With just a few months remaining until the 2018 FIFA World Cup, many fans find themselves awaiting some truly remarkable results – and now, we’ve got one before the tournament even begins. While they were without the likes of Lionel Messi, Argentina will be thoroughly embarrassed tonight in the wake of a crushing 6-1 defeat at the hands of former world champions Spain.
Football masterclass
Bizarrely enough the Argentines actually started the game really well, and probably should’ve found themselves ahead when Gonzalo Higuain was in on goal, only for him to blast the ball high and wide. From that point on it was business as usual for Spain, who seem to be finding their groove at the perfect time with Russia looming on the horizon.
It was never going to be a simple affair for Argentina, especially given that they weren’t at full strength. Still, friendly or not, this is a result that’s going to stick with them for quite some time, and so it should. The rout began with the polarising Diego Costa poking home after less than 15 minutes, which was a sign of things to come. It was clear to see that they were trying to make a statement, and after disappointing performances in their last two international tournaments, who can blame them?
Goals galore
Isco, who would wind up being the star of the show, set his Man of the Match evening in motion by making it 2-0 to Spain after less than half an hour. It was clear to see that the visitors were on the ropes, but thankfully a fortunate header from Nicolas Otamendi halved the deficit prior to the final for halftime being blown. Of course, that was merely a stay of execution, with Isco and Thiago grabbing two goals in 180 seconds to send an onlooking Lionel Messi away from his seat in disgust.
Spain spent the next twenty minutes treating the game like a training exercise before they really decided to rubber stamp the win and send a message to their rivals with Isco and Aspas scoring back to back goals. The game fizzled out as the Spanish fans in Madrid were jubilant to see what their side had done, meanwhile, Argentina will be looking at themselves and wondering where it all went wrong.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this’ll finally confirm to the doubters that Argentina, regardless of what they’ve done in the past, are a shambles of a football team right now. The Spanish will be facing Morocco, Iran and Portugal in their World Cup group, whereas Argentina will take on Nigeria, Croatia and Iceland.
Match Report
Spain: De Gea (7); Carvajal (7), Pique (6), Ramos (6.5), Alba (6.5); Koke (6.5), Thiago (7.5), Iniesta (7); Isco (9.5), Costa (8), Asensio (7)
Subs: Azpilicueta 72′ (6), Alonso 79′ (N/A), Parejo 82′ (N/A), Niguez 56′ (6), Vazquez 76′ (N/A), Iago Aspas 45′ (7.5)
Argentina: Romero (N/A); Bustos (5), Otamendi (6), Rojo (4.5), Tagliafico (5); Biglia (5.5), Mascherano (6); Lo Celso (6), Banega (6), Meza (5); Higuain (5)
Subs: Caballero 22′ (4.5), Mercado 62′ (6), Pavon 56′ (5.5), Acuna 84′ (N/A), Perez 62′ (5.5), Martinez 59′ (5.5)
Goals: Costa 12′, Isco 27′, 52′, 74′, Thiago 55′, Aspas 73′, Otamendi 39′
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Yellow Cards: Ramos, Isco, Rojo, Tagliafico, Pavon, Meza
Red Cards: N/A
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