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Spain’s Euro 2020 status hung in the balance coming into the final set of fixtures in Group E, but galvanised by the impressive Pablo Sarabia, Enrique’s side blew away a feeble Slovakia, scoring five goals in the process to avoid an embarrassing elimination.
After failing to break through into Real Madrid’s first team, Sarabia joined Getafe in 2011, where he matured and earned a move to Sevilla in 2016. The 29-year-old now resides in Paris, featuring for the mighty Paris Saint-Germain.
Utilised on the right side of a front three by Enrique for the national side, Sarabia’s two appearances at Euro 2020 so far have been from the bench. He gained his first start in the City where he flourished for Los Nervionenses.
The Madrid-born player did not disappoint on the night and contributed to Spain’s opening goal in the 30th minute, but that came after Álvaro Morata missed a penalty 19 minutes earlier.
Morata’s penalty at medium height to Martin Dúbravka’s right was saved by the Slovakian number one, another opportunity missed by the out of form striker, whose confidence must be at rock bottom.
Despite the early penalty save, Dúbravka went on to have a dreadful performance.
Sarabia received the ball on the edge of the area from a stray Slovakian back-pass and beautifully curled his shot only to see it hit the crossbar and rebound upwards.
In a desperate attempt to push the ball over the bar, Dúbravka only managed to divert it into his own goal to give Spain a crucial lead.
Pedri was another who made his mark on this confident Spanish performance.
Barcelona’s young starlet occupies a central playmaking role for Luis Enrique’s team and was one of the few bright sparks in Spain’s first two games.
The Tegueste-born prospect had an influential role in Spain’s second of the evening with a delightful chip over the Slovakian defence, which found Gerard Moreno. Villarreal’s talisman crossed the ball to Aymeric Laporte, who sent a looping header past Dúbravka.
Pedri’s performance oozed class that stemmed from his breakout season for Barcelona.
Dúbravka was also partly at fault for Spain’s second after failing to claim Pedri’s sumptuous floated pass.
Spain’s third was a throwback to the champagne football played under Vincente del Bosque during the mid-2000s, with Sarabia adding a goal to his outstanding performance.
The sweeping started when the returning Sergio Busquets played a simple pass to Pedri, who controlled the ball and caressed a pass out to Jordi Alba.
Alba produced a trademark cross, which Sarabia finished with a first timed cushioned shot.
This was one of Sarabia’s four shots, two of which contributed to Spanish goals.
Spain evidently lacked a cutting edge in their first two games, but there were no problems on this occasion. The only worry for Enrique is a fifth missed penalty for his side.
A key difference between this current Spanish side to the great teams of the past is the centre-forward position.
Currently occupied by either Álvaro Morata or Gerard Moreno, neither player has the same level of finishing as David Villa or Fernando Torres who scored plenty of goals in Spain’s golden era.
An answer to a problematic issue for Luis Enrique may come in the form of Manchester City forward Ferrán Torres.
Primarily used as a winger, Torres’ first season in Manchester has been fairly prolific with 13 goals in 36 appearances for City. Injuries to Sergio Agüero and Gabriel Jesus led to Torres being deployed as a striker, and the results have been promising.
Torres finished another clever Spanish move, this time a corner kick routine with Sarabia at the heart of it.
Koke rolled the ball short to Sarabia, who played a sharp one-two with Pedri to free him from the grasp of two Slovakian defenders.
Sarabia sent a pass to the front post where Torres expertly flicked the ball past Dúbravka to add a fourth goal.
This was Sarabia’s third and final goal involvement, as the PSG man made a claim for a starting spot for Spain’s impending round of 16 fixture. The 29-year-old boasted an 85% pass completion rate in an eye-catching display.
Any hope of progression at Euro 2020 for Slovakia had vanished by the time Juraj Kucka’s own goal gave Spain a fifth after chaos in the Slovakian six-yard box.
Štefan Tarkovič will be ruing a missed opportunity to progress at Euro 2020. A reluctance to attack and beat Sweden in the previous fixture has cost Sokoli a place in the round of 16, but there can be no complaints after a disastrous display against Spain.
Spain were by no means at their best against Slovakia, but it was a step in a positive direction for Enrique’s side. No doubt, the return of Busquets and the emergence of Sarabia as a vital part of the team will boost the team.
They travel to Copenhagen to face Croatia after a late Viktor Claesson goal allowed Sweden to hold onto the top of Group E above Spain in second place.
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