![]() ![]() It all felt a little too late though and Enrique might well wonder whether introducing the pace and power of Adama Traore might not have done more to unhinge the Swedish door. Sarabria did offer width and when Luis Enrique sent on Villarreal's Gerard Moreno for Olmo in the 74th minute he almost came up trumps with Moreno forcing a great late save from Olsen. Luis Enrique persevered until the 66th minute when Morata, who was booed by fans in a recent friendly and did little to win over his critics, was replaced by midfielder Pablo Sarabria - a switch that left Spain with no striker on the pitch. Olmo looked lively enough and had one header superbly saved by Sweden keeper Robin Olsen, while Morata wasted his side's best opportunity in the first half when he curled wide when he should have scored. ![]() Luis Enrique sprung a surprise when he gave a start to Barcelona's teenage midfielder Pedri in his 4-3-3 formation.ĭespite showing classy touches, Pedri struggled to impose himself although it was a tough game in which to judge him.Ĭriticism will be levelled at Spain's forward trio of Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo and Alvaro Morata, however, none of whom finished the game. The second half, in particular, became all too comfortable for a stoic and disciplined Swedish who, despite spending the whole match camped in their own half, still managed to create two of the game's best chances. Spain Coach Luis Enrique was left with more questions than answers after his side dominated Sweden in their Group E opener on Monday but ended up being held to the first 0-0 draw of Euro 2020.Ī first home game for Spain in a tournament finals since the 1982 World Cup began encouragingly but fizzled out into anti-climax as their attacking threat was absorbed into the giant yellow sponge in front of them.Īccording to Opta Stats, Spain attempted 917 passes and enjoyed 85 percent possession - the highest numbers seen at a European Championship since 1980.īut just as in their World Cup exit against Russia in 2018, when they recorded very similar figures, the Spanish displayed a worrying lack of cutting edge that will hearten the players of Poland and Slovakia who face Spain next in the group. Scotland began the game at full throttle, fuelled by a vociferous home crowd, who seemed to defy the fact that there were fewer than 10,000 of them in the stadium. The result left the Czechs on three points, level at the top of Group D with England, who beat Croatia 1-0 on Sunday, while Scotland will already be feeling nervous about their prospects for their next game against England on Friday, when the Czechs also face Croatia. While Scotland were profligate, the Czechs were worthy winners, soaking up Scottish pressure in the first half and quieting a noisy Hampden Park crowd, who were seeing their side play in a major tournament for the first time since the 1998 World Cup. "It's a tough lesson for us that, at the highest level, at the best tournaments, you have to take your chances," says Scotland captain Andy Robertson. "Czech Republic did that, we didn't." ![]() The game would have had a different complexion had Jack Hendry found the net instead of cracking an effort against the bar early in the second half, while Lyndon Dykes was guilty of wasting two superb opportunities. Scotland had battled gamely on their return to tournament football after a 23-year absence and spurned several excellent chances of their own. Schick described his effort as "a cherry " and added mischievously that he had clocked Marshall frequently advancing up the pitch earlier in the match. ![]()
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