RSL's Gil scores lone U.S. goal as Spa..

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Istanbul • Spain showed why it is favored to win the Under-20 World Cup, beating the United States 4-1 on Friday in an opening game behind two goals each from star strikers Jese and Gerard Deulofeu.

The Americans' lone goal was scored by Luis Gil from just outside the penalty area in the 77th minute.

Spain opened the scoring when Deulofeu fired a shot across the goalmouth and Jese volleyed the ball into the net in the fifth minute.

The Americans could have tied the score in the 13th minute, but Joaquin Hernandez shot wide when faced with an open net. The U.S. controlled the tempo for the next 15 minutes but could contain Spain's strikers for only so long.

Deulofeu received the ball outside the area, sidestepped a defender and sent a blistering shot just beyond goalkeeper Cody Cropper to make it 2-0 in the 42nd. The European champions caught the defense sleeping two minutes later.

Javier Manquillo made a great run and passed to Jese, who was lurking in the area. The Real Madrid striker scored his second goal just before halftime.

Spain seemed to content to sit back for much of the second half, but its counterattack again paid dividends. Deulofeu received a long ball, got around Cropper and scored for the second time.

RSL's Gil scores lone U.S. goal as Spain wins 4-1 at Under-20 World Cup