The Spanish soccer team achieved victory in its fifth match in the group stage of this edition of the UEFA Nations League. La Roja beat Denmark 1-2 and managed to consolidate the first position in its group, so it will go to the quarterfinals as seeded. Luis de la Fuente’s men were superior throughout a match in which Mikel Oyarzabal and Ayoze Pérez were the executionersalthough the Danes closed the gap thanks to a blunder by the Spanish defense.
The match began with a powerful Denmark, pressing high and seeking to force errors from the Reds. It was difficult for Spain to reach the center of the field, but when it did, the danger was very high. The first opportunity came with a great pass from the death of Ayoze Pérez that Dani Olmo let pass, although Álex Baena did not finish. In the subsequent corner, Ayoze himself was also close to scoring, but was left wanting.
The Villarreal attacker received a ball into space shortly after, and machine-gunned Schmeichel, but the ball hit the crossbar. The efforts of the European champions took effect in the 15th minute. Mikel Merino stole a ball in the opponent’s field, and quickly looked for Ayoze on the right wing. The Tenerife native recognized Oyarzabal’s unchecking, and gave him a perfect ball that the Real Sociedad striker took advantage of to put Spain ahead.
Back into space, and again through a huge Ayoze, the Spanish team had a new opportunity, which in this case Schmeichel rejected. The ball fell to Dani Olmo, who looked for the goal, but did not find it with his unorthodox shot as the ball rained down on him.. The Nordics responded with a shot from Gronbaek, but Zubimendi deflected the shot.
The second half followed the tone of the first, with a superior Spain and a Denmark with few opportunities but a solid performance. Spain moved the ball in the center of the field, and as the ball reached Dani Olmo in the 58th minute, the Barça player looked for Ayoze, who broke lines off the right. The Canarian ran towards the delivery, and beat the Danish goalkeeper with a cross left foot that pierced the net.
The northerners then woke up, going for a tie that would make their lives easier on the last day. Isaksen was about to score with a shot to the long postbut the wood prevented the hope.
When the ball was played in the 84th minute, Fabián delayed towards David Raya, who, with barely any space after the delivery, could not get rid of the ball, which Isaksen himself pushed into the goal. Despite the Danish momentum, the Spanish team prevailed and confirmed its place in the quarterfinals of the Nations League as first place. The next appointment, against Switzerland, on Monday, November 18.
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