Sunu in action as Spain cruise to victory

Arsenal striker Gilles Sunu was in action this evening as France took on reigning champions Spain in the final of the 2008 UEFA u-17 European Championships. Read on for a match report.

Despite a poor performance in the semi-final, Gilles retained his place in the starting line-up and began the game on the right of midfield.

After a tentative opening couple of minutes, Sunu’s first involvement in the game was a bad foul on Spain’s Camona which saw him booked. There were claims that it should have been a red card but I think the referee got it spot on, especially as the incident occurred so early on in the game.

Spain had settled the better and were beginning to dictate. The impressive Sergio Garcia fired a shot at goal which was parried away by Mfa Mezui.

Two more chances went begging for the holders. First, Thiago hit a dissapointing free-kick straight at the ‘keeper, a far cry from what we have come to expect from him throughout the course of the tournament and then Keko hit an ambitious shot wide.

France were looking nervous and Mfa Mezui again had to be alert to deny Keko from close range.

Les Bleus created a rare chance on 27 minutes from a Kakuta free-kick, but Grenier headed over the bar.

Just three minutes later, Spain took the lead. After a string of neat passes, Thiago skipped past a couple of defenders and slid the ball across goal for Keko to slot home. Spain had a deserved lead.

France went into the break a goal down, knowing they had to raise their game in the second half to stand any chance of winning the trophy.

Half time- France 0 Spain 1

France made a change at the break, bringing on Nego for Adegoroye.

Spain continued where they left off by creating lots of attacking pressure, Sergio Garcia missing the target early in the second half.

Moments later, ‘Sergi’ made amends. Keko found the diminutive youngster with a neat pass, and the no.16 managed to hold off two defenders before unleashing a fine left-footed shot across the ‘keeper and into the back of the net. 2-0 Spain and they looked in control.

France responded to conceding by making two substitutions in quick succession. First Auras replaced Damour and then Clement Grenier was withdrawn, with Boly coming on for him.

The French were drifting further and further out of the game, commiting reckless challenges and becoming very frustrated at refereeing decisions.

Any lingering hopes France had of coming back into the game were well and truly put to bed when Faure brought down ‘Sergi’ in the penalty area. The referee pointed to the spot and up stepped Thiago to take it. He held his nerve under pressure and despite Mfa Mezui guessing the right way, there was just too much power on the shot and the game was well and truly over.

The icing on the cake came when Manu beat Mfa Mezui to make it four but by then France had already given up hope.

Spain squandered a few chances to make it five, but it hardly mattered.

Full time- France 0 Spain 4

A few words on Sunu’s performance. His confidence seemed to dip after his early booking, but he still managed to engage in physical battles with the opposition. He showed good skills to work his way out of tight spaces, but his passing was poor and it is clear that he prefers a more central role. Towards the end of the game he went on a few forward runs in search of a consolation goal, and the Spanish defenders had to resort to reckless tackles in order to stop him. Nevertheless, he will return to Arsenal a better player and this defeat will only make him more determined to do better in the future.

The 2008 UEFA u-17 European Championships as a whole have been fantastic to watch. It was a shame about England’s absence, but maybe next year we will get to see Luke Freeman and Emmanuel Frimpong in action. France did well but weren’t clincal enough in front of goal, and the hosts Turkey put on a good show too. Spain, though, grew in stature as the tournament went on and seem like a good bet for winning their third trophy in a row in 2009.