Luis Enrique’s fears were fulfilled on an uncomfortable date, with Spain away from the identity shown in the recent European Championship, traced back due to its defensive instability and conceding a defeat in a World Cup qualifying phase 28 years later, which leaves it at the mercy of Sweden not to be doomed to playoffs.
The harshness of the defeat leaves the Spanish team in serious trouble. With one more game and two points from Sweden, he exhibited the power with which he never lost in his country in thirteen games with Anderson as coach. Ground that becomes cursed for the Red, where it continues without winning and gets into a good mess adding the tie of its first day against Greece.
58 days after falling with honors in the semifinals of the Eurocup, the Spanish team returned to the scene with the same block but without Pedri. An eleven with the emergence of Carlos Soler on a roll, the best in a lost midfield. In an uncomfortable date, with the players acquiring a good physical condition after their vacations but without excuses to face a ‘final’. Any resemblance to the recent match against Sweden was a fluke.
The impotence due to the offensive inefficiency of the debut at La Cartuja, in a match that left up to 17 shots and only five on goal, collapsed in just five minutes. It was the time it took for Soler to appear, free of mark at the far post, to hook a Jordi Alba center with quality. The action, with the unloading of Morata’s heel and a quick pass from Busquets, dislodged the Swedish rear.
The goal was gold in the pulse for the group lead but lasted seconds on the scoreboard. Spain was the victim of its errors and inaccuracies. A pass behind from Soler was not controlled by Busquets, who had already failed in the first dangerous action of the match with a loss that Sweden always punishes with speed. Isak, attentive, hooked a shot close to the post. Unstoppable for Unai.
When Spain found the goal, they paid dearly for their inaccuracies. And they were warned by Luis Enrique, the long ball with the second play and the counterattacks, were the hallmark of a Sweden with a greater impudence playing in front of their fans. The selection still had a stretch of footballing fortitude thanks to the imbalance that Ferran Torres generated. First on the right, then on the left in the Asturian coach’s attempt to hook a lost Gerard Moreno to the duel.
He had it with a tense death pass that Ferran put him but fell to the ground instead of hitting the shot. Morata had sent her to the clouds in another action at the end of the City. They were the best moments in Spain before generating insecurities due to defensive instability.
Eric García lacked forcefulness, there were plenty of mistakes by Busquets and Koke that allowed Isak to show elegance in the race. Good reads of counterattacks and finishes that met Unai Simón. With Fosberg beating Azpilicueta with a bicycle before his shot and Kulusevski with a low right hand.
Luis Enrique’s corrections at halftime seemed to cause a change. It was a mirage. A poisoned center of Soler, took it out as Robin Olsen could under sticks. Spain went from believing itself with the capacity to conquer its first triumph in Swedish lands to looking over the precipice. Every appearance of Isak between centers turned into a nightmare. Eric corrected with speed, who was asked for a hand inside the area but resting on the grass, the referee did not grant it.
The lack of defensive intensity was born from the imbalances. The center of the field never offered stability. There were no assists and the result was reflected in the 57th minute after a clearance in action from a corner kick. Bad location and shot at the pleasure of Claesson to the net. The situation took the worst possible profile. The control of the ball did not translate at times and Sweden, without ‘Ibra’, destroyed the speed of Isak and his dance partner, Kulusevski.
Luis Enrique changed the route plan used in the Eurocup. Without players who were in the Games like Pedri, Dani Olmo and Oyarzabal, he resorted to the power of Adama Traoré. When the game focused on each destabilizing action of the winger, finished with centers, Morata retired from the field to which he had to finish them, and Gerard Moreno had already left due to injury.
All attempts in the search for a tie to save the game ended in Adama, who ran into Olsen in his clearest action. Nobody was able to hook a shot and the defeat could be greater if in added time Quaison does not forgive another gift on loan from Eric, stinging the ball as Unai comes out.
Spain, present in eleven consecutive World Cups, remains at the expense of the results of Sweden, forced to win everything that remains in the group, exhausted the margin of error. The illusion recovered in the Eurocup collapsed on a fateful night in Solna.
Technical file: 2 – Sweden: Olsen; Krafth, Lindelöf, Helander, Augustinsson; Claesson, Olsson, Ekdal (Cajuste, m.69), Forsberg (Svanberg, m.94); Isaac (Thelin, m.85) and Kulusevski (Quaison, m.85).
1 – Spain: Unai Simón; Azpilicueta, Laporte, Eric García, Jordi Alba; Busquets (Rodri, m.85), Koke (Marcos Llorente, m.75), Carlos Soler (Brais, m.85); Gerard Moreno (Adama Traoré, m.64), Ferran Torres and Morata (Sarabia, m.75). Goals: 0-1, m.5: Carlos Soler. 1-1, m.6: Isaac. 2-1, m.57: Claesson.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ING). He admonished Kulusevski (34) and Krafth (51), for Sweden; and Jordi Alba (35) and Laporte (40), from Spain.
Incidents: match of the fourth day of the European qualifying phase of Qatar 2022 played at the Friends Arena stadium before 16,000 spectators.
EFE
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