The U-21 team wins in Cyprus and brings their ticket to the European Championship closer

The Spanish U-21 team beat Cyprus this Friday (0-7) in Larnaka, on the sixth day of the qualifying phase for the 2027 U-21 European Championship, which will be played in Albania and Serbia, a victory that allows David Gordo’s team to maintain their total number of victories and move closer to qualifying, already distancing themselves by five points from the second-placed team in Group A, Finland.

Spain took one more step towards the U-21 European Championship in Albania and Serbia next summer with a win in Lanarka against Cyprus. An offensive gale in the second half, in which Gonzalo managed to find the net twice, Fer López, Mayenda, Andrián Niño and Joel Roca, to which was added Harry Mills’ own goal in the first half, was enough for David Gordo’s men to achieve their sixth win in the qualifying phase, where they lead Group A with a five-point margin over second-placed Finland.

Spain’s start to the match was not the best, in which despite having much more quality than its rival, it barely managed to generate any danger, apart from a shot by Gonzalo in the first minute of the match. But at the edge of the first half hour of play, fortune allied itself with David Gordo’s men to break the tie on the scoreboard. An unfortunate clearance by the Cypriot defense hit Harry Mills and slipped, in a perfect vaseline, into the goal.

For the ‘red’, the goal allowed them to gain confidence with the ball and find more holes in the Cypriot defensive line. And in one of those, a cross from Joel Roca, which Gonzalo attacked with a header, ended up with the Real Madrid striker on the grass as a result of a slap from goalkeeper Stylianou. The referee would declare a penalty, but Gonzalo himself would miss the opportunity to double the advantage by missing from eleven meters.

Thus, the match would reach half-time with a short result of 0-1 in favor of Spain. However, as soon as the second half started, they doubled their advantage with a goal from Gonzalo. The U-21 ‘7’ took advantage of a rebound from Stylianou, after a great free-kick cross from Peio Canales, to score his fourth goal, but not his last, in the qualifying phase, in which he is Spain’s top scorer.

The second goal allowed David Gordo to give a rest in the midfield to two important players such as Marc Bernal and Mario Martín, who were replaced by Fer López and Requena, who was making his debut with the U-21 team. One of Celta’s players would be in charge of scoring the third of the game. After a great play on the wing by Mayenda, Fer López scored from inside the area to beat the Cypriot goal and definitively seal the duel.

And with victory already in hand, Spain would continue unleashing its attack to continue punishing Cyprus’ defensive fragility. Gonzalo would get his own double after a great play between Fer López, Álex Valle and the white forward, who only had to push it and in the process increase his goal tally with the ‘red’ to five, a few minutes before leaving his place to Adrián Niño.

The Málaga player would be very close to scoring as soon as he entered the field, but Stylianou’s header would prevent him in the prelude to Spain’s fifth. In the next play, a ball was inside the area, and Mayenda, with a cross shot, would pierce the rival goal again. A goal that was joined by Adrián Niño, with a great volley, and Joel Roca to close the victory.