Ashley Cole sent off as England and Spain U21 benches involved in melee - and fans love it

Tensions have reached boiling point during England's Euro U21 final against Spain, as Ashley Cole was shown a red card.

Cole Palmer had just opened the scoring after his free-kick deflected beyond the reach of Arnau Tenas in goal.

However, England's celebrations sparked a major brawl between both sets of players and coaching staff.

It all boiled over on the touchline, with Cole and a member of the Spanish coaching given their marching orders, where the pair continued their dispute in the tunnel, according to Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, Levi Colwill and Spain's Oihan Sancet were both shown yellow cards for their involvement in proceedings.

Fans couldn't believe Cole managed to get sent off at the age of 42, having never done so whilst playing for England.

One said: "Ashley Cole getting sent off in 2023, something I didn’t think I would be seeing or tweeting."

Another added: "People will think you're mad if you say Ashley Cole has been sent off in the U21 final."

One joked: "Ashley Cole sent off in the U21 European Championship final. It's 2023."

Another said: "Who had Ashley Cole getting sent off in a European final on their 2023 bingo card."