Less decisive than on the first day, frustrated by the decisive stops of Kurds and slowed down by the intensity in which it was used in the crash Azerbaijan, Spain held en route to the quarterfinals of the euro 2022, because she still depends on herself for everything, to be first, to be second or to be eliminated, thanks to a right hand from Sergio Lozano which established the 2-2.
His four points surpasses them Georgia, with six. Not only has he kept up with the pace of Spain, but, with his two wins (3-2 against Azerbaijan in the first match and 1-2 against Bosnia Herzegovina, this Wednesday), he has surpassed it. Between the two, in their direct duel next Saturday, is the first place in the group: a Georgia It is worth one point, to the Spanish team only with the three. With one she will also qualify, but as second. and i would wait Russia.
The 2-2 is a lesser evil. Because Spain suffered this Wednesday. Within a physical game, with the complexity of stopping a pivot of the size of Vilela, demanded by the deployment, force, friction, fouls, intensity and tactical rigor of Azerbaijan, the group of Faith Vidal he needed patience, insistence and determination… for his own mistakes; the same ones that his opponent waited for, found and took advantage of to raise the challenge for the Spanish team to the point that it reduced everything to a draw.
First in the 0-1 of Sergio Lozano own goal in the 10th minute -the Barça footballer claimed a foul-, with the 1-1 two minutes later in a strategic action culminated by Raul Gomez, but, above all, afterwards, when goalkeeper Kurdov suddenly emerged as an insurmountable wall for many minutes and when Spain did what they shouldn’t, with a concession in the exit of the ball that Atayev and Azerbaijan took advantage of (1-2 , m. 17).
The 1-2 challenged even more to Spain, at first before a hieroglyph for his own offensive inefficiency, crashed on several occasions with the interventions of the rival goalkeeper or with the post (up to three times, an incredible one when Cecilio he finished off the post one meter from the opposite frame), but also, in others, because of the difficulty it posed Azerbaijan, prepared for the game that was being played, dedicated to resistance, with a hard leg in each set and entrusted to the minimum advantage he had and his defense to protect himself.
But with so much time ahead, with a team like Spain in front, his exercise was not enough. It was a matter of time the goal of the Spanish team, which resurfaced on the scoreboard with a far right shot from Sergio Lozano who this time was not reached by Kurdov (2-2) with still ten minutes to go, still concerned about village and for the tie, without as much offensive flow as he had until he leveled the match, even more so when his rival opted for the game of five. Still scared Spain, holding on to a quarterfinal point.
Datasheet:
2 – Spain: Didac Plana, Ortiz, Lozano, Mellado, Raúl Gómez -first five-; Esteban, Catela, Chino, Boyis, Borja and Cecilio.
2 – Azerbaijan: Kurdov, Felipinho, Fineo, Eduardo, Vilela -initial five-; Broom, Farzaliyev, Chondaron, Bolinha, Atayev, Baghirov and Ahmadi.
Goals: 0-1, m. 10: Sergio Lozano, own goal. 1-1, m. 12: Raul Gomez. 1-2, m. 17: Atayev. 2-2, m. 30: Sergio Lozano.
Referees: Miguel Castilho (Portugal) and Gábor Kovács (Hungary). They admonished the Spanish Chino (m. 25) and the Azerbaijani Atayev (m. 9) and Vassoura (m. 33).
Incidents: Match corresponding to the second day of Euro 2022 in the Netherlands, played at the MartiniPlaza in Groningen before about 100 spectators due to the Covid restrictions.