Spain 3-0 Sweden
Spain are once again making short work of qualifying for the European Champions. After thrashing the Faroe Islands 4-1, the Spaniards swept aside top Euro 2020 Group F rivals Sweden, 3-0, at the Santiago Bernabeu.
For the second game in a row, manager Luis Enrique — who still isn’t with the squad due to a family emergency — made surprising team selections as he gave a number of newcomers the opportunity to start. But despite the changes, the Spaniards still looked a class above their opponents.
Just like in the Faroe Islands match, captain Sergio Ramos got the scoring started for the Spaniards, who were never truly tested by a Sweden team that was also gunning for top spot in the group.
As a result of their victory, Spain are now in complete control of the group and are well on their way toward qualification.
Highlights of the game
After making some surprising selections against the Faroe Islands, Spain manager Luis Enrique once again named an interesting starting XI against Sweden. He gave Napoli’s Fabian Ruiz the start on his first international cap, while Valencia midfielder Dani Parejo and Athletic Bilbao defender Inigo Martinez were also unexpected starters.
Fabian produced Spain’s first notable shot on goal on 14 minutes as he tried to curl one into the top corner. But Sweden keeper Robin Olsen’s strong hand pushed the shot away. That was the first of Spain’s three successive Euro 2020 highlights that could’ve resulted in a goal.
Spain again tested Olsen with a shot from distance, this time courtesy of Parejo. The Valencia man stroked a sweet volley that was destined for the bottom corner, only to be denied by a diving Olsen.
And on the ensuing corner delivered by Parejo, Olsen parried away a strong header from Sergio Ramos. Ramos had another shot off a corner in first-half stoppage time, but his acrobatic effort sailed way over the goal.
Spain continued to produce chances off corners in the second half. Parejo found Isco on the edge of the box, but the Real Madrid man’s volley wasn’t quite on target. Parejo supplied another Isco attempt in the 55th minute, this time from open play. But Isco dragged his shot well wide of Olsen’s goal.
The Swedes finally got a shot on target at the hour mark care of Robin Quiason. His relatively tame effort was comfortably caught by Kepa Arrizabalaga, though.
But shortly thereafter, Spain finally got the breakthrough from the penalty spot. Marco Asensio’s cross struck Sebastian Larsson’s raised arm, which is an automatic penalty these days. Up stepped Sergio Ramos to take the kick, and the Spanish captain made no mistake as he sent Olsen the wrong way.
Spain sealed the win with another penalty in the 83rd minute after substitute Alvaro Morata was brought down by Sweden defender Filip Helander. This time, Morata was given the chance to dispatch the penalty, which he placed in the same corner that Ramos sent his.
And to put the finishing touches on the win, another Spanish sub in Mikel Oyarzabal scored his first international goal with a well-taken strike at the edge of the box.
Key statistics
Sergio Ramos has been in amazing scoring form for his country. The defender has scored in three of their four Euro 2020 qualifiers to date, starting with his winning penalty against Norway.
Ramos has now scored 20 goals for his country in 165 international caps. He’s just two appearances away from equalling former Real Madrid and Spain team-mate Iker Casillas record for most all-time caps for Spain with 167.
Moreover, Ramos picked up his 123rd career international victory, extending his record for most wins by a single player in international football history. He recently passed Casillas, who previously held the record with 121.
Dating back to September 2007, Spain have now won 25 out of their last 26 European Championship qualifying matches. With that sort of form, they will invariably be among the top contenders in terms of the Euro 2020 betting odds.
What’s next?
The next round of Euro 2020 qualifiers won’t come around until September. Spain are set to visit Romania, who are tied with Sweden with seven points in four games, before hosting the Faroe Islands. It’s safe to say the SBOBET odds should heavily favour the Spaniards in both matches.
Meanwhile, the Swedes will travel to the Faroe Islands in their next assignment, then host Scandinavian neighbours Norway. The last time those two teams met in Oslo, it resulted in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
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