Pablo Fornals, in the action of the first goal of Spain.Visar Kryeziu / AP
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Football winked at Spain, who snorted out of Pristina's Fadil Vokrri stadium.
La Roja won, but starred in a game that portrayed that defensive weakness that teaches game by game.
The result punished Kosovo, who made merits to at least get a draw.
The local team did not scratch a better result due to his lack of aim and because Unai Simón had to act again as a miracle goalkeeper in the final stretch with a prodigious save.
The luck of Spain expanded to Athens, where Greece beat Sweden (2-1). The setback of the Scandinavian team was another gift that allows this inconsistent selection of Luis Enrique to depend on itself to finish first in the group and obtain the direct ticket to the World Cup in Qatar. Now Spain leads the group with 13 points and +8 in goal difference, for the nine points and +4 of Sweden, which has played two games less. If the Red win the two remaining games, against Greece as a visitor and against Sweden at home, they will have avoided the play-off that is so feared by the new format that forces them to overcome two single-match qualifiers. The bad news for the national team is that the Greeks also depend on them and Spain visits them on November 11. Luis Enrique must improve the defensive system a lot,that in this three-game window has been cracked with blushing ease.
0
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2
ESP
Kosovo Arijanet Muric, Rrahmani, Betim Fazliji, Mergim Vojvoda, Hadergjonaj, Florian Loshaj, Zymer Bytyqi, Elbasan Rashani, Ibrahim Dresevic, Vedat Muriqi and Rashica Spain Unai Simón, Marcos Llorente (Merino, min. 85) 85), Laporte, Koke, Busquets, Carlos Soler (Azpilicueta, min. 57), Morata (Sarabia, min. 71), Fornals (Adama Traoré, min. 58) and Ferrán Torres
Goals0-1 min.
31: Fornals.
0-2 min.
87: Ferran Torres.
The idea of the weaknesses of Luis Enrique's daring system is beginning to spread among Spain's rivals. There is a widespread belief that the team lives on the wire because of the daring overtaking of the defense. It was clear to the coach that transitions without formalities could undress Spain. There is nothing that Luis Enrique's team likes less than running backwards. The main executor of those meteoric counterattacks was goalkeeper Muric with his serves, either with his hand or his foot. Muriqi and Rashica were thrown by their goalkeeper almost to free field. In one of them, the first one, Unai Simón flopped the ball with his glove in a hand-in-hand that was finally annulled for offside. But it was a glaring example of that walk on the edge of the razor that pursues the Red,be it an important rival or one of the third car. The same happened with another defensive escape that led to a shot from Rashica that buzzed near the right post of Unai Simón. The fast forwards have become a real threat to the Spanish centrals. Whether a right-handed center-back and a left-handed one play, or two zocatos like Laporte and Íñigo Martínez. Luis Enrique repeated the Eurocup formula that left so many doubts when they formed the City center-back and Pau Torres.Luis Enrique repeated the Eurocup formula that left so many doubts when they formed the City center-back and Pau Torres.Luis Enrique repeated the Eurocup formula that left so many doubts when they formed the City center-back and Pau Torres.
More result than game
More than 20 minutes it took Spain to adjust the pressure to cut off that trickle that made the Asturian coach desperate.
The ball game was something else.
Slow and predictable.
A pasty football in which neither the midfielders sharpened the passes nor the forwards agitated the Kosovo defense.
There was also no sign of the flight that the gangs had against Georgia.
Soler missed the injured Gayá and it was difficult for him to thread plays with Reguilón, chosen for the inconvenience that left Alba on the bench.
Llorente also saw his benefits as a winger diminished again.
On the only occasion that Spain was able to tie three damaging passes, it was able to open the can. Between Soler and Morata they combined to reach Fornals. The winger's maneuver was nine of a lifetime. He received his back and closed his turn with a tremendous slap at mid-height. A free-kick from Soler and a header from Morata were the only things that La Roja could generate before the break. The result was above the game displayed by the Spaniards, who left their way to the changing rooms puffing from the shaking.
Neither the advantage on the scoreboard nor the rest settled Spain. Again the balls at her back put her on the edge of the precipice. A bad control of Iñigo Martínez gave the ball to Muriqi and all the way free to meet Unai Simón. The stands cheered the career of the Lazio striker singing in advance a goal that did not go up because the ball ended up splintering the base of the post. Another bumpy scare. The shocks to which Unai Simón was subjected are not typical of a team that seeks to re-establish itself among the best.
Before the bleeding, Luis Enrique moved chips giving entry to Azpilicueta and Adama Traoré for Soler and Fornals.
Not even the return of Llorente to the center of the field stabilized Spain.
Not once was he able to manufacture the Red one, which lived until the end on the brink of a heart attack.
A mere throw-in and a game change were enough to cause dread.
And on such a play, Bytyqi forced Unai to make a miraculous save.
The shot was damaging, hard and down.
The reaction of the meta was prodigious to put the mitten.
With the party still alive, Ferran made a counterattack that ended the hot flash.
The VAR ended up granting it and Spain snorted again.
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