It capped a flawless run under coach Paco Gallardo: five wins from five, 19 goals scored and, remarkably, not a single one conceded. Hugo López and Mario Rivas were the scorers in the final at the Racecourse Ground, continuing the form of a talented 2007-born generation that has included Thiago Pitarch, Morante, Yáñez and Forte among others.
Germany, who had been thrashed 4-0 by this same Spain side in the group stage, offered a far sterner test in the rematch, setting up two clear one-on-one chances that goalkeeper Manu González did well to deny.
Spain grew into the game and began knocking on the door themselves, Hugo López rattling the crossbar before seeing another effort blocked. The breakthrough eventually arrived just before half-time: a Pitarch and Yáñez combination ended with a shot against the post, and López was first to react, sweeping home the rebound.
Rather than spur Germany into a response, the interval seemed to galvanise Spain further. They doubled their advantage almost immediately after the restart, Mario Rivas powering in from a corner delivered by Yáñez — a goal that underlined the technical depth of a Real Madrid contingent within the squad. From there, Germany huffed and puffed without ever truly threatening an equaliser, managing only two more efforts on target, both comfortably saved by González.
The final line-up offered a glimpse of a generation Spanish football expects plenty from: González started in goal behind a back four of Fortea, Rivas, Cuenca and Salinas, with Junyent, Espart and Pitarch operating in midfield and Yáñez, López and Morante forming the attacking trio. Only one German player who started the group-stage meeting between the sides, midfielder Boris Mamuzah Lum, retained his place for the final, a measure of how much the beaten finalists had been forced to freshen up their approach second time around.
For a generation already talked up internally by the Spanish federation before a ball was kicked, the manner of the victory — untroubled in defence and clinical in the moments that mattered — will only heighten expectations as several of these players begin pushing for opportunities at senior club level.