European champions Spain turned in an eye-catching display of short passing normally associated with their senior team to overwhelm Iran 3-1 and enter the semi-finals of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi, on Sunday.
One of the pre-tournament favorites
, they completely dominated the quarter-final match as their one-touch passing game proved too hot for the Asian giants to handle.
Captain Abel Ruiz gave Spain the lead in the 13th minute before Sergio Gomez (60th) and Ferran Torres (67th) added a goal each.
Saeid Karimi pulled one back for Iran in the 69th minute.
Spain, seeking their maiden title, now meet African champions Mali, in Navi Mumbai, in the second semi-final on October 25.
This is Spain's sixth appearance in the semi-finals in their ninth attempt. The La Rojita were runners-up in 1991, 2003 and 2007 and finished third in 1997 and 2009.
On Sunday, they had 70 percent of the possession, with seven shots on target, while Iran had just one clear look at the rival goal late the match.
Had goalkeeper Ali Gholam Zadeh not made some fine saves, Iran would have lost by a bigger margin. Zadeh was busy right through as Spain made waves of attacks through their fast-paced passing football.
Hi! I am a robot. I just upvoted you! I found similar content that readers might be interested in:
http://www.rediff.com/sports/report/spain-trounce-iran-to-enter-under-17-world-cup-semis/20171022.htm
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit