Spain Shave Germany 6-0, Ferran Torres Print Hat-trick
JAKARTA - The Spanish national team stepped into the last four of the UEFA Nations League after shaving Germany 6-0 in the final match of Division A Group 4 (A4) at Cartuja Stadium, Sevilla, Tuesday local time (Wednesday WIB).
Manchester City striker Ferran Torres packed a hat-trick against Germany in the win. Torres' replacement, Mikel Oyarzabal, also contributed one goal at the end of the match, following in the footsteps of Alvaro Morata and Rodri Hernandez, Antara noted on the official UEFA website.
The victory kept Spain entrenched at the top of Group A4 with a collection of 11 points, displacing Germany (9) to second.
Since football began, Spain immediately forced goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to work hard to secure the net from Sergio Ramos' free kick. On the other hand, Germany threatened again with Leroy Sane's lure, who lived to be cheated by Timo Werner, but Pau Torres made a save by cutting the pass.
In the 17th minute, Spain take the lead when Morata slides through to head a Fabian Ruiz corner cross into the German net.
Neuer made another save in the 30th minute on a threat from Torres, but three minutes later he was without a move when the 20-year-old grabbed a throwing ball from Ruiz's shot which hit the crossbar.
🇪🇸 Describe Ferrán Torres against Germany in one word! #NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/Z0toIsPTNJ
- UEFA Nations League (@ EURO2020) November 17, 2020
Things got worse for Germany in the 38th minute when a Koke corner was met with a simple Rodri header into the far post area beyond Neuer to save, sending Spain 3-0 further away.
After halftime, Germany was unable to get up and immediately came under pressure from the hosts, fortunately Neuer made a brilliant save with his foot to block Dani Olmo's shot.
🇪🇸 Ferrán Torres = hat-trick hero! ⚽️⚽️⚽️ # NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/NDnQubFpEo
- UEFA Nations League (@ EURO2020) November 17, 2020
However, Neuer did not move when Torres scored his second goal as a result of Jose Gaya's decision to send a pull bait instead of firing a shot at goal in the 55th minute. Spain four, Germany zero.
Winning four goals did not make Spain slack off their attacks and in the 71st minute, Torres completed his hat-trick with a curling shot ending a wave of counterattacks adding to the hosts' lead to 5-0.
A minute before the dispersal, Oyarzabal completed Spain's 6-0 victory after Neuer was lured out of the way to block Gaya and Oyarzabal had only to throw the ball into the no man's goal.
Una noche histórica que hará crecer a este equipo. ¡A la Final Four! 💪🏻🇪🇸An historic night that will help us grow as a team. To the Final Four! 💪🇪🇦 # VamosEspaña #NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/ZXexnXukeC
- Sergio Ramos (@SergioRamos) November 17, 2020
The composition of players:
Spain (4-3-3): Unai Simon; Sergi Roberto, Pau Torres, Sergio Ramos (Eric Garcia), Jose Gaya; Koke, Rodri Hernandez, Sergio Canales (Fabian Ruiz); Dani Olmo (Marco Asensio), Alvaro Morata (Gerard Moreno), Ferran Torres (Mikel Oyarzabal)
Coach: Luis Enrique
Germany (4-3-3): Manuel Neuer; Matthias Ginter, Niklas Sule (Jonathan Tah), Robin Koch, Philipp Max; Leon Goretzka (Florian Neuhaus), Ilkay Gundogan, Toni Kroos; Leroy Sane (Gian-Luca Waldschmidt), Timo Werner (Benjamin Henrichs), Serge Gnabry
Coach: Joachim Loew