Isco leads Spain to the Promised Land

Posted Sunday, June 16, 2013 by Marca.com

Spain backed up its promising showing during the first week of the European Under-21 Championship by booking a place in Tuesday's final in Jerusalem. It was far from plain sailing but, inspired by Isco –who received yet another standing ovation–, 'La Rojita' eventually came out on top against a battling Norway side, although the 3-0 scoreline somewhat flattered the Spaniards.

It was the Isco show in the first half. The Málaga midfielder pulled all the strings, spraying the ball about at will, switching the play, ghosting into the box and generally sparkling as he has throughout the tournament.

Kept at bay by the woodwork and several superb stops from Norway keeper Nyland, Spain finally broke the deadlock through Rodrigo just before the interval.

The best was still to come for 'La Rojita', and again Isco was the architect. With the clock counting down in the second period, the Andalusian starlet tricked his way past two Norwegian defenders on the edge of the area, before toe-poking an inch-perfect finish into the top corner. At this rate, expect Spain fans to be calling the youngster 'Saint Isco' after Tuesday's final in the Holy Land of Jerusalem.

To cap off a memorable occasion and add extra gloss to the scoreline, Morata got on the scoresheet yet again with his fourth of the tournament, making him the current top scorer.