The trophy is lifted and Spain can celebrate. Report to follow from Ben Fisher…

Spain were the better team, far more blessed with skill and invention than their German opponents. Revenge is gained for 2017 and that’s the fifth time they have won this trophy, and the third in the last decade, having won in 2011 and 2013, too. Dani Olmo, perhaps the best player on the pitch, along with with fellow goalscorer Fabian Ruiz, scored the decisive goal. Andrea Pirlo brings out the trophy for them to collect, hair and beard immaculate.

90+4 min: Merino has a shot, and that is the last action of the game…

90+2 min: Soler, Ceballos and Dani Alves give the ball away when being too intricate once more. Germany try to pile forward, but can’t get it in the box. There is no target man for them. Where did you go, Mario Gomez, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you?

90 min: Can Germany force another chance? They force a corner first. Richter’s cross is cleared. Henrichs is wasteful with a chipped ball forward. Three minutes were added on, and Sivera is taking his time again, having been booked for timewasting already.

Oh, what’s this? Amiri, at last, gets a proper shot in, though it comes off Vallejo to deflect into the net.

87 min: Spain playing keep-ball comfortably enough. They have the players to do it. Germany chasing shadows.

86 min: Dani Olmo holds the ball down in the corner, until Klostermann manages to force a goal kick.

84 min: Spain keeper Sivera is booked for timewasting. His team-mates do look tired, it has to be said. But so do Germany, in truth.

83 min: Oh, was that the chance? Nmecha’s backheel fell at the feet of Waldschmidt, who dragged his shot wide. That was a waste, and the Vespa-riding vegan knows it.

81 min: Soler hits the post! He does it with a delicate, guided nine-iron chip, whipped beyond Nubel’s wingspan. There is real artistry among this team. And Soler is supposed to be the direct one.

80 min: Ceballos is fouled by Richter, when having beaten his opponent for skill. If he doesn’t have a future at Real Madrid, he has a future somewhere or other.

78 min: Off comes Ruiz, who was tired, and on comes Merino, once of Newcastle. Germany make their final sub, too. Nmecha is on for Eggestein.

77 min: Spain so intricate. Perhaps too intricate. Mayoral made another flick and Ceballos has a shot blocked. Maybe they could just have ploughed on and shot.

75 min: Almost a third for Spain. Amazing link between Mayoral and Ruiz, who runs on and shoots at goal. Or does he cross? It evades both post and Firpo, who was busting a gut to get to the ball.

74 min: Fabian Ruiz gives it away again, and it takes some decent keeping from Sivera to smother the danger.

72 min: Nunez is booked for a tactical foul, and on comes Mayoral for Fornals, while Richter comes on for Germany in place of Öztunali. It’s all happening.

Fabian Ruiz gives the ball away in dangerous position, perhaps tiring. Penalty claim? No, it looked like both players – Vallejo and Waldschmidt – missed the ball completely. And Spain break, with Ceballos and Fornals holding the ball up before Olmo dinks the ball over the keeper after Ruiz’s shot is deflected. A slight delay for VAR to check that Olmo was onside. He was.

66 min: The momentum is definitely with Germany now, but are yet to offer too much trouble to Sivera. And meanwhile, Spain are dangerous on the break. Ceballos’s reverse pass finds Dani Olmo in space but the shot is a little disappointing.

64 min: Neuhaus picks up more space and plays in Klostermann on the right, and another corner is forced. Amiri’s kick misses everyone. Then Fabian Ruiz comes back to clear up. The Napoli player has been excellent.

63 min: Henrichs comes forward from left-back, and forces a couple of glimpses of goal. Amiri, whose shooting has been wild tonight, fires over the bar.

61 min: Germany sub, on comes Serdar, who didn’t manage to impress on his first start of the championships, for Florian Neuhaus of Borussia Monchengladbach.

59 min: Waldschmidt gets another shooting chance but hits his shot into the ground. He had to hurry and couldn’t get the necessary purchase on the ball.

57 min: Soler is immediately lively and links with Dani Olmo though this time the ball is cleared.

55 min: Spain sub: Soler comes on, and Oyarzabal, who started well but faded, is off. Both players were unused subs back in that 2017 final.

54 min: Amiri chips the ball in after Dahoud, at last coming to the fore, plays him in. Waldschmidt can’t get there.

53 min: A Waldschmidt shot come in at last, and from the inside right position. The ball goes wide. Jogi Loew/Löw is glimpsed in the stands, hand across his nose once more.

51 min: Germany attempt to gain control and a show a bit of composure. They win a free-kick. Amiri lobs it to the back post, rather mystifyingly, and nothing comes of it. Let’s call that improvisation and improv doesn’t always come off.

49 min: If Germany lose, then Vallejo being allowed to participate is sure to be a point of discussion in post-match.

47 min: Close for Germany and Vallejo bails out his goalkeeper. Amiri’s shot bounced up and off Sivera and the captain wallops it out. He might have escaped a red card but he has shown off his qualities as a defender.

And the Spanish start up the metronome again, though the Germans will presumably be a bit wiser to their opponents by now.

David Brennan is back, and this time we agree, pretty much. “You are right about Low and Germany. German football going through a bad time right now. With an ageing Hummels returning to second place Dortmund, every other Bundesliga team is a feeder club to Bayern. Bundesliga clubs seem slow and prodding in the Champions League and what was their strength – in young German players coming through – also seems to be diminishing with German clubs buying a lot of young foreign players.”

One thing is that German clubs are not as ambitious as those in England. There is money there, but it is spent on infrastructure and making the fan experience good. It doesn’t add up to great football, for me, but the fans have a better life over there.

Here’s the aim for those young U21 players (some of them are actually already 23). Be as good as this chap.

Spain close the half out in possession, as they have done for much of the half. They caught Germany cold in those opening ten minutes. And have held their opponents at arm’s length since then. They are, though, just a goal up. They might also have been a goal down when Vallejo cleaned out Waldschmidt.

45+1 min: There are two minutes to be added on.

45 min: Spain are strangling their opponents, but their attacking has lost a bit of its bite as this half has gone on. Oyarzabal gets chance to break but is closed down and then Baumgartl comes across to stop Firpo surging on to the ball.

43 min: A good atmosphere in Udine, actually. Germany get a corner. Their first? Think so. Öztunali picks up the pieces after the ball is cleared and Vallejo deflects it behind. A third corner is forced as Nunez heads behind. Then comes a fourth when Nunez does the same again. This time, it’s cleared and Germany are pushed all the way back to their keeper.

39 min: Germany yet to force much in the way of coherent attack. In the stands, a Mexican wave is being performed. In this tournament, of course, England performed a defensive quirkafleeg.

37 min: Lovely turn and pirouette from Fornals, and he almost gets a rampaging Firpo away down the wing. It just falls short but there was a glimpse of Fornals’ quality. He and Felipe Anderson may need their own ball next season.

35 min: After some treatment to the wounded party, the ball is headed over by Serdar.