Summer pachanga aroma. Although it was an official Nations League match and took place in mid-November, the duel between Spain and Switzerland inevitably gave off the scent of a friendly match in which we know that there is absolutely nothing at stake. [Así vivimos la victoria de España ante Suiza]
Of course, in the absence of relevance for qualifying purposes, what the duel at least had was excitement all the way to the end in a dizzying finish. Spain got the victory back on track in the first half thanks to a goal from Yéremy Pino, enough to take the lead at half-time but still with everything open.
In the second half, Switzerland miraculously found space to dream. Monteiro equalized, although Bryan Gil quickly restored the lead to the national team simply by adding a little intensity to his action. The Swiss equalized from the penalty spot in the final stretch, and also from eleven meters Bryan Zaragoza ended up deciding the match for Spain, which closes a practically flawless Nations League group stage.
Spanish domain
Without anything at stake, we expected one of these matches where the two contenders would have difficulty imposing a certain rhythm and great intensity on the field. In an inconsequential clash, no one wanted to risk too much, not a single player wanted to put his leg in an untimely action and everyone wanted to avoid injury.
However, Spain were playing at home and were therefore forced to bring a little more momentum than their rival. The ranking says it too. The leader of the group, already qualified for the quarter-finals of the League of Nations, facing the last ones, unable to win in recent times.
To lead the way, Mingueza made the first attempt with a header after a corner that went over the crossbar. This was only the prelude to the Spanish domination that would occur throughout the match, as Switzerland appeared to be a soulless and almost resigned team in Tenerife.
Luis de la Fuente’s team took control of the ball while the Swiss team barely managed to cross the halfway line with the ball under control. Nico Williams fired a shot from the edge of the area which also went high, a sign that Spain were gradually refining their shot.
With the match almost underway, the national team was about to take advantage of a childish error from the Swiss defense, but Pedri was forgiving in the one-on-one while Morata was then found to be offside before to stay in front of the visiting goalkeeper.
No other scenario was considered other than Spain taking the lead, and indeed, the inevitable outcome arrived. Morata caught the Swiss defense well and was clearly brought down by Ricardo Rodríguez. A classic penalty that the referee rightly highlighted.
Morata recovered the ball, but Heliodoro Rodríguez López started chanting Pedri’s name, and in a great captain’s gesture, the Milan player gave the Canarian player the shot. Great action but bad definition from the Barça player, who failed to take the maximum penalty.
However, this is where the goal was born. The rebound was collected by Nico Williams, who also missed the match, but the third time was the right one as Yéremy Pino, the other Canarian present at home, made the right shot to give the team the advantage national.
Shy Swiss reaction
Yéremy Pino’s solitary goal at half-time left the situation still open for the second half. Spain seemed to have everything under control, more than just because of their dominance, but also because of Switzerland’s absolute ineffectiveness in attack, but Switzerland still wanted to say something more in the game.
With the debut of Samu Omorodion as a note of hope in this second act, Monteiro missed the unforgivable for Switzerland during a face-to-face against Robert Sánchez. It seemed that the visitors would not have the same luck throughout the match, but Monteiro himself took advantage of the passivity of Paredes, also a debutant, to equalize.
This irritated Spain, who until then had been in a sort of lethargy because they hoped to win without having to step on the accelerator. Luis de la Fuente’s team got to work and the entry of Bryan Gil had a lot to do with it.
The Girona player entered the field with more momentum than anyone else, and this in a low intensity match was decisive. He took advantage of the fragility of the Swiss defense to recover a ball inside the area and finish with a powerful cross shot.
Spain almost scored the third goal and it was also time for the third start of the match. On this occasion, it was Pablo Barrios who entered the field to play his first minutes as an Absoluta player, a new opportunity for Luis de la Fuente in search of fresh blood.
Once again the match seemed over, but the upset happened again. Fabián committed an innocent penalty as he attempted to volley a split ball, but a Swiss player appeared to put his leg in and receive a touch. The referee indicated eleven meters and Zaqiri resolved the tie.
It looked like everything was going to suck, but there was one last push from one of those who had just entered. It was a “Bryan” thing. If Gil had scored the second, Zaragoza was the protagonist of the third and final goal. The Osasuna player entered the box and was brought down by a Swiss defender. Clear penalty and golden opportunity.
Bryan Zaragoza did not hesitate. Full of confidence, he takes the ball, places it inside eleven meters and finishes perfectly with a cross shot. A final victory for Spain, which continues to have everything to please, and which is already thinking about the quarter-finals of the Nations League.
