Ferran Torres pulled at his red shirt and kissed it, just above the badge. There is a star on it and there is a star inside it too, applause accompanying him as he stood there wearing a huge smile.
The Manchester City attacker, still just 20 years old, playing his seventh international game, had scored his third goal of an astonishing night in which Spain reached the final four of the Nations League by crushing Germany with the kind of performance for which the word perfect would be no exaggeration.Spain 6-0 Germany, Croatia 2-3 Portugal: Nations League – as it happened
It was the fifth goal, and it wasn’t even the last. With two minutes to go, José Luis Gayá set up Mikel Oyarzabal to complete a 6-0 victory.
Yes, six. Against Germany. This was historic, the kind of occasion that 65,000 people should be boasting of having been at for the rest of their lives. Instead, barely three can do so, but all of them will. All those who were not German, at least – Joachim Löw’s team not just defeated for the first time in 13 games, but demolished.
By the end it seemed bizarre to imagine Spain had been on edge at the start, needing a win.
Luis Enrique had said it was “almost better” that Spain had to win. That way, he reasoned, there would be no doubts, no decision to be made, no wondering what to do; they would have to go for it. And, boy, did they. In waves, they went at Germany, who must have felt like Spain were coming from everywhere. On the right, Torres repeatedly ran at and beyond Philipp Max, on route to the penalty area.
Inside him, Álvaro Morata was hyperactive in the opening minutes. Behind them both, Koke took control. Watching the Atlético midfielder dominate here, there was just one doubt: how could it have been two years since he was last called up for the national team?
Even two first-half substitutions, Sergio Canales and Sergio Ramos forced to depart, did not slow the Selección. In fact, Canales’s replacement, Fabián Ruiz, provided the first goal, his deep corner headed in superbly by Morata.
They had only been playing 15 minutes but it had been coming. Manuel Neuer saved from Ramos in the sixth minute after Dani Olmo was fouled on the edge of the area. Spain didn’t let up.
Torres especially: he pulled one shot just past the far post, provided for Morata to score a second that was ruled out, and then was denied by Neuer.
He slipped to his knees, unable to believe that he had been thwarted, but he did not need to wait much longer. Koke’s inswinging ball was headed off the bar by Olmo and Torres smashed in the rebound. (The Guardian UK)
