Foreign footballA last real test towards the European Championship awaits the Red Devils against Croatia on Sunday. For Spain and Portugal it was already there tonight. There was no winner (0-0), although a fresh (but inefficient) Spain did manage to score.
No thunderstorms in Madrid tonight. The mercury was still hovering around 30 degrees around 7:30 pm and The Red felt like it.
The 15,000 fans in the stands of Wanda Metropolitano, the home of Atlético, saw Luis Enrique’s team start sharp against Cristiano Ronaldo and co. After fifteen minutes, Spain had 75 (!) percent of the ball.
CR7 waved his arms in frustration, Renato Sanches kicked several times, Joao Félix was sloppy. Portugal ran behind the ball, but at the same time Spain failed to convert its dominance into real opportunities. Ferran Torres had a header opportunity after a great cross from Alvaro Morata, but the Man City attacker clumsily crushed it.
It was not efficient at all with Spain, Morata and Sarabia also missed good opportunities after the break. It stayed like this 0-0. Bad luck, but Portugal is still left with the most question marks. The reigning European champions will soon be in the group of death, with France, Germany and Hungary. A slow start is therefore not an option.
On Wednesday, the Portuguese will have another ultimate chance to refuel confidence, against Israel. Spain is still practicing against Lithuania.
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