FOOTBALL – On the second day of the Nations League, a top match was scheduled: Spain played against Portugal in Seville. A promising game, which started with world striker Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench, ended in a deserved score for both countries.
On Wednesday June 1, the Nations League started; the international football competition for men’s teams played every two years between UEFA member states. In 2018, the Nations League was organiSed for the first time. Then Portugal emerged as the winner. The most recent champion of the Nations League is France.
Spain v Portugal
On the second day, Spain kicked off this championship against Portugal. Before the match, there was already a lot of talk about the choice of the Portuguese national coach; Cristiano Ronaldo was not in the starting line-up. Instead, the match started with Ronaldo on the reserve bench. This was only the second time in 14 years that the attacker was not in the starting 11 of a game for the national team.
Ronaldo first half on the bench
Still, Portugal survived a convincing start from the Spanish players, but Spain took the lead midway through the first half. Alvaro Morata struck after a razor-sharp counterattack from Sarabia and scored the first goal of the game. Moments later, it was almost 2-0 for the Spaniards thanks to a chance from Soler. However, goalkeeper Costa managed to avert this attempt.
Spain and Portugal split the points in Seville
Fifteen minutes after the break, the national coach of Portugal decided to use his trump card. Ronaldo was brought on to the field, and the team appeared to be more balanced. Despite this, however, they only managed to score in the final phase of the match. Substitute Horta converted a cross from Cancelo in the 83rd minute. The match between Spain and Portugal did not yield a winner and ended in Sevilla as 1-1.
What next for Spain?
The Nations League schedule consists of matches in June and September 2022. Four of the six matches are scheduled for this month. On June 5, Spain will play its next game against the Czech Republic; on June 9 against Switzerland and again on June 12 against the Czech Republic. The last matches will take place on September 24 and 27 against Switzerland and Portugal respectively.
Also read: Could Spain and Portugal host the 2030 World Cup?
