Adrián double sees off Czechs at under-21 Euro finals

A brace from Deportivo la Coruña striker Adrián López gave Spain its first victory at the European under-21 Championships in Denmark on Wednesday, in a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic.

Spain had labored somewhat in its opening match against England, which ended in a 1-1 tie, but López, fed by Valencia's astute World Cup-winner Juan Mata for both strikes, rose to the challenge of answering lingering debate over the goal-scoring potential of Luis Milla's side.

With Iker Muniain, the dynamic Athletic Bilbao midfielder, replacing Barcelona's Jeffren Suárez in the starting line-up, Spain was more fluent in attack and ran the Czech back four ragged in the opening stages of the match. A Muniain cross found Adrián in the penalty area on 10 minutes, but the forward's shot was smothered and Mata was unable to turn the rebound past Czech stopper Tomas Vaklic.

Before the half-hour mark, Mata lifted his head to spot Adrián's crafty run and laid a perfect pass into the path of the Deportivo youngster, who slotted home coolly. The same players combined just after the restart to double Spain's advantage, Adrián again slipping his marker and Mata providing a clinical assist.

Spain's win left it atop Group B on four points, with England, on one point, in action against Ukraine, at the foot of the table after its loss to the Czech Republic, at press time. Spain's final group-stage match against Ukraine is on June 19, with the top two teams in Group B progressing to the semifinals.