Spain were ruthless against Slovakia as they picked up a 5-0 win at Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla to book their place in the round of 16.
The pressure was building on for Luis Enrique‘s men after back to back draws, but today they exhibited their real class.
The hosts got off to a rocky start after Alvaro Morata was denied a penalty by Slovak goalkeeper Martin Dubravka. However, the latter soon conceded a terrible own goal to kill the team’s morale.
Aymeric Laporte doubled the lead for Spain before half-time, and in the second half, everybody witnessed an out and out attacking display for the hosts.
Pablo Sarabia scored Spain’s third before substitute Ferran Torres made a quick impact by finding the nets as soon as he was brought on the field.
More misery awaited the Slovaks as they conceded another own goal to make it 5-0 for Spain.
La Roja have booked their place to the round of 16, where they will meet Croatia, after finishing second behind Sweden in Group E.
Morata’s struggle continues
The Juventus spearhead has been scrutinized for his performances in Euro 2020 thus far, although Enrique backed him continuously to hand him starts in almost every game. He scored against Poland but missed a few chances, much to the ire of the fans. Today could have been a more pleasant day for the 27-year-old, but he made life difficult for himself by missing a penalty. Heading into the knockouts, Enrique has to make a case for Morata in the starting line-up.
Defensive calamity from Slovaks
Dubravka, who saved the penalty against Morata, went from hero to villain in no time, after turning the ball into his own nets, which was the starting point of Spain’s rampage that followed. Slovakia’s defence was all over the place for the entirety of the game and to make matters worse they conceded another own goal courtesy of Kucka in the 71st minute.
Barcelona trio – Pedri, Busquets and Jordi Alba were impressive
With each passing game, Pedri’s importance to Enrique’s side is only growing and the 18-year-old played some eye-catching yet crucial passes against the Slovaks. Sergio Busquets’ impact was clearly visible after returning to the starting line-up for the first time in Euro 2020. The defensive midfielder showed once again why he is substantial to Enrique’s system; meanwhile, Jordi Alba had a productive evening from the left-back position, setting up the goal for Sarabia.
A full-fledged attacking display from the Spaniards
Before the game, Spanish attackers were thrown under the bus for their complacency, and it looked as if it would continue against Slovaks after Morata missed an early penalty. However, Luis Enrique’s men looked more decisive and did show much composure in the final third – the aspects which have been missing – as the game wore on.
