Record-breaking Paco pulls clear

Spain striker Paco set a new record on Thursday night when he scored his 14th goal of their UEFA European Under-17 Championship campaign in the 3-1 semi-final defeat of Turkey in Vaduz.

Paco had only restored Spain's lead three minutes earlier when he converted a penalty, his sixth goal of the finals – three more than anyone else. Also the top scorer in qualifying with eight, Paco's total makes the Valencia CF forward the most prolific player since the U17 classification was introduced in 2001/02, beating the record of 13 set four years ago by Germany's Manuel Fischer.

Meanwhile, Paco's finals tally of six has already equalled the best since the showpiece stage was reduced to eight teams in 2002/03; the record of seven was set by Spain's Jonathan Soriano in the 16-nation 2001/02 edition. Paco can match or surpass that mark in the final against England on Sunday, but is already certain of finishing as top scorer unless opposing players Connor Wickham or Ross Barkley manage four goals. Turkey captain Artun Akçakin, unable to score in their loss to Spain, is second on the table with three.