Spain U21 1 Northern Ireland U21 0
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It was his free-kick in injury time which cannoned off the bar and struck Birmingham defender Tony Capaldi, before crossing the line past goalkeeper Elliott Morris and condemned Northern Ireland to defeat.
It had been however Capaldi and the rest of his team-mates that battled magnificently against a Spanish side littered with talented players from clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona.
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It was Arteta who was the driving force and major influence behind the Spanish performance, one which raining pressure on the Northern Ireland goal. However young Elliott Morris, who plays for Glentoran, made a string of fine saves and the confidence was visible as it spread throughout the team.
Manager Roy Millar was rightly proud of his young guns, who could have taken an early lead in the third minute when Lee McEvilly picked out Brian Close but his shot was beaten away.
From the resultant corner Pat McCourt picked out Gordon Simms who had ghosted away from his marker but he headed over the crossbar.
The early warning woke the Spanish from their slumber and they stepped up the pressure and with Arteta sending a rasping shot narrowly wide.
Things grew more anxious for the Northern Irish as the half wore on, but they surged forward and Gary Browne saw his shot parried by goalkeeper Victor after good work from Close.
There was another scare for the Northern Irish nine minutes before the break when Alberto Riera hit the post.
The second half started as the first ended with Spain driving forward and looking dangerous. The first real chance came as Arteta looked to fire on goal, only for Mark Clyde to take the ball off his toes.
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However as the half continued, Northern Ireland seemed to be hanging on and were in line for a deserved point. That was until Arteta struck the powerful free-kick against the crossbar and the luckless Tony Capaldi's own goal meant Spain grabbed the win.