Spain adds its third consecutive victory in the Nations League. Very beautiful! The European champions crushed the Serbs in the New Arcángel of Córdoba.
Two representatives of the RPL played in the starting lineup of the Serbian national team: Zenit defender Erakovic and CSKA midfielder Zdelar. The Spanish did not have the injured Yamal. In general, despite the complicated schedule (two games in three days), Luis de la Fuente only made three changes to the team: the places of Lamine, Pedri and Grimaldo were occupied by Baena, Merino and Cucurella.
From the first ball kick, the Spanish team achieved a great territorial and playing advantage. With good movements, changes of position and quick passes, the hosts pushed away the visiting defenders and found free spaces. The Serbian team, despite having five defenders and a couple of defensive midfielders, defended with great uncertainty. Stojkovic’s team even lost air in their own area! Then he missed an early goal.
The Serbians were able to get the ball out of their own goal in the first minute. Merino shot from a good position, but his shot was blocked by Zdelar. But soon the Spanish converted the corner. After the play, the ball ended up on the right wing, from where it was served to the far post. There, the Spanish team created a three-on-two situation. Erakovic held Morata, Maksimovic also grabbed someone, but Nedeljkovic seemed to have lost his position. As a result, Laporte freely attacked the target from the second floor.
With the score 1:0, the Spanish team had complete control of the match. Furia Roja could have scored more than one goal in the first half. The Serbians continued to lose air in their own area: Merino headed the ball to the post. When Stojkovic’s team got carried away by the high press, they received a strong counterattack from the home team: Subimendi, despite being a defensive player, carried the ball and shot into the top corner. We almost scored for the second game in a row.
The heavy rains in Córdoba did not bother the locals. Except that De la Fuente almost slipped on the stairs near the coach’s bench. It would be a very disappointing injury. But, fortunately, everything turned out well. The Serbs only managed one blow before the break and looked a little heavy, and Erakovic, who was forced to constantly secure the center half, sat with a yellow card.
After the break, the Spanish team continued playing not so much for the results, but for their own pleasure. He entertained the fans. But De la Fuente’s team has lost more than half of its base since the Euro 2024 final. Furia Roja easily reached the Serbian area. Once, even due to a simple run by Raya towards the side and a wonderful touch pass from Oyarzabal to his teammate’s play. Soon the home team won a penalty: Birmancevic blocked Porro’s shot with his hand. Morata took the ball and threw it from somewhere into the rainy sky.
In the last round, the Spanish barely gave the Danes the finishing touch:
Schmeichel led Denmark to cause a sensation in Spain. But he himself destroyed everything.
The Spanish team was interesting to watch, but the football itself, in terms of intrigue, was not very interesting. The champion pressed his unsuspecting opponent against the ropes and simply did not let him raise his head. De la Fuente’s team recovered the ball as soon as they lost it. Suddenly, at the end of the hour mark, the Serbs launched a strong counterattack! The Spanish unsuccessfully created an offside trap, unless the linesman made a mistake. Mitrovic hit the ball from a lethal position, but the Serbian top scorer managed to miss.
After wasting their only chance, Stojkovic’s team immediately conceded. After the rebound, Morata and Ruiz together destroyed the entire defense of the Serbian team. Unlike the 11-meter shot, the local captain executed this shot without problems. Meanwhile, the Serbian coach threw another representative of the RPL into battle – Rubin midfielder Chumic. However, there were no more Russian championship players on the field, as Zdelar was substituted. Frankly, it is difficult to say something good about the game of the RPL Serbians, as well as about the performance of any visiting footballer today.
A quarter of an hour before the end, Stojkovic’s team was left with ten men when Pavlovich saved Oyarzabal with a free kick from their last hope. The Serbs faced a double punishment: expulsion and goal: Baena brilliantly executed the free kick, dribbling against the barrier. It seems that goalkeeper Rajkovic did not place it as he should. But a 0-3 defeat is not the worst result for the Serbian team in this match. Spain took 30 shots (10 on goal), created several more chances and hit the crossbar.
