- European Champions Triumph 4-1 Despite Le Normand's Red Card
- Croatia Defeats Poland; Northern Ireland Falls to Bulgaria
Newly
crowned European champions Spain cruised to a 4-1 victory over Switzerland in
their Nations League Group A4 clash, despite being reduced to 10 men just 20
minutes into the game.
After a
goalless draw against Serbia in their opener, Luis de la Fuente’s team quickly
took control in Geneva. Early goals from Joselu and Fabián Ruiz within the
first 13 minutes put Spain 2-0 up, but a red card for Robin Le Normand,
following a foul on Breel Embolo, left them shorthanded. Switzerland’s Zeki
Amdouni pulled one back before halftime, but as the hosts pushed for an
equalizer late in the second half, Spain struck twice more on the counter. Ruiz
grabbed his second, and substitute Ferran Torres added another to seal the win.
"One
thing I always take pride in is the heart of this team," said De la
Fuente. "Playing with 10 men, we managed the game masterfully. I’m
incredibly proud of the team; we're growing and improving with each
match."
Switzerland’s
Manuel Akanji reflected on their defensive lapses: "The goals we conceded
were unnecessary. There were communication errors, and they came too easily. We
fought back well but lost our way in the second half, leaving ourselves open to
counterattacks."
Spain now sit
second in their group, trailing Denmark, who secured a 2-0 home win over
Serbia.
Elsewhere in
Group A1, Croatia's veteran star Luka Modric scored the decisive goal in a 1-0
victory against Poland. Scotland, still without points, remain at the bottom of
the table after a late 2-1 defeat to Portugal.
In Group C3,
Northern Ireland suffered a 1-0 loss to Bulgaria. In Group D1, Liechtenstein
bounced back from a defeat against San Marino to earn a 2-2 draw in Gibraltar,
thanks to a dramatic 104th-minute penalty equalizer.
Thanka,
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