JAKARTA - In Sapporo in 1972, ski racer Paquito Fernandez Ochoa won Spain's first Winter Olympics medal.
But fast forward almost 50 years later, Spain's modern-day footballers couldn't take maximum points in Japan as they drew 0-0 in their opening Olympic game against Egypt on Thursday, 22 July.
¡¡FINAL DEL ENCUENTRO!!La @SeFutbol y Egipto says tablas en el Sapporo Dome. El domingo, ante Australia, una nueva opportunidad conseguir la primera victoria en los #JuegosOlímpicos de #Tokyo2020 ¡¡ENORME ESFUERZO, EQUIPO!!🇪🇬🆚🇪🇸 | 0-0 | 90+4'#AlgoÚnico2020 pic.twitter.com/BNpYhBvltP
— Selección Española de Fútbol (@SeFutbol) July 22, 2021
Coach Luis de la Fuente has appointed a strong starting XI against Egypt, consisting of the likes of Pedri, Pau Torres and Marco Asensio.
But La Roja couldn't find a way to get through Egypt. They even deserve to regret Rafa Mir's header which failed at the end of the match.
Injuries have also clouded the picture for Spain, who came into this tournament with such high hopes.
Both Dani Ceballos and Oscar Mingueza were forced off in the first half. Their absence cost Spain some of the impetus despite the fact they still dominated the game.
Against five defenders, De la Fuente has opted to play without a pure striker - as was mostly the case for Spain in the European Championship.
And it worked well in the early stages, where Ceballos did well to connect the halfway line forward even if there were some dangerous threats into the Egyptian box.
Whether it's on Asensio's left or Dani Olmo's right, Spain couldn't score as Egypt's back line channeled play into the crowded center of the pitch.
With fitness declining in the second half, De la Fuente made a change and along came Mir, Bryan Gil and Carlos Soler.
️ ¡¡Aquí no se regala nada!!🚧 Seguridad defensiva.🪄 Combinaciones rápidas. Y mucha, mucha ambición.¡Últimos 5️⃣ minutos de la primera parte!🇪🇬🆚🇪🇸 | 0-0 | 39' #Tokyo2020 #AlgoÚnico2020 pic.twitter.com/twDIBAgRH5
— Selección Española de Fútbol (@SeFutbol) July 22, 2021
It was Gil who found Mir for a header, but he squandered the opportunity and the three points went up.
With the quality they have, Spain can still hope to advance to the final stages of the tournament. However, they need to find a way to break down the opponent's defenses if they are serious about getting a medal.
Moreover, in Group C they live in, there is another gold medal candidate, Argentina.
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