June 09, (THEWILL)- In their final friendly match before the Euros 2020 begin, Spain decidedly gave the youngsters of the national football Under-21 team the chance to prove themselves and they delivered, cruising to a straightforward 4-0 win over Lithuania on Tuesday.
The age-range team was filling in for the senior side due to coronavirus protocols after Sergio Busquets’ positive COVID-19 test on Sunday meant the entire team were forced into isolation, with their participation in the imminent continental competition hanging by a thread.
To keep the country in Euro 2020, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) elected to promote their entire Under-21s side to fly the flag of the country and used the also scheduled fixture against Lithuania to demonstrate levels of readiness.
It was an opportunity that was not lost on the youngsters of La Rojita, who seized on the chance to create an impression from the opening whistle to the end. Hugo Guillamon scored after only three minutes and Brahim Diaz doubled the advantage after less than an hour of the game played.
That Lithuania did not bag more goals before the interval came down to good penalty-kick stopping by the Lithuanian goalkeeper, Tomas Svedkauskas.
When the referee awarded Spain a penalty against Markas Beneta wrestling Bryan Gil in the box, Abel Ruiz’s feeble penalty was saved by Svedkauskas, who was on hand again to deny Oscar Mingueza from point-blank range later on.
Juan Miranda, a half-time substitute for Spain, needed only seven minutes to add to the scoreline with a well-taken free-kick that Svedkauskas got a hand to but could not keep it out. Another substitute, Javi Puado, added gloss to the scoreline to make it 4-0 with 18 minutes remaining.
It was a performance that will make Spanish football pleased because the U-21s showed they have plenty of talent in reserve should they be needed in the Euros, even after the senior team returns.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
