Spain 1-1 Portugal: Main Talking Points As The Two European Giants Open Their Nations League Campaign With A Point Apiece

With all eyes from across Europe falling on the Estadio Benito Villamarin, Spain and Portugal had to settle for a point apiece as they played out a 1-1 draw in Seville on Thursday night.

While Alvaro Morata’s first-half opener might have seen La Roja move within minutes of opening this year’s Nations League campaign with three points, the former world champions failed to drag themselves over the finish line.

Pegged back in the final 10 minutes as Braga’s Ricardo Horta swept home from close range, Portugal would have rightfully felt that they deserved to leave Seville with something to show for their troubles.

In a showdown that saw some of Europe’s most iconic superstars go head-to-head, we have taken a look at the main talking points as Spain and Portugal had to settle for their fourth stalemate from their last five meetings.

Spain’s winless record in Sevilla continues

Hit with a 2-1 defeat when they faced off against France in the inaugural Nations League final last year, Spain boss Luis Enrique has made it clear that he is expecting his side to go one step further this time around.

However, despite eventually falling at the final hurdle at the San Siro eight months ago, La Roja are still clearly at the heart of a real transition for the European heavyweights.

Electing to take his squad in a far more youthful direction over recent times and with the likes of Sergio Ramos not long deemed necessary, Enrique should be boosted by the steps that his squad have taken over the past year.

However, while Spain might have been at their scintillating best as Morata finished off a slick counter-attack midway through the first-half, the 52-year-old will have a mild headache over his side’s issues in the final third.

While Thursday’s strike might mean that the former world champions have now found the net in each of their previous 15 appearances across all formats, they have struggled to find a real clinical edge.

Still struggling to find an out and out number nine, their midweek stalemate also sees that Spain have extended on a remarkable winless run in Seville.

In fact, Thursday’s 1-1 draw means that Enrique’s men have failed to win a single contest at the Estadio Benito Villamarin since way back in 1995.

Positives for Portugal

Eventually managing to book their ticket to this year’s World Cup finals after going about things the long way, Portugal should have plenty of positives to take away from Thursday’s Nations League opener.

Claiming a 2-0 victory against North Macedonia on home soil back on March 29th, Head Coach Fernando Santos will simply be calling on his side to find some stability before they travel out to Qatar.

However, with attacking talisman and Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo only fit enough for a place on the bench here, the Navigators did show some real resolve on the road.

With second-half substitute Horta bagging what was a deserved equalizer in the final 10 minutes, Portugal have shown some improvements since their European Championship exit at the hands of Belgium last summer.

Aside from that remarkable 2-1 loss at home against Serbia in their final World Cup qualifying contest seven months ago, that is the only defeat that the former European champions have suffered from their last 10 matchups across all competitions.

With a squad that includes the Manchester-based quartet of Ronaldo, Joao Cancelo, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, Santos’ side will be next seen on Sunday night when they host Switzerland.

The Gavi Show

While Thursday’s showdown in Seville might have seen a host of European superstars steal most of the headlines prior to kick-off, there is no doubt that a certain Barcelona starlet left with all of the plaudits.

Only continuing to gain a string of admirers from across the footballing globe, 17-year-old Gavi only underlined why some around Catalonia have billed him as a generational talent.

Spearheading a Barca side that managed to clinch a much-needed top-four finish this season, Spain’s latest budding icon was instrumental in everything good to La Roja produced on Thursday night.

Cutting through Portugal’s defence after a stunning solo run and playing a vital role in Spain’s opener here, Gavi also gave Wolves’ veteran midfielder Joao Moutinho a nightmare in the middle of the park.

Putting in a real Man of the Match display as still just 17 years of age, it is no surprise why Barcelona are so desperate to get their homegrown starlet to sign a new deal at the Nou Camp.

However, reportedly attracting interest from Champions League finalists and Premier League giants Liverpool, there remains plenty of speculation that Gavi could have one eye on a move away from Catalonia.

Match Report:

Spain: Simon, Azpilicueta, Llorente, P. Torres, Alba, Soler, Busquets, Gavi, F. Torres, Morata, Sarabia

Subs: Tomas, Olmo, Llorente, Koke

Portugal: Costa, Cancelo, Pepe, Danilo, Guerreiro, Fernandes, Moutinho, B. Silva, Otavio, A. Silva, Leao

Subs: Ronaldo, Neves, Nunes, Guedes, Horta

Goals: Spain: Morata (25′) – Portugal: Horta (82′)

Yellow Cards: Spain: Busquets, Llorente, Sarabia – Portugal: Pepe, Guerreiro, Nunes, Moutinho, B. Silva

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Michael Oliver