Spain continues to count all its official duels against Georgia as wins (6). The last one came this Sunday, on the cold night that was experienced in Valladolid, where Luis de la Fuente’s team secured first place in group A and thus be seeded in the draw on December 2. After a notable qualifying phase, in which it has clearly gone from less to more, the red team allows itself to look optimistically at the European Championship in Germany next summer.
The last victory was the most hard-fought, without much brilliance and with more difficulties than what the scoreboard ended up saying, but it also left a very bitter taste in the Spanish ranks, which points to a very serious injury to Gavi. On the other hand, Lamine Yamal’s participation in the final stretch prevents him from playing with Morocco and definitively ties him to the Spanish team.
The Valladolid night could not have started better for Spain. In four minutes, Le Normand went first on Zorrilla’s score by finishing off a lateral cross from Ferran Torres with his head. Thus, the Frenchman, the coach’s undisputed commitment, signed his first scoring debut with the red in 8 games. Between the 1-7 scoreline in Tibilisi and a goal so early, everything pointed to a very peaceful duel. Shortly after, Gavi tested Mamardashvili’s reflexes with a great shot. The stadium was a party and nothing suggested the curves that were appearing on the horizon.
Everything started to go wrong after ten minutes. A quick Georgian counterattack suddenly became a tie. As if one, walking, bumps into a glass without expecting it. Chakvetadze’s driving ended with a filtered pass from the Watford player to which Le Normand turned a deaf ear, collecting the Kvaratskhelia gift to beat Unai Simón almost at will.
The tie was not Spain’s only problem. Gavi received a random blow to the knee and it hurt a lot. He tried to return to the field but in his first action he noticed severe pain and asked for a change, abandoning the green in tears. This second blow left De la Fuente’s team groggy, and they completely lost their clairvoyance. Only a cross from Ferran Torres that Morata finished off against Mamardashvili could be scored until half-time.
The coach reorganized his team in the locker room and his team significantly improved their performance in the second half, without the need for great performances. Very quickly the duel began to turn red and Ferran Torres was the main protagonist. First, after a great maneuver, putting a cross on Rodri’s head that ended with Mamardashvili stretching to deflect the ball for a corner. And, later, scoring his team’s second with a header at will after a precise cross from Gayá at the far post.
Having regained control of the scoreboard, Spain no longer suffered, having exhausted all of Georgia’s resources. Although tranquility did not come until the final stretch, when Lochoshvili finished the third into his own goal after a cross from Lamine Yamal to bring down the curtain on the match. But the joy, no one could miss, was not complete. Gavi was on everyone’s minds.
3- Spain: Unai Simon; Carvajal, Inigo Martinez, Le Normand, Gaia; Rodri (Zubimendi, m.85), Gavi (Sancet, m.26), Fabian, Ferran Torres (Yamal, m.65); Nico Williams (Riquelme, m.85), Morata.
1- Georgia: Mamardashvili; Kakabazde (Mamuchashvili, m.89), Kverkvelia, Kashia, Lochoshvili, Azarov (Gocholeishvili, m.77); Chakvetadze (Altunashvili, m.89), Kvekveskiri (Mekvabishvili, m.59), Kochorashvili; Mikautadze (Davitasvhvili, m.59), Kvaratskhelia.
Goals: 1-0, m.4: Le Normand. 1-1, m.9: Kvaratskhelia. 2-1, m.55: Ferran Towers. 3-1, m.72: Lochoshvili (p.p).
Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania). He showed yellow cards to Rodri (m.56), Iñigo Martinez (m.93), Spain and Kvaratskhelia (m.75), Kashia (m.82).
Incidents: Match corresponding to the tenth day of the qualifying phase for the German Euro 2024, played at the José Zorrilla stadium in front of 24,146 spectators.
