After a complicated win at Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium in Madrid, we take a look at the Player Ratings between Spain and Switzerland.
The UEFA Nations League returned today with several interesting games but Spain against Switzerland at the center of it. Even though the League A’s biggest day will come on Sunday, Group 4 had two matches to enjoy today. Alfredo Di Stefano stadium in Madrid opened its doors for the Spain vs Switzerland match.
Luis Enrique made the decision to give young Ansu Fati his second start with the national team. The only difference between today and the previous match, was the rival’s level of performance. Switzerland is a much more difficult rival than Ukraine, we could tell by the difficult win Spain got today. A lone first-half goal from Oyarzabal was the deciding factor between both squads. However, we did get to see some interesting moments from Ansu Fati and Adama Traore’s official debut with the squad.
Traore’s impact during the second half.
After Ansu had his chance to shine, Luis Enrique somehow thinks playing both he and Traore together is too much to handle. The Wolves’ striker took the youngster’s place and made an instant impact in the match. At least two big chances were created by Adama during his initial minutes on the pitch. We can all admire his impressive power with every dash he makes and every dribble he makes.
Spain wasn’t able to score another goal but not due to a lack of chances. Oyarzabal’s goal came from a defensive mistake by Granit Xhaka but the Swiss remained strong in the back despite Spain’s constant attempts. We believe the man of the match was Adama Traore due to the major impact he had during the second half. This performance should give him a starring role for the next match against Ukraine.
Player ratings
Spain: De Gea (5), Ramos (8), Navas (7), Gaya (7), Pau Torres (7), Busquets (8), Merino (6), Olmo (6), Oyarzabal (8), Ferran Torres (7), Ansu Fati (7).
Bench: Traore (9), Canales (6), Moreno (6), Rodri (5).
Switzerland: Sommer (7), Rodriguez (6), Scharr (7), Benito (7), Widmer (6), Elvedi (7), Mehmedi (7), Xhaka (5), Freuler (7), Sow (6), Seferovic (6).
Bench: Vargas (6), Shaqiri (6), Zuber (7), Fernandez (6), Gavranovic (6).
Feel free to make your pick on player’s ratings and performances using the widget below.
Germany defeats Ukraine.
Elsewhere, the German National team defeated Ukraine in the other match of Group 4. Kyiv was the venue where Joachim Low’s squad scored two goals from Ginter and Goretzka. The locals managed to pull one back, courtesy of Malinovsky from the spot. This result gives Germany the second spot within the group with 5 units, and Spain goes up to 7.