European champions Spain proved their class with an authoritative performance to beat Mali 3-1 in the semifinal of the FIFA U-17 World Cup here at the DY Patil stadium on Wednesday.

In a match that had no lack of entertainment, quality goals coupled with a ‘ghost’ goal, the La Rojitas rode on strikes from captain Abel Ruiz (19th and the 43rd minute) and Ferran Torres (71st minute) while Lassana N’Diaye scored the only goal for Mali in the 74th minute.

The Spaniards will take on England for the title on Saturday at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata in what will be a repeat of U-17 Euro final which saw the Spaniards win their ninth title.

If there were any doubts on how the game that featured two different style of play would pan out, all such inhibitions were put to rest from the very moment Ryuji Sato signalled the start of play.

Naming an attacking side that featured four forwards in Ruiz, Torres, Sergio Gomez and Cesar Gelabert, the Spaniards were on the money from the first whistle.

Gomez was the first to test Youssouf Koita in the Malian goal. Fed by a deflected cross from Ruiz, the La Masia winger did well to control the ball on his chest and unleash a shot on target, but the Malian shot stopper guessed well to avert the danger.

That woke the Malians up and it was the African champions who had a crack at the Spanish goal. Hadji Drame tried a shot from just outside the Spanish ‘D’ while their top scorer in the competition so far, Lassana N’Diaye, showed some quick footwork to wrong foot his marker and send in a dipping shot to the far post. But none of the attempts could trouble Alvaro Fernandez in the Spanish goal.

The missed chances, however, proved costly for the Malians as Spain raced to take the lead. Chasing a free ball, Gomez tumbled on Abdoulaye Diaby’s trailing leg, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot. And Ruiz was up to the task, as he sent the ’keeper the wrong way to open the scoring.

The Barcelona ‘B’ striker then showed his awareness and composure when he broke past Diaby from Gelabert’s pass and beat the Koita with a shot from outside the box to make it two before half time.

Down by two goals and with their backs against the wall, the Malians came back hard at the Spaniards in the second half. N’Diaye went close time and again but none could get past Fernandez in the Spanish goal. When they did go past the ’keeper, the lack of ‘goal line technology’ at the competition came as an obstacle, a 64th minute strike by Cheick Oumar Doucoure ricocheted off the crossbar and while the replays on the giant screen showed the ball to have bounced inside the goal, the linesman ruled otherwise.

And with Toresscoverting late into the game, N’Diaye’s goal in the 74th minute turned out to be just a consolation for Mali.

Ruiz leads from the front