Spain vs Belarus. European Championship Qualifying Group C.
Santiago Bernabeu StadiumAttendance20,000.
Sunday 16 November 2014 12:26, UK
Spain stayed in touch with Group C leaders Slovakia after a comfortable 3-0 win over Belarus in a one-sided European Qualifier in Huelva.
The reigning European champions were rearely threatened at the Estadio Nuevo Colombino as a stunning strike from Isco and Sergio Busquets' deflected shot moments later gave them a commanding lead at the break.
Spain, who were also twice denied by the woodwork, spurned a series of chances in the second half and settled for one further goal through Pedro Rodriguez to claim their third win in four games.
The home side should have taken the lead inside seven minutes as Pedro blazed wide with only goalkeeper Yuri Zhevnov to beat, but Isco celebrated his first international start with a stylish opener just 11 minutes later.
Belarus failed to clear their lines at the back and allowed Koke to feed Isco, who took a couple of touches before curling a delightful 20-yard effort beyond Zhevnov and into the top corner.
Zhevnov was picking the ball out of his net again moments later when Busquets picked up loose ball on the edge of the box, although his shot took a significant deflection as the ball crept over the line via the inside of the near post.
Spain's new-look line-up continued to dominate after the interval, and they almost made it 3-0 on 53 minutes when Paco Alcacer's header beat Zhevnov but cannoned off the upright.
But they put the result beyond doubt just before the hour mark as Pedro got on the end of Juanfran's cut-back and hammered a clinical drive into the roof of the net.
Pedro came within inches of adding a fourth in the 89th minute with a shot from a tight angle that came back off the far post as Spain ran out convincing winners.
