No substitute for class

Justice was the word most repeated in Spain's locker room after the national under-21 side defeated Belarus on Wednesday to reach the final of the European Championships in Denmark, while also securing prized qualification for the 2012 London Olympics. Faith was the word most repeated by coach Luis Milla. Fear, most of the players asserted, did not exist, although there were spells during the match when seeds of doubt flourished into moments of desperation.

Trailing 1-0 to a tricky Belarus side with a lightning counter-attack and assured forwards on 89 minutes, Adrián López canceled out Andrei Voronkov's first-half strike by turning home a Jeffren cross. The Deportivo striker is now the tournament's leading scorer with five goals in four matches - only three fewer than he managed for his club all season. But Spain's under-21 side is as well-stocked with extraordinary talent as the senior team, whose bench habitually hosts players of the caliber of Fernando Llorente, Jesús Navas, Cesc Fàbregas and David Silva.

When additional firepower was required with his side chasing an equalizer, Milla was able to call upon Diego Capel, Jeffren and Bojan Krkic, all experienced Primera Liga attackers. It was Capel, the Sevilla winger, whose lofted pass was met by Adrián to head home for Spain's second goal, scored in the first half of extra time.

Jeffren, the occasional Barcelona winger who is being scouted by many European clubs, added the coup de grâce with a fine driven shot deep into the second half of extra time. Milla identified the group's collective spirit as one of the key elements in its successful run through qualifying and to the final: "It's the same atmosphere that runs through the senior side. When we scored the second goal, all the substitutes jumped off the bench and onto the field to find the scorer and the provider. I have always said that in this team the substitutes are fundamental and I have seen that day to day, watching them train and work, forming a group and giving each other confidence so that when you have to call on them, you know that they are in their best form."

Milla's second word was faith. "That is what I told them at half-time - to pressure Belarus from the kick-off and to keep the faith. I played soccer [for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia] and I know that during matches you have to have faith when you are winning or losing. You can never let your shoulders drop."

Spain will play Switzerland in the final after Admir Mehmedi's extra-time strike proved sufficient to see off the Czech Republic. With Olympic qualification assured, Spain will now try to match the title-winning side of 1998. "We have achieved the first of our two objectives and now we will go for the second, the European title," said Milla.