Black night that Spain experienced in Zaragoza, where not only did its future in the Nations League get complicated, now forced to win on Tuesday in Portugal to be in the final four, but it also set off the occasional alarm for the Qatar World Cup with a worrying ineffectiveness in his game. The night was also calamitous on the board, conceding two goals from corners against a willing but not very bright Switzerland, enough arguments to sign Spain's first home defeat since 2018. It is not the best omen for traveling to the desert, there is no doubt.
The night already started crooked, the staging of Spain terrifying, absolutely unrecognizable. You have to go back very far in time to find such poor 45 minutes of the red team, unable even to shoot on goal against a rocky Switzerland, one of those uncomfortable teams that threatens little but if you dare to turn your head absent-mindedly, they give you a good slap . Two shots by Ferran Torres and Sarabia from the edge of the box that bounced off two Swiss defenders were the sad offensive baggage of Luis Enrique's men at halftime.
The Asturian coach loves to devour videos and use all kinds of technologies to improve the preparation for matches, but a virus must have gotten into his computer in Zaragoza, a city that was once again committed to Spain 19 years later. The coach somewhat shook up his most recognizable eleven, drawing much attention to the presence of Marco Asensio as center forward, escorted by Sarabia and Torres on the wings. Three great footballers but none with the killer instinct of a nine. The bet would have been signed by an American investor before the crash of 29 because it was devastating.
Spain was not recognized, they did not know how to take control of the game, tire their defensive rival and find a gap. Everything looked so bad that even Pedri lost a couple of very dangerous balls, something more than rare in the Canarian magician. Only Gavi seemed to rebel against the nothingness that prevailed on the pitch, anticipating and running without stopping, appearing from any side, a headache for the Swiss. But the Swiss are a very established team, which has no need to be a leading player in the game to live comfortably. They are also experts in extracting oil from set pieces, where Spain showed quite a few shortcomings when it came to defending. Each corner was a nightmare and one of them, in the middle of the first half, became 0-1 after Akanji ate Azpilicueta and finished off a stung shot against Unai Simón.
The goal, far from spurring the red team, accentuated their discomfort against a Switzerland that was living too calmly, even threatening the second before going to the locker room with a ride by Shaqiri, who entered the area with amazing ease and only hit with Unai Simón's left mitten.
Far from making changes in search of a better future, Luis Enrique corrected his players at half-time but kept them all on the green. Then a Spain was seen with a point more ambition, more willful when it came to stealing the ball, generous in the effort. A small mutation that was rewarded thanks to Asensio's determination and Jordi Alba's definition, who sent the ball to Sommer's squad to raise the tie and, surely, also seal his passport to Qatar.
The goal meant a transitory amnesia due to the serious defensive problems shown in the first half with aerial balls, but it didn't take long for La Romareda to recover its memory. The insecurity that Unai Simón transmitted at each start was contagious and in just three minutes, Switzerland was ahead again. Akanji surprised the Spanish defense at the near post and Embolo received the gift, lodging the ball in the net. So yes, Luis Enrique tore up pages of his notebook and ordered a triple change, completely changing the lead. Borja Iglesias was received like a hero by his old fans and he already touched the goal in his first action. Also the ardor of Nico Williams and Yeremi Pino somewhat livened up the night, mired in a worrying apathy. But Spain did not find sufficient arguments to opt for Swiss neutrality and the stopwatch began to weigh like a slab while Portugal walked around Prague and accentuated the problems of the red team.
A couple of actions by Marcos Llorente and a shot by Carlos Soler that Sommer deflected were all the local baggage before the final whistle. The second defeat in history against Switzerland was a fact. The first arrived in South Africa, in 2010. So the romantics will surely fall asleep, but Spain has a problem.
1 - Spain: Unai Simon; Azpilicueta (Carlos Soler, m.87), Eric García, Pau Torres, Jordi Alba; Busquets, Gavi, Pedri (Marcos Llorente, m.70); Sarabia (Nico Williams, m.64), Ferran Torres (Yeremy Pino, m.64) and Marco Asensio (Borja Iglesias, m.64).
2 - Switzerland: Sommer; Widmer, Akanji, Elvedi, Ricardo Rodriguez (Steffen, m.46); Freuler, Granite Heritage, Horse (Zechariah, m.68); Ruben Vargas (Aebischer, 78), Shaqiri (Ndoye, 68) and Embolo (Seferovic, 86).
Goals: 0-1, m.21: Akanji. 1-1, m.55: Jordi Alba. 1-2, m.58: Embolo.
Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA). He booked Akanji (44) for Switzerland.
Incidents: match of the penultimate day of the League of Nations played at La Romareda before 31,809 spectators (full).
