Bryan Zaragoza Saves the Day as Spain Edge Switzerland in a Dramatic Nations League Clash
On a wild night at Estadio de Tenerife, where three penalties were given, Spain defeated Switzerland 3-2 to finish their Nations League A Group 4 campaign. Spain had a widely rotated lineup despite having already guaranteed the top spot in the group, but a determined Swiss team pushed them to the limit.
Despite dominating the first few minutes, Spain was unable to turn their dominance into clear-cut opportunities. Ricardo Rodriguez’s foul gave Álvaro Morata a penalty, which led to the breakthrough. In front of his home crowd, Pedri attempted to take the penalty kick but was stopped by Swiss goalie Yvan Mvogo. Yeremy Pino finally grabbed the rebound and put it home to give Spain a 1-0 lead.
Miro Muheim recklessly challenged Pedri a few moments later, but the midfielder was able to continue after receiving medical care. Even though the score was still small, Spain appeared to be in charge as the first half came to a close.
Twists in the Second Half
After the interval, Switzerland stormed back into the game. Shortly after missing a fantastic opportunity to tie the game, Joel Monteiro made amends by dribbling past three Spanish defenders and nutmegging Robert Sanchez to make it 1-1.
Spain reacted promptly. Bryan Gil restored Spain’s lead at 2-1 after taking advantage of a defensive blunder and using incredible footwork to generate space and shoot past Mvogo.
There were more surprises in the last few minutes. Switzerland received their second penalty of the evening after Fabian Ruiz gave Vincent Sierro a high boot in the Spanish box. The score was tied at 2-2 after a conversion by Andi Zeqiri.
Spain changed tactics in the last seconds and refused to settle. Bryan Zaragoza, on loan from Bayern Munich, was fouled by Sierro and was awarded a penalties, which he calmly took to give La Roja a 3-2 victory.
Important Takeaways
Although there were brilliant moments in Spain’s drastically altered team, coach Luis de la Fuente had concerns about defensive mistakes and Robert Sanchez’s lackluster goalkeeping performance. Switzerland’s Nations League campaign is now questionable after their valiant attempt failed to take advantage of Spain’s weaknesses.
Spain’s victory demonstrated their depth and tenacity, and La Roja finished their group stage on a high note thanks to Bryan Zaragoza’s heroic performance.
