of perseverance and staying power, with Chukwuemeka and Villa teammate Aaron Ramsey getting on the scoresheet in the final 12 minutes to sealed an 11th title at U19 level for England. Indeed, Chukwuemeka has had an impressive tournament, scoring three goals in England’s five games, as well as adding two assists.
Speaking on scoring in the final and helping England to win the tournament for a second time in five years, the Villa man declared: "I'm buzzing, can't you tell? I'm buzzing.
“I didn't know what to do, adrenaline kicked in and I just started running, celebrated.
"We got the win and lifted the trophy so we can't ask for much more. You dream of times like this and for it to actually happen, it's a dream come true obviously and to celebrate with the boys now and just enjoy it whilst it lasts but yeah, buzzing."
Chukwuemeka is entering the final year of his contract at Aston Villa, having made his Premier League breakthrough last term. He made 13 first-team appearances for Villa in all competitions, with 11 of those coming in the Premier League.
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His Villa teammate Ramsey also spoke after the game, with the 19-year-old, who spent the second half of last season on loan in League One with Cheltenham Town, making clear his belief that England's triumph is a great achievement, especially after the 2020 and 2021 editions of the competition were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"It means a lot,” added Ramsey. “It means everything to me, I've been in the England set up since I was about 16 so all that hard work since the first day I stepped through into the training camp to now winning something. We missed it when we were 17 because of COVID but to get into the competition and to win it, I don't think many players can say that."
Ramsey has made one senior appearance for Villa’s first-team, playing in a Carabao Cup win over Barrow last August.
