Jonathan inspires Spanish progress

Spain qualified for the quarter-finals of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship after beating Moldova 4-2 in Nykøbing today.

Spanish siege
Spain laid siege to the Moldovan goal from the first minute and Juan Santisteban's side issued the first warning of what was to come after only three minutes, when Adrian Negai had to be at his best to keep out a close-range header from Jonathan Soriano.

Deadlock broken
The Moldovan keeper was called into action again two minutes later when he just managed to get a hand to a stinging drive from Borja Valero. Negai was then relieved to see the woodwork come to his rescue after 12 minutes, when Jonathan hit the post. But Moldova's luck ran out three minutes later when the same player atoned for his earlier miss by latching on to a perfectly timed pass from David 'Coro' Corominas to put the Spaniards into the lead.

Moldova hit back
Moldova were hardly able to break into the Spanish half but, totally against the run of play, dragged themselves back into the match. Alexandru Epureanu produced a perfect deep delivery for Denis Calincov to cleverly flick back for the on-rushing Semion Bulgaru, and he drove the ball high into the net.

Nauzet error
Spain scored a deserved second goal two minutes after the interval, when Jonathan turned provider for Roberto Soldado who had no trouble restoring his side's lead. However, despite Spain's dominance, Moldova had no intentions of throwing in the towel and they were level again only five minutes later, when Spanish keeper Cecillio Nauzet Perez dropped a soft effort from Calincov into his own net.

Red card
Moldova were immediately brought back to earth when Jonathan added his second goal of the match as he chested down a cross from Coro, turned and fired home from close range. Moldova's chances lessened further when Alexandr Vlasov was sent off for a strong tackle on Jonathan, and Francisco confirmed their defeat after 64 minutes when he made the most of a pass from Coro.