Spain Win in 5-0 Rout vs. Macedonia in 2017 European U21 Championship

Spain defeated Macedonia 5-0 in Group B of the 2017 European Under-21 Championship at the Stadion GOSiR in Poland with help from a Marco Asensio hat-trick on Saturday.

An overhead kick from Saul Niguez and rasping finish from Asensio gave the Spanish the early lead despite credible play from their opponents.

Egzon Bejtulai's handball gave Spain a penalty after 35 minutes, allowing Gerard Deulofeu to slot home from the spot to make it 3-0 at half-time.

Asensio grabbed his second after a cruel deflection nine minutes into the second half, prompting Macedonian heads to drop.

The Real Madrid forward claimed his hat-trick with 18 minutes remaining as his curling shot found the net.

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Macedonia started with confidence but were soon behind as Saul watched his overhead kick sneak past goalkeeper Igor Aleksovski, who should have saved the acrobatic effort after 10 minutes.

Asensio doubled the lead just six minutes later with a scorching long-range effort that found the top corner with precision. Deulofeu's initial shot was cleared off the line, but the ball fell to Asensio, whose excellent effort dipped at the final moment to crash into the net.

Marjan Radeski wasted a glorious chance to put Macedonia back in the match, and Spain immediately punished their opponents when they won a penalty.

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Bejtulai was ruled to have handled the ball, allowing Deulofeu to score from the spot as the game sprinted towards half-time.

Spain's tournament experience was clearly showing, with the Macedonians naive and hesitant at their first finals.

The Spanish were immediately on the front foot in the second half as Saul went close once again.

Asensio made it 4-0 when his finish after a tricky run took a huge deflection to beat the helpless Aleksovski.

Squawka Football highlighted the feat:

The Real Madrid starlet was unplayable at times, and he was a constant threat with his stylish and calm display.

There was no surprise when Asensio got his hat-trick with a run through the heart of the defence and finish from outside of the box.

It was a complete performance from the Spanish youngsters against a side who boasted a strong rearguard through qualification.