Spain bounced back from a poor result on the first matchday of the UEFA Nations League. Visiting Switzerland, 10 La Furia Roja players won 4-1.
In the match at the Stade de Geneve, Sunday (8/9/2024), Spain scored goals through Fabian Ruiz (two), Joselu, and Ferran Torres. Switzerland scored a consolation goal from Zaki Amdouni.
The victory was even more pronounced for Spain because they played with 10 men because Robin Le Normand was sent off in the 20th minute. Spain with four points is in second place in Group 4 League A standings, below Denmark with six points.
Spain made several changes to the starting XI, after being held to a 0-0 draw by Serbia a few days ago. Rodri started again after being absent due to UEFA sanctions, with Pedri and Fabian Ruiz in the middle.
Up front, Nico Williams, Joselu, and Lamine Yamal filled in. Only four minutes into the match, Spain was already leading 1-0 through Joselu’s goal.
Starting with Yamal’s movement on the right side, he managed to outwit 2-3 players before sending a cross to the far post. Joselu firmly headed it into the top corner of the goal.
Spain’s lead increased in the 13th minute after Fabian Ruiz registered his name on the scoreboard. Ruiz quickly tapped in the rebound from Nico Williams’ kick that was blocked by Gregor Kobel.
Leading by two goals, Spain was tested when they lost Robin Le Normand who was sent off in the 20th minute. Le Normand was sent off for being the last man and violating Breel Embolo.
Losing one player made Spain dominated by Switzerland. They immediately went out on the attack to bombard the Spanish defense and especially David Raya under the crossbar.
Switzerland was finally able to reduce the score to 1-2 in the 41st minute through Zaki Amdouni. From close range, Amdouni tapped in his teammate’s header from a free kick situation.
Entering the second half, Switzerland tried to find a gap to immediately equalize the score. They continued to press and did not give Spain a chance to develop their game.
However, poor finishing made it difficult for Switzerland to score. They conceded their third goal in the 77th minute after Ruiz scored his second goal.
From the right side, Ferran Torres built an attack and finished with a pull pass to the near post. Ruiz quickly tapped the ball into Kobel’s goal.
Torres also scored a goal in the 80th minute. From a counter-attack situation, Torres received a through ball and carried the ball to the penalty box, before spraying it past Kobel.
The score 4-1 closed the match between Switzerland and Spain.
