Following a rather disappointing goalless draw against Serbia a few days ago, Spain have ended this international break on a high note as they beat Switzerland in Geneva to earn their first victory of the Nations League campaign.
Joselu broke the deadlock in the fourth minute already, and Fabian Ruiz added another goal only nine minutes later. Things appeared set to take a different course when Robin le Normand picked up a straight red card in the 20th minute, and especially when Zeki Amdouni pulled a goal back for Switzerland with four minutes of the first half still to go. However, the home team’s hopes were reduced to a minimum in the 77th minute when Ruiz scored for Spain again, and completely extinguished three minutes later when substitute Ferran Torres set the final scoreline.
The teams
With Granit Xhaka and Nico Elvedi suspended, Switzerland boss Murat Yakin was forced to make changes to the team that started the 2-0 defeat to Denmark in the opening round.
With Gregor Kobel expectedly in goal, Gregory Wuthrich came into the back line of three instead of Elvedi, playing alongside Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez. Xhaka’s place was covered by Denis Zakaria, who partnered Remo Freuler in the middle of the park, with Michel Aebischer on the left and Becir Omeragic getting the nod ahead of Silvan Widmer on the right. Fabian Rieder, who started on the left wing against Denmark, made way for Amdouni, a change that obviously paid off to an extent, while Breel Embolo and Ruben Vargas took their position as the centre-forward and left winger, respectively.
Meanwhile, Luis de la Fuente in the Spain dugout changed the whole system after drawing a blank in Belgrade, and the withdrawal of Dani Olmo from the squad through injury also played a part. David Raya stood between the posts, and with Dani Carvajal at right-back and the pair of Aymeric Laporte and Robin Le Normand in the heart of defence, Alejandro Grimaldo was chosen over Marc Cucurella on the left. Martin Zubimendi made way for Rodri at the midfield base, with Fabian Ruiz and Pedri tasked with more creative roles. Up front, Joselu started ahead of Ayoze Perez, flanked by Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.
Le Normand’s red card, however, forced De la Fuente to react early, and it was Pedri who was sacrificed to allow Dani Vivian to complete the back line.
The game
Spain entered the clash as big favourites and they justified their role straight away, dominating possession early on and putting the contest completely under their control. Their early two-goal lead was fully deserved, with Switzerland completely unable to do anything to disturb their game.
However, the decision of referee Irfan Peljto to send Le Normand off for a perceived foul on Breel Embolo – checked and confirmed by the VAR – obviously made a difference. The visitors simply couldn’t keep their domination up after that, and the Swiss gradually moved the front line of the clash closer to David Raya’s goal.
After a few potentially dangerous situations, mostly involving Vargas who looked very inspired on the left, Amdouni took advantage of the Spanish defence completely forgetting about him after a corner, and Embolo’s header found him at the far post for an easy tap-in.
It was natural to assume that Switzerland, boasted by the goal they got back, their numerical advantage on the pitch, as well as the loud support from the stands of the Stade de Geneve, would put De la Fuente’s team under severe pressure in search for an equalizer after the break. They did so for a while, but as Spain dropped back to defend and time wore on, their attacks appeared less organized by the minute and they found it difficult to create anything noteworthy.
Switzerland arguably missed Xhaka’s influence in that period the most. The experienced midfielder is known not only as a very tough fighter in the middle of the pitch, but also as a player of fantastic vision and excellent passing ability, not to mention his quality in shooting from distance.
Amdouni did put the ball in the back of the net after another corner, but only to have it ruled out as the linesman signaled the cross had gone over the line and out for a goal-kick. The 23-year-old winger looked very lively and threatened Raya’s goal a few more times, but the stadium was in shock in the 77th minute when Torres, who had come on to replace Yamal at halftime, broke down the right and set Ruiz up for Spain’s third goal. The contest was completely killed off soon after as Torres himself, assisted by Joselu, had Kobel beaten for the fourth time after another counterattack.
The red card
There will likely be plenty of debate around Le Normand’s early exit from the game. As Spain pushed forward and their back line played high, Embolo received a pass and tried to break clear. There was contact between the Swiss striker and the Atletico Madrid defender, but who initiated it will be up for debate.
The referee blew his whistle to give a foul on Embolo, and at that point he had no choice but to award Le Normand a red card as he was the last man ahead of Raya. If it was a foul by the Spanish defender, it was a clear case of denying a goalscoring opportunity. However, it should be said that Embolo put his arm out across Le Normand’s body, and then pulled his opponent’s shirt, before the two players clattered into each other and went down.
Be that as it may, the VAR deemed the on-field decision to have been correct, and there was nothing more to say. Spain would have to go on, for over 70 minutes, with 10 men on the pitch. In the end, the incident obviously didn’t impact the outcome of the game, but Le Normand won’t be too happy about the forthcoming suspension.
The pitch
Even before the match started, the pitch at the Stade de Geneve didn’t look to be in the best condition, and the rain which kept soaking it for almost the entire match only made it worse. There were visible patches of mud, which certainly didn’t help either team but particularly Spain, known for their game of short passes which enables them to keep possession of the ball for long spells. There were also several moments when players of both sides mishit the ball and caused to go in an unwanted direction, especially after it bounced off the ground.
It’s not very often that games at this level are played in such conditions, and along with playing with 10 men for a large part of the match, Spain really needed to show they’re not just technically good, but that they can also be very disciplined in defending and dangerous on the counterattack.
The aftermath
The three points won in this game have now put Spain in second place in League A – Group 4, behind leaders Denmark who, having beaten Switzerland 2-0 in the opening round in Copenhagen, repeated that success against Serbia too. As for Switzerland, Yakin’s team are the only side in the group without points after two games.
Switzerland will get their chance to overtake the Serbs when they face them in Belgrade in October, and to get some revenge on Denmark in Geneve too. Spain, meanwhile, could go to the top of the group when they welcome Denmark, before trying to get a better result at home against Serbia than they did in the first round.
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