Marc Guehi hopes experience of winning U17 World Cup helps in Spain showdown

Marc Guehi is on a short list of players who have scored goals in major finals for England and now he is hoping his experience of winning the Under-17 World Cup can help him heading into Sunday’s Euro 2024 showdown with Spain.

It was against the same opposition in 2017 where Guehi found the back of the net in a 5-2 victory to seal the under-17 title in India.

Phil Foden also hit a brace in the victory, while Conor Gallagher came off the bench to make it a hat-trick of World Cup winners now in Germany with Gareth Southgate’s back-to-back Euros finalists.

“Very good memories,” Guehi replied when shown a video of his scrappy finish, England’s fourth of the game.

“We were playing against a really good team in Spain. They have players who played then who are still playing now which is amazing for them.

“It was an amazing memory, an amazing memory for all those involved myself, Phil, Conor. Fantastic for us to be involved in that and this game now.”

England have been behind in all of their knockout games at Euro 2024 but that is not an unknown position for the World Cup-winning trio – who were part of the side who recovered from two goals down to beat Spain in Kolkata.

“I remember coming down the tunnel and we had scored just before half-time and their heads went down,” recalled Guehi.

“I think it was just a moment for us to be vocal and to say, ‘we’ve got this. It’s not going to happen again’.

“It just showed the resilience of the team at the time to overcome such a tough moment for us – especially as kids – and then to play the exact same team not so long later and to overcome that disappointment was amazing.

“Being used to tournament football, being away from the family, having had that experience when I was so young has helped not getting too homesick because you are used to it.

“In terms of football, there are definitely loads of little things that you can take from the losses, from the victories, things that have happened in games.

“It is going to be completely different come Sunday but it was still an amazing thing to look back on and I am grateful that I am here today.”

Guehi, 23, had not played for England in a senior tournament until this summer but has excelled alongside John Stones at the heart of Southgate’s defence.

It has not all been plain sailing, however after a caution against Slovakia – his second of the tournament – meant the Crystal Palace defender was banned for the quarter-final shoot-out win over Switzerland.

“I didn’t know, I just thought, ‘stay ready, that is the most important thing’,” Guehi admitted when asked if he was concerned it could have been the end of his tournament.

“I didn’t actually know I was suspended until the lads told me after the Slovakia game but we are a team and it has been so evident throughout the entire tournament that every person when called upon has done their job and done as well as possible.

“In that case it was Ezri (Konsa) – over to you, go and show what you can do – and I tried to carry on where he left off.

“I’m just enjoying the ride, I’m just enjoying it. I do get nervous but it’s a feeling you just try to use to help you, for myself anyway.

“I can’t speak for anyone else. I definitely do get nervous but whenever I do, I just try to use it to help me in any way.”