Reaction of Spain has arrived and the world press has echoed the defeat of Luis Enrique's team against Slovakia in the third game of the group stage of the Eurocup. The international media remember the words of Van der Vaart about the national team's game and add that “his game is a monologue”, “Luis Enrique's team is not cured” So what “Against Modric it will be a real match and we will be able to assess the real value of La Roja. “ While the Spanish press highlights the resurgence of the National Team: “Spain crushes Slovakia”, “Spain gets hooked on the European Championship by sweeping Slovakia” and “Spain toasts with Busquets”.
De Telegraaf: “Spain, finally, on the move after the storm of criticism Rafael van der Vaart”
“The criticism of Rafael van der Vaart seems to have had its effect on the Spanish squad. La Roja swept Slovakia (0-5) on Wednesday in Seville. Spain started the Euro in a disappointing way, with two draws against Sweden (0-0) and Poland (1-1). Van der Vaart, former Real Madrid player, described the Spanish game as “terrible”.
Spain started moderately against Slovakia. After twelve minutes, Álvaro Morata saw a penalty awarded by Björn Kuipers rejected by Martin Dubravka. Almost twenty minutes later, the Slovak goalkeeper was the villain. Instead of hitting a ball high over his goal, he slammed it into his own like an accomplished volleyball player. Just before the break, Aymeric Laporte put Spain ahead on the scoreboard (0-2) with a good header. Spain kept pressing in the second half and scored three more goals. Pablo Sarabia and Ferran Torres scored, while Juraj Kucka scored his second own goal of the night. With a 6-0 score, Spain had broken a European Championship record. The biggest victory in history at the European Championship remains that of the Netherlands, who beat Yugoslavia 6-1 in 2000. “
De Gerderlander: “Spain lifted a weight off its shoulders”
“Spain lifted the weight of its faltering start and the criticism, and in the end it easily qualified for the round of 16. In the first moment of truth of this European Championship, Spain has finally shown its true face, that of one of the possible favorites, that of the team that still dominated football in Europe and the world a decade ago, but since then has been slowly declining and experiencing some major disappointments. A renewed team, fighting against the memory of that glorious recent past.
Soccer hasn't changed much. The matches of Spain in this European Championship are monologues. No other team has as much ball possession as the Spanish. But those monologues against Sweden and, above all, against Poland, they were quite boring, they were sleepy. It's not the fast Spanish rattling, but a somewhat listless tone without a couple of good comments. If Spain really wanted to have something to say in this European Championship, they would have to put their fists on the table“.
La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Spain has awakened”
“Luis Enrique's team swept and qualified as runners-up: now the challenge is for Modric and his teammates. Slovakia's enormous limits push Spain to the round of 16. In the heat of Seville, Skriniar's team melted, lost 0-5 and was eliminated. Spain, for its part, overcame its fear with this little hand and will face Croatia in Copenhagen on Monday. Luis Enrique's team is not cured, Slovakia is too poor to dare to say so, but it goes round and gains peace of mind and confidence. Against Modric it will be a real match and we will be able to assess the real value of La Roja. That for now he is enjoying his first happy afternoon. “
Globoesporte: “Everything went practically well for Spain”
“Everything went practically well for Spain. Apart from the penalty missed by Morata, of course. And the leadership of Group E escaped in the last minutes. But for someone who started the day almost eliminated, it was very good. The Spanish team played well again, thrashed Slovakia 0-5 and qualified for the round of 16 of Euro 2020. The highlight of the match at the La Cartuja stadium in Seville was an own goal by goalkeeper Dubravka , which opened the doors of Slovakia. There was a similar incident with midfielder Kucka. Laporte, Sarabia and Ferran Torres scored the other Spanish goals. “
L´Équipe: “A roaring awakening”
“La Roja easily overcame a weak Slovakia (0-5) and qualified for the round of 16 of the European Championship, which will play against Croatia. The victory was a great boost for the Ukrainians, who now secure a place among the best third.
Spain had to win its first two matches of the tournament, against Sweden (0-0) and Poland (1-1), to secure a place in the round of 16, and did so with a 0-5. The FIFA World Cup team has grown the most in recent years, and the one that has grown the most in recent years: Satka totally missed her pass, which was picked up by Sarabia, whose shot bounced off the crossbar , and it was goalkeeper Dubravka who scored against his own goal by curiously introducing the ball into his own net. “
What's more, the French newspaper dedicates a special part to Laporte: “The French defender Aymeric Laporte, who became Spanish to play the Eurocup, resisted Luis Enrique's changes and continued to be a starter against Slovakia. He took advantage of the situation to score the second goal (45 + 2), with a good header that beat goalkeeper Dubravka. Thus, his fourth game with La Roja was an achievement that was not overshadowed by defensive problems.as the Slovaks were powerless until the end. “
Daily Mail: “Dubravka goes from hero to villain
“Martin Dubravka goes from hero to villain after Álvaro Morata's penalty save is followed by a horrible own goal that opens the doors for Luis Enrique's team to the round of 16, where Croatia awaits. went well in his third Euro Cup game, but only after Slovakia goalkeeper Martin Dubravka fared spectacularly.
The Newcastle goalkeeper had saved Álvaro Morata from a penalty in the 12th minute, but half an hour into the game he put the ball into his own goal and the error opened the doors to Spain, who won 0-5 to finish second in Group E and meet Croatia on Monday in Copenhagen. “
Olé: “Feast of Spain”
The Argentine newspaper highlights the Slovaks' own goal: “Spain: the unusual goal against the Slovak goalkeeper” and they add on La Roja's match: “By displaying great football, La Roja won 0-5, cleared up doubts and made it into the top 16. Sweden, leaders of Group E, beat Poland 3-2 and await a rival. “
Sport: “Spain gets hooked on the European Championship by sweeping Slovakia”
“Spain uncorked as Luis Enrique expected. The national team thrashed Slovakia to reach the round of 16 of the 2021 European Championship, where Croatia awaits them on Monday at the Parken in Copenhagen. La Roja was forceful, did not allow chances and was uncovered in the face of goal. Everything this group of young people needed.
Spain pressed up and in one of these pressures, Slovakia left the ball at the feet of Sarabia, who sent a whiplash to the crossbar. The rejection was poisoned with a very high balloon that bothered the Slovakian goal to the point of scoring an own goal in his failed clearance with his fists. Luck finally smiled at Spain. I already played!”.
Mundo Deportivo: “Spain crushes Slovakia”
“The Spanish team uncorked the bottle of good football and goals, as claimed by Luis Enrique, and qualified for the round of 16 of Euro 2020 with a resounding defeat against Slovakia (0-5), which was about to give him the first place in the group, which avoided a goal from Sweden to Poland in the discount ( 3-2), while in the Cartuja the reconciliation party of the national team with its public was celebrated. La Roja closed the first phase as second in Group E, which holds a match against Luka Modric's Croatia next Monday in Copenhagen (Denmark).
Spain improved a lot with the changes of Luis Enrique -especially Busquets and Sarabia were outstanding- and ended up having a feast and achieving the biggest win of the tournament, despite the fact that the hot afternoon started with a penalty missed by Morata and the meigas fluttering in eve of the night of San Juan “.
El País: “Spain toasts with Busquets”
“Luis Enrique was prophetic. 'Spain is a bottle of cava about to be uncorked', he said in the previous one. And well he did it in front of the squalid Slovakia team, which he beat at the La Cartuja tureen, with more of 30 degrees of scourge. La Roja broke to play, recreated and even Slovakia was on their side: they conceded a penalty, self-scored twice, allowed Unai Simón a continuous nap and only left a trail of calamities for Seville. The most expansive Spain of the championship, the one synchronized by Busquets and offensively championed by Sarabia, made him pay until he left her in a thong, squeezed like a lemon. La Roja, this time dyed white, ran the risk of being a team destined to be forgotten. Come a crucial day, all together: Present! Second in the group, they will now face Croatia next Monday (Copenhagen, 18.00).
By La Cartuja Busquets parked and everything changed, the luggage and the gloomy landscape of Spain. The captain has the field in his boots. In his head there is a top speed, it is called intuition. Busquets is a seer. He was always an advance in the service of the method. Process the game ahead of time, before anyone else. Against Slovakia, with the Red with the raw nut, he put the team in orbit. From his observatory he gave it hierarchy, depth, pause, vertigo, roll up the sleeves. Enough to shirt the weak Slovak team, limited to the trench, with major errors and without getting within a few kilometers of Unai Simón “.
El Mundo: “The goal changes the face of Spain”
“Well thought out, there was no other way. It was evident that the goalkeeper of the rival team had to be the one who put the ball into his own goal for Spain to score.. And that was exactly what Dubravka did, the Slovakian goalkeeper, who seemed to take pity on a team, the Spaniard, unable until then to score a goal by himself. It was half an hour into the game and, by then, Spain had already wasted a penalty on Morata's boots (the second that the team throws away at this Euro Cup) and had let two balls pass through the mustaches of Sarabia and Pedri , to which one more standing number would have been enough to mark. Also another shot from outside Morata had been a 'oops'.
But nothing, he had to take the good old Dubravka and put the ball into his own goal after a whip from Sarabia to the crossbar (which, by the way, a defender had handed the ball to him). And so it was that, with a goal from the rival goalkeeper, a lot of nerves and a lot of heat, Spain liquidated the uncomfortable Sevillian afternoon that it had been forced to do due to its poor performance in the first two games. Goals change the face of Luis Enrique's team at once. The win was born as it was born, it is true, but there it is, and even against a team as weak as Slovakia, it is welcome, and can be taken as one of those results that change trends. Spain advances to the eighth with a smile and there they will meet Croatia (in Copenhagen, Monday at 6:00 pm) because Sweden beat Poland “.