Spain is a blessed madness

This Spain is serious. This Spain played as it had not done before in the Eurocup, where other teams do not hesitate to hang the label of great capped. And he showed character just when it was needed most. La Roja is in the quarterfinals after scoring five goals again, one of them poetic justice. Morata signed it, in an action as the canons mandate. Control, volley and violins. No one needed it more than him. They say that at this time, Luis Enrique is still giving boats of joy for the band.

If we had doubts as to where Croatia was going to stand, they were quickly resolved. Zlatko Dalic ordered his 4-3-3 thrown back, without pressing the exit of the ball from Spain. In defense he opted for Caleta-Car to replace the sanctioned Lovren, while in attack it was Rebic who had to solve the difficult ballot of covering the absence by positive of Perisic, the Croatian dagger in what we had of the European Championship. In point, Petkovic was an island. The first time the Milan striker threatened to control a ball in three-quarters of the Croatian attack, he found himself in the middle of an ambush with Ferran, Eric and Busquets all around him. It ended with a lack of the City center back. It was the clear warning of the defensive concessions that the Spanish internationals were willing to grant to the Croatian tower (1.92).

The ball was ours, now there was the small detail of knowing what to do with it. A mission that is always easier if it is people like Pedri who must make the decisions. In the 15th minute, the Barça man invented a pass that left Koke with a frank shot from the penalty spot. He shot low, too centered, and Livakovic was enough to stretch his foot to the handball goalkeeper to clear for a corner. It was a blast of light in the midst of so much contention on the part of the Croats, who did not blush to remain sunk behind by giving up the ball. Four minutes later we enjoyed another clear chance, this time on a Morata header that bounced off Vida instead of going to goal. However, the worst was not that, missing scoring opportunities, but what was to come. Because in minute 20 the Spanish salons gave a boat. While La Roja triangulated to start the play, Pedri yielded to Unai Simón, who entrusted himself in such a way that he tried to control with his foot and did nothing but sneak a goal that from that moment became meme meat. Some say that Pedri hit the ball too hard. Actually there is no debate: the error of the Athletic goal does not admit apologies. Too serious. Lethal if we talk about a European Championship.

A time was then opened in which La Roja had to show its true height in this type of championship. He had played better than Croatia until the goal, yes, but we had to show that our jaw was not made of glass. Vlasic hit the liver (shot outside the net) and Kovacic threatened the chin (shot that went high), but Spain, which was reeling, did not fall. On the contrary, it was redone. Over low heat, without the freshness of the previous minutes, but it was fueling the game until the 37th minute, ultimately cotton candy for our Selection. Of course, it cost his because the play required two shots from Gayà until he rejects final fell on the left leg of Sarabia, who did not forgive. Goal to shout until it was heard in Germany, a goal that in his dedication he could not carry anything other than ‘This is for you, Unai’.

In the first play of the resumption, another assignment to Unai sowed the Croatian shouting in the stands, but the Athletic goalkeeper resolved calmly, perhaps too much. It is seen that he is going to get close to the bull. Luis Enrique kept his wings where they had finished the first half: Sarabia on the right and Ferran on the left. And with a changed leg we live much better. Dalic, meanwhile, sat Petkovic and gave Kramaric entry in search of greater mobility in attack. But what the Croats did not have was an 18-year-old boy, with the football nickname Pedri, who, far from wrinkled by his mistake in the goal that opened the scoring, wanted the ball in every attack. And after two threats, he started the diagonal that ended in a pass to Ferran, whose center was headed to goal by … Azpilicueta. The Chelsea captain emerged where no one expected him to do justice to a game in which Spain had been braver up to that point.

Unai lived his minute of glory with a save to Gvardiol in the 67th minute. Olmo relieved Sarabia, while Pau Torres did the same with Eric. Fresh blood to support La Roja in the final fifteen minutes that should give us victory. The third goal, the fruit of the rapidity of Torres, Pau and Ferran (eighth goal in fifteen games with the National Team), seemed to seal the victory, but it just seemed. Because the game reserved its final tachycardia for us with Orsic’s Croatian goal and the ten minutes that were still ahead to reach the shore. Right there, when a team with a trade was required, something that this, according to the identity card, is not, Croatia became as big as Pasalic’s jump that made it 3-3 in the 92nd minute. Too hard. It was enough to see the faces of our internationals to understand it as too cruel.

How to recover? Those thirty minutes of extension would serve to gauge what paste this Selection is made of. He was rebuilt at the first warning from Croatia by means of a shot from Kramaric who splendidly stopped Unai and responded with a foray from Alba that, in the absence of Messi, was finished off by Olmo. And he touched glory with a goal that made an entire country scream. Olmo crossed to the area, Morata controlled with the right and volleyed from the left to the back of the net. A perfect action in the best of scenarios. The Juve forward deserved such a joy, as did Oyarzabal, who signed the 3-5. Two goals that allow us to seal the long-awaited passport for the quarterfinals. It was achieved, there we are. With a smile from ear to ear and the feeling that Spain is enjoying everything that the start of the championship had denied us.