England Cerebral Palsy team beaten in European Championships final by Ukraine
- Published
England's Sam Dewhirst tries to find a way through the Ukraine defence
The England Cerebral Palsy team gave their best showing at a European Championships by reaching the final.
But the Para Lions could not make it a first European title as they went down 3-0 to world champions Ukraine.
Ukraine led 2-0 at the break and settled the match with a third one minute after the restart.
England reached the final by seeing off Spain, Italy and the Netherlands in their group, then beating the Republic of Ireland in the semi-finals.
But top scorer David Porcher was unable to add to his 13 goals in the tournament for Andy Smith's men.
Cerebral Palsy football was dropped from the Paralympics schedule after the 2016 Games in Rio - where Ukraine won gold - and will not be part of the Paris 2024 or Los Angeles 2028 programmes.
The game is seven-a-side and played on smaller pitches with two 30-minute halves, no offsides and permission for one-handed throw-ins.
Players have cerebral palsy or an acquired brain injury.
England: 1 Giles Moore, 2 Liam Irons, 3 David Porcher, 4 Sam Dewhirst, 5 Mason Dunbar, 6 Matt Crossen (c), 7 James Blackwell
Substitutes: 12 Matt Robinson (for Dunbar 31), 9 Jayden Kenyon (for Irons 51), 8 Harry Baker (for Blackwell 59), 10 Aaron Lucas, 11 Will Ramsay, 13 Reagan McMillan, 14 Ethan Day
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