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Spain exhibited identity in a brilliant first act in Lisbon, with a renewed team that cornered Portugal and only missed the goal, before standing up to the suffering of the second act when it was saved by the wood twice and forgiven. by Joao Félix in the last action of a friendly without goals but vibrant.
Luis Enrique breathes easy with the present of the selection. In Lisbon, against a rival of the entity of the last European champion, Spain showed that it has a style above the names.
With several registers but a common factor, the personality with the ball, the search for spaces generating superiority and the completion of the play as a locker room premise.
The massive rotations did not change the identity. Spain only lacked the goal at halftime to put the finishing touch on their superiority in the Iberian derby. It annulled Portugal and exhibited the virtues of a group of players who were meeting for the first time but it seemed that they had been playing together for years.
The expected wink at Kepa’s worst moment began calmly and found the help of the sticks when it was demanded. Especially with a fantastic shot from the Portuguese figure Cristiano Ronaldo. His teammates pressed up, prevented the rival from playing and put a devilish speed on possession.
Luis Enrique brought together the quality of Dani Ceballos and Sergio Canales in the center of the field, the appearance between the lines of Dani Olmo, Rodrigo’s hunger for a goal and a point of reference like Gerard Moreno. They put Rui Patricio to the test from the start and the goalkeeper kept his team in the game. Eight arrivals, four shots on target.
Spain was a roller that lacked final success. Rodrigo from the front twice, Olmo crossed, Gerard Moreno to the side of the net a dead ball. Seven out of eleven players from the starting team play away from their country. An example of the moment of crisis in Spanish football and the enrichment of the group with international experience.
Only Portugal stretched in the final minutes of the first act. Cristiano like a caged lion, hungry for the ball, winning an aerial ball with a portentous jump for Moutinho to forgive the only goal action. It was the warning, yes, of what would happen in the second act.
The Portuguese were armed in the center of the field to stop the fluidity of Spanish football. It caused more imprecision and the change in profile of the media did not help either. From Ceballos y Canales to Mikel Merino and the newcomer Campaign.
Spain suddenly got stuck. The speed in the last meters of Portugal began a phase of suffering for Luis Enrique’s men and the wood saved them. He repelled a left-footed shot from Cristiano Ronaldo’s crossbar, who assisted in the second, upon Renato’s free-of-mark arrival, who hit the crossbar. The two balls bounced over the line. Luck fell on the Spanish side.
The renewal of the Spanish team was reflected in the captaincy. With the changes, Rodri went on to wear the bracelet with just thirteen caps. It was difficult to take a step forward, just with the audacity of Olmo who did not tire of trying until a remarkable debut from Adama Traoré arrived.
A different footballer in the Spanish ecosystem. Pure power, speed, overflow. He generated danger every time he touched the ball. He assisted so that Olmo failed the clearest and caressed the goal with a crossed shot.
But the duel should have fallen on the Portuguese side if Joao Félix had been accurate in the last play. He watched as the ball went under his legs when, inches from the goal line, it appeared by surprise at the far post after a corner with a header from Semedo. Luis Enrique has not lost since his return, proud of the identity with massive rotations.
