Portugal 0-1 Spain: Three Things We Learned

When old rivals and neighbours go head to head, there’s always going to be some fireworks – and while it wasn’t an all-time classic, we did get a fun encounter between Portugal and Spain in Braga last night.

The pair traded blows all evening long until finally, the Spaniards scored an 88th minute goal through Alvaro Morata to ensure they walked away as group winners, with these being our biggest takeaways from the action.

Wasted chances

While Spain got the win, an argument could be made that Portugal were the ones who had the most impressive chances right up until the end of the game – with Diogo Jota and Cristiano Ronaldo both going close. This is an element the hosts really need to work on, especially with a tough World Cup group stacked with Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea to contend with in just a matter of weeks.

Spain’s composure

Spain had the majority of the possession stats in their favour and they also had plenty of attempts on goal, but it never felt as if they were getting rattled. They moved the ball around nicely, showed some great composure, and appeared to be building on what they’d been able to achieve at the Euros last summer. It may not be the golden age, but they do seem to be steadily moving back towards their best.

Nations League intrigue

The Nations League isn’t exactly seen as the most exciting competition in the world but with the finals being set to take place next summer, it does give football fans a post-season international event to get excited about before Euro 2024 one year later. Spain, who finished as runners-up in the last Nations League campaign, will battle it out with Netherlands, Croatia and Italy in what is shaping up to be a really entertaining final four.