Pablo Fornals: West Ham signing scores wonder goal as Spain beat Belgium at Under-21 Euros

Tom Doyle19 June 2019

New West Ham signing Pablo Fornals lit up the Under-21 European Championships with a stunning winner for Spain against Belgium on Wednesday evening.

The 23-year-old midfielder signed a five-year deal with the Hammers last week after sealing a £24million switch from Villarreal.

Manuel Pellegrini described Fornals as a "key target" for West Ham in order to bolster their attacking midfield options, and the Spaniard's skills were on display in Wednesday's Group A clash.

With the scoreline level at 1-1 and just a minute left to play, Fornals drove at goal from the left before unleashing an unstoppable, drilled effort from the edge of the area to seal three points for Spain - a crucial result after losing their opening game 3-1 to Italy.

Pellegrini had said of Fornals: “He was a key target we identified some time ago and it is a big positive that we have managed to complete the deal early in the transfer window.

EPA

"I would like to thank the board for their support and work in completing the transfer.

“Pablo is a young, hungry and talented player who has already proven his ability at the highest level in Spain, and we believe he will bring a different dimension and a strong mentality to the team.

West Ham United via Getty Images

"He has made a big impact in his time with Villarreal and we look forward to seeing him continue his progress here.

“His signing means that we now have very good midfield options in the squad.

"With players coming back from injury and ready to begin pre-season training with the rest of the squad, we have a very good balance and mix of styles."

West Ham United via Getty Images

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