MADRID, 11 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish soccer team will face this Thursday and this Sunday two matches of maximum importance for its future since its qualification for the World Cup next year will be at stake, an appointment that has not been lacking since 1974.
Spain, after the ‘Final to Four’, returns to play two ‘finals’ against Greece and Sweden, probably of greater importance than last month’s duels in Milan, because it cannot fail if it does not want to risk its presence in Qatar, a situation reminiscent of the one he had to deal with in 1993.
While Spain was in Italy on the ‘hunt’ for an official title, Sweden took advantage of it to make it clear that it will not provide facilities for the conquest of the first place in Group B, the only one that gives direct access to the next World Cup. The Swedes beat Kosovo (3-0) and Greece (2-0) at home and regained the lead with two rounds left, with two points ahead of ‘Roja’.
The first of them will be this Thursday and both Janne Andersson’s and Luis Enrique’s will have to search for the three points at home. The Scandinavian team will want to make sure they are leading the direct duel with the Spanish with a victory against Georgia, while their rival will have a more complicated exit to Athens where a Greece awaits that is only worth a victory that would complicate even the ‘playoff’ to the three-time champion of Europe.
But if Swedes and Spaniards fulfill their first two commitments, they would then play the direct ticket at the La Cartuja Stadium in Seville on November 14. For Sweden, who already drew goalless on this stage in the last EURO against Spain, that result would be worth it to condemn Luis Enrique’s men to an uncomfortable tie.
For this reason, these next two games are surely even more important than those played last week by the national team, which has not missed a great football event since it did not qualify for the European Championship in 1992.
THE MEMORY OF 93
Since then, he has not failed again and in very few qualifying phases he has probably been as pressured as he is this time. Precisely, a very similar situation was the one that he experienced for the 1994 World Cup in the United States when he was out at that time in the absence of the last two days that he should be measured against his two main rivals, although on that occasion the matches were separated by a month.
That team, then coached by Javier Clemente, was third with 15 points when it had to pay a visit to the Republic of Ireland, which had 17, while Denmark had 16, when there were still two points for victory. The defeat in Dublin against a rival who had not yet lost left the United States without a trip, but the ‘Roja’ had a great match to win 1-3 with goals from Caminero and Julio Salinas (2) and keep their options.
They went through winning Denmark, who had not failed and was 18, at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. In a tense match, played with ten from almost the beginning due to the expulsion of Andoni Zubizarreta, a header from Fernando Hierro in the 62nd minute gave the victory and knocked out the current European champion, who crashed before an inspired Santi Cañizares.
In addition, there were also problems to be in the final stages of Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, where Spain did have to go through the tense ‘playoff’. To be on the mainland of Portugal, he had to play a play-off against Norway after finishing second one point behind a surprising Greece, while for the World Cup in Germany, he had to get rid of Slovakia after falling two points behind. Serbia and Montenegro.
In the qualifying phase for Euro 2008 there were also difficulties due to the bad start with the defeats against Northern Ireland and Sweden, but then he came back to finish first, although on that occasion it was also worth being second to go straight to the tournament. Since then, the tickets for the big tournaments have not been much demanded.