Roberto Tomás provides key assist in Spain U‑18's win over Ivory Coast

At the Nyon stadium in Switzerland, the Spanish U‑18 national team started the day with a victory that left fans celebrating. Eloi Gómez, a midfielder from Ajax trained at La Masia, scored the decisive goal after receiving a pass from Roberto Tomás, the Barcelona attacking midfielder who had come on in the sixty‑nine minute.

Decisive assist from Roberto Tomás

Roberto Tomás, recently converted to a central midfielder, was the protagonist by providing the decisive 1‑2 assist to Gómez. The pass, made in the seventieth minute, broke the Ivory Coast defence and allowed the Ajax youngster to celebrate with his teammates.

Match details and line‑ups

Spain U‑18 began the match with a line‑up that included Michal Zuk (central midfielder) and Iu Martínez (winger) as starters. From the bench, Jordi Pesquer came on in the forty‑sixth minute, Raúl Expósito in the eighty‑sixth minute and Roberto Tomás in the sixty‑nine minute. Left‑back Baba Kourouma did not feature.

The tournament, the UEFA Friendship Cup, brings together U‑18 national teams in a group‑stage format. After beating Ivory Coast, Spain will face Brazil on September 27 at eighteen hundred hours and Canada on September 30 at seventeen hundred hours, within Group B.

Tournament objective: U‑17 World Cup in Qatar

Coach David Cubillo uses this competition as preparation for the U‑17 World Cup that will be held in Qatar from November 19 to December 13. Although FIFA classifies players born in 2009 as U‑17, UEFA considers them U‑18 from July 1.

Two players from the generation, left‑back Sergi Mayans and central midfielder Ebrima Tunkara, are out injured, but both hope to be part of the final squad for the World Cup. La Masia continues to empty, with names such as Jordi Cardero and Ebrima Tunkara mentioned among those who could join the future of the national team.