Holders Spain fail to qualify for European Under-21 Championship

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 14 October 2014

Holders Spain Under-21s miss out on a place in the 2015 Euro U21s Championship, having been beaten 2-1 by Serbia Under-21s in Cadiz.

Spain's Under-21 side will not be defending their European Championship title in Czech Republic next year, having failed to qualify for the 2015 tournament this evening.

The Spaniards came up against Serbia in their playoff second leg today having been held to a goalless draw in the opener last week.

Aleksandar Pesic of Serbia celebrates with Filip Kostic after scoring during the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-off football match between Spain and Serbia at the Carranza Stadium on October 14, 2014 © Getty Images

However, despite boasting home advantage they fell to a 2-1 defeat this evening, with Sergi Roberto's goal not enough to cancel out a Jose Gaya own goal and a Filip Kostic strike.

Spain had been following in the footsteps of their senior side by dominating the tournament in recent years, winning both the 2011 and 2013 editions.

Meanwhile, England Under-21s did qualify courtesy of a 4-2 aggregate victory over Croatia, while Portugal squeezed past Netherlands to join the likes of Germany and Denmark in the draw.