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Ferran Torres tugged at his red shirt and kissed it, just above the plaque. There is a star in him and there is a star within him too, the applause accompanied him as he stood there with a big smile and trying to understand what was happening. The Manchester City striker, still just 20 years old, playing his seventh international game, had just scored his third goal of an astonishing night in which Spain reached the semi-finals of the Nations League crushing Germany with the kind of performance to the word perfect would not be out of place.
It was the fifth goal, and it wasn’t even the last. With two minutes remaining, Spain returned to pass the ball and José Luis Gayá prepared substitute Mikel Oyarzabal to complete a 6-0 victory. Yes, six. Against Germany. This was historic, the kind of time that 65,000 people should spend the rest of their lives bragging about being there. Instead, only 300 can do it, but they will. Joachim Löw’s team was not only defeated for the first time in 13 games, it was demolished. The doubts of Spain disintegrated; just listing the opportunities would fill this page and the next, and in the end, it seemed strange to remember that 90 minutes ago there had been nerves. Most felt the need to win meant this was a task beyond the national team, which came to Seville on a three-game winless streak, the longest in 18 years.
Olivier Giroud scored two goals to help world champions France beat Sweden 4-2 at home in the Nations League.
Giroud scored on either side of Benjamin Pavard’s goal in the first half as Les Bleus rallied from Viktor Claesson’s first goal for the visitors.
Sweden, which cut back arrears through Robin Quaison before France’s Kingsley Coman closed out victory in injury time, were relegated to League B.
Didier Deschamps’ French team, which had already qualified for the Final Four, topped Group Three with 16 points from six games, three points ahead of Portugal, which beat third-placed Croatia 3-2.
Sweden finished last with three points, behind Croatia on goal difference. Giroud, who has only made three Premier League appearances for Chelsea this season, has now scored 44 international goals to break seven of Thierry Henry’s all-time record for France’s goals. Reuters
However, Luis Enrique had said that it was “almost better” that they had to win. That way, he reasoned, there would be no question: they would have to go for it. And, boy, did they. Wave after wave and from the first whistle to the last, they tore apart Germany, who was left wondering where they came from. It turned out that the answer was everywhere, although at first it was on the right, where they had to be incisors. There, Torres repeatedly attacked Philipp Max.
Inside him, Koke took control, deftly supported by Rodri. Seeing the Atlético midfielder dominate, there was only one question: how were two years going to pass since his last call up? And yet it would be wrong to single out the individuals: they were all excellent. Even the first two forced substitutions, Sergio Canales and Sergio Ramos injured, did not stop them. Canales’ fantastic replacement, Fabián Ruiz, scored the first goal when Morata superbly headed his deep corner.
They had only been playing for 15 minutes but had been arriving, Manuel Neuer saved Ramos in the sixth and Spain refused to give in. Torres especially: he threw one past the far post, gave another for Morata to score a second that was ruled out, and then was stopped by Neuer. He fell to his knees, surprised that he had been denied, but it didn’t last. Almost immediately, Dani Olmo headed Koke’s ball off the bar and Torres crashed on the rebound.
Torres and Ruiz’s wonderful footwork provoked applause in this almost empty arena, the silence mostly filled by the sound of crickets and the caress of the ball, before Rodri led his head to make it 3-0 at halftime and 13 -1 in shots. It seemed easy, but there was no relief. Spain was enjoying it too much. Olmo opened the second half running only for Neuer to save and Morata was next, opening wide spaces and building the feeling that Spain could cross Germany at will. So they did.
Ruiz then set off, releasing Gayá to fly by and preparing Torres, one of two Spaniards alone in the penalty area, to score the fourth. The City man could have made five from Koke’s back heel shortly after and made it five with 19 minutes to go. Again Ruiz toasted and Torres hit a fresh shot at the net from the left edge of the area. While the few people here were applauding in admiration, Torres withdrew along with Olmo and Morata. His job was done; his companions, however, had not yet finished with Germany.
