Spain took too long to get a late 3-0 win over Sweden in Euro 2020 qualifying which was regardless largely unremarkable despite it taking until halfway through the second half to break the deadlock.
The result was rarely in doubt outside of some goalkeeping heroics by Sweden’s Robin Olsson. Spain’s first goal also came from the penalty spot, record-breaker Sergio Ramos who was recently involved in a move switch to China making no mistake in the second half.
This was Ramos’s 165th cap for his national team, which is two off Iker Casillas’s Spain record which was before the match, Ramos’ was also recognized for his 122nd international win, a new Spain record and an impressive total, to be sure for that matter.
Chelsea and Real Madrid loanee and second-half substitute Alvaro Morata doubled the lead with a penalty in the 85th minute and Mikel Oyarzabal made sure all the three points go with Spain with his first international goal a couple of minutes later.
But the most remarkable thing happened even prior to all that when the teamsheets were submitted. Starting in goal for the second time in this international break and the third consecutive Euro 2020 qualifier was Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga rather than Manchester United’s David De Gea who has been keeping the goal for the nation for some time.
The embattled keeper, De Gea had held the job for the past three years, since Euro 2016, but his form has dipped impulsively with multiple high-profile errors for both club and country which has seen him fall out with most of United fans who have been asking for a start of the second goalkeeper, Sergio Romelu.
The starting of Kepa in three consecutive matches puts in doubt the quality of the keeper who has since failed to agree on a new contract with his team and has been given a green light to head to Germany for PSG who have shown interests in his services and so, it’s now Kepa’s job to lose, which we hope he won’t for a long time.
De Gea was seen by many as the right man to keep the goal for his club but this form has deteriorated especially in the last season where he made costly blunders falling out with the fans tremendously for the same but his fallen form has been attributed by many to dressing room arguments with some of the players who are said to be earning more than him yet doing nothing to the club which is seemingly directed to Arsenal flop Alexis Sanchez.