Spain win in Kyiv to deny Ukraine

• Spain claim a narrow victory in Kyiv thanks to debutant Mario Gaspar
• Villarreal full-back heads in Thiago Alcántara's cross to the back post
• Andriy Pyatov then saves Cesc Fàbregas's 25th-minute penalty
• Spain, who lost their second qualifier, win Group C by five points
• Defeat condemns Ukraine to the play-offs, the draw for which is on Sunday

Spain recorded their eighth successive victory in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group C, debutant Mario Gaspar scoring the only goal against a Ukraine side that failed to register the win they needed to have a chance of being the best third-placed team.

Holders Spain dominated possession but always had to be wary of Ukraine's threat on the counterattack, which became evident when Ruslan Rotan missed the target from close range early on. With a quarter of an hour on the clock, David de Gea then expertly saved from Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk's Rotan and Artem Kravets.

Ukraine's inability to make this spell of pressure tell proved costly when, midway through the first half, Thiago Alcántara was slipped into the penalty area and crossed for Gaspar to nod in at the back post. Three minutes later Olexandr Kucher fouled Cesc Fàbregas – making his 100th Spain appearance – but Andriy Pyatov kept Ukraine's deficit at one by tipping the centurion's penalty over the bar.

Ukraine continued to look menacing on the break after the restart, Andriy Yarmolenko hitting a post within six minutes. The game was even more open in the second period as Ukraine gave it everything, their all-or-nothing approach consequently affording Vicente del Bosque's men more space to exploit. 

Try as they might, however, Mikhail Fomenko's side could not find a route back into the contest and they must now focus on the play-offs next month. They will discover their opponents when the draw is made in Nyon on Sunday.