1 GAVI FIXED THE BAD START
Eleven almost totally new for Luis Enrique; little turnover in Jaroslav Silhavy’s team. Match with more need for Spain that from the beginning wanted to have the ball to put Sarabia, Dani Olmo and Raúl De Tomás into operation.
He did not succeed because in the first defensive mismatch (they lacked defensive synchronization to go back when seeing that the passer was not under pressure), Kuchta ran towards Unai Simón’s area and gave Pesek the goal. The meeting where the Czechs wanted with the tactical idea of their coach. To chop stone against a first line of four midfielders and another of five well assembled to cover Vaclik (despite the injuries of Zeleny and, later, Jankto).
Czechia towards the accordion movement and limited the elaboration football of Spain -with Rodri directing the game- to not achieve depth. Carvajal and Marcos wanted to break from the outside but they couldn’t put in crosses. Minutes and more minutes without chances until in minute 47, Rodri sees Gavi and gives him the ball in the local area. Left-handed orientation and 1-1. He didn’t shoot, he put it against the post.
2. DRIBBLE DOES NOT PROSPER AND KUCHTA REPEATS
To the Ferran field to try to present more offensive capacity in the second act. Opposite, the same tactical disposition because the draw was not a bad result having achieved the 3 points against Switzerland.
Without being able to count on striker Patrick Schick, Silhavy’s ‘loose end’, Kuchta, always made the same move: going out with the central defenders -Eric García and Iñigo Martínez- and making the intelligent turn (away from them) to face, only towards Unai. The first goal was enabled by Carvajal, in this second attempt Marcos Alonso but with an unhappy ending because the low shot did not go on goal.
Spain sent but did not eliminate rivals haggling in the meters of truth. The opposite happened, Kuchta carried out the same operation near Eric and went one on one to, this time, cleanly beat Unai with a category dive. Another psychological blow even being with Busquets, Morata and Asensio on the pitch (he finished off the post with 1-1 in the numerator). Plan B could have started very well but now it was time, outburst.
3. ASENSIO REACTIVATED THE ATTACK
The left-hander was on fire because on the first ball he touched he almost hit Vaclik and on the second ball he almost scored, with a header, by Ferran Torres. He was the most incisive player and the one Coufal and captain Soucek feared.
With the effervescence of the Spanish striker, his teammates found more possibilities to reach the Czech area. Those of Silhavy were already looking at the clock,
They already wanted to entertain the ball in the corner when, wham!, the Salvadoran threaded center arrived for Spain. Center backs up, absolute risk and Asensio put the definitive cross so that Iñigo Martínez managed the header for the distribution of points.
We were on the canvas but the change of plan, players on the bench and a more pragmatic game, prevented us from going to play against Switzerland unhooked from the goal: first place. The rival will be Portugal if we do our homework on Thursday.
read also
Luis Enrique: “A crooked game from the start”
Spain draws in the Czech Republic and will have to use a calculator
