Spain came to Guadalajara needing a point and left with first place, the comfort of a No. 1 seed, and very little else to brag about. They had 68% of the ball and exactly one shot on target all night. That shot was a tame Álex Baena effort that Fernando Muslera somehow shoveled over his own line. A win is a win. This one came with an asterisk and a thank-you note to the goalkeeper.
Here are my takeaways from Spain’s 1-0 win over Uruguay:
(Photo by Ulises RUIZ / AFP via Getty Images)
Top of Group H: Seven points, plus-five goal difference, and a tournament that reads: flat draw with Cape Verde, 4-0 rout of Saudi Arabia, one-shot grind past Uruguay. One of those is not like the others.
Lamine Yamal is fit and starting again, but the excitement everyone was gushing about pre-tournament hasn’t arrived. Spain is advancing on reputation, 68% possession, and a goalkeeper’s mistake. That’s not going to make the Spanish fans salivate. It’s also not the relentless machine we were promised. Other favorites have already found a second gear. Spain is still hunting for first.
The talent is obvious, so maybe this is a slow build, and the switch flips in the knockouts. Or maybe it’s the early warning that the best version of this team isn’t coming. Either way, they need to get their act together fast, or it’ll be a long trip back across the pond for one of the bookies’ favorites.
(Photo by Manuel Velasquez – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Here’s the uncomfortable bit for Luis de la Fuente. Lamine Yamal played 76 minutes and flickered. A clever ball to Dani Olmo, a couple of dribbles, but not the teenager who bends matches to his will. And Nico Williams? Tipped to make his first start of the tournament, he didn’t, again, and only jogged on for the final 15 minutes with the game already parked.
Spain is winning without their two most dangerous wingers anywhere near top gear. Sounds like a luxury. It’s the worry. In the knockouts, a deep back four will dare Spain to break it down, and 68% possession won’t pick a lock by itself. Especially since the lone striker, Mikel Oyarzabal, is hardly a target man to cross the ball to. They’ll need Yamal ruthless and Williams flying. Tonight, both were simply on the field. Spain doesn’t need them present. They need them lethal.
(Photo by Ulises RUIZ / AFP via Getty Images)
