TOPS/FLOPS – The beautiful story of Joselu, the Welsh courage and the failures of Sorloth, find the highlights of this multiplex.
TOPS
Joselu, the beautiful story
Never called up with La Roja, Joselu was called up by Luis De la Fuente for the first time last week. Successful with Espanyol Barcelona, he has 12 goals in 23 La Liga games, which makes him the 3rd best scorer in the championship, ahead of players like Karim Benzema or Antoine Griezmann. The striker, born in Stuttgart, will celebrate his 33rd birthday the day after tomorrow and it’s a great gift he offered himself tonight against Norway. Entering ten minutes from the end, he managed the feat of planting a double in a few seconds for his first selection. His goals pulled Spain out of the Norwegian trap and his teammates can thank him. He will remember it all his life.
Read alsoEuro 2024 qualifiers: “I think I met expectations” smiles Joselu, author of a double for his first with Spain
Welsh resilience
It took courage to still believe it when, alone at the back post and ideally placed, David James missed the frame on his recovery after a super ball delivered by Harry Wilson (59th). The luck of Nice’s teammates Aaron Ramsey seemed to have passed and the Croats could score at any time. Kept alive by the seven saves of Danny Ward, the Leicester goalkeeper, the Welsh did not let go until the saving equalizer after added time.
FLOPS
La template de Sørloth
The Real Sociedad striker was on land he knows well against opponents he meets every weekend in La Liga. However, the 1m95 colossus missed his subject. He missed a good number of throw-ins, wasn’t always in the right tempo and above all, he wasn’t effective. His missed opportunity (81st) when Spain was only leading by one goal weighs heavily on his record. His point-blank recovery fled the frame and the Spanish supporters were, at this precise moment, very happy that it was him at the conclusion and not his compatriot Erling Haaland, injured.
Kramaric too selfish
The Hoffenheim striker registered his 23rd pawn in the selection which makes him the 5th top scorer in the history of Croatia tied with his captain Luka Modric. A nice statistic that actually hides his shortcomings in the game tonight. The 31-year-old is a scorer, a real one, and that’s why he forgets his partners and tries shots (4 in total) in positions that are not necessarily ideal. Ivan Perisic is probably still claiming the ball from him while the Tottenham player was alone on his right. Rather than serving him, Kramaric preferred to unleash a shot that flew into the clouds of Split. Too bad, it was an opportunity among many others to take a break.
