A late penalty converted by Bryan Zaragoza secured Spain a 3-2 win over Switzerland in its final Nations League Group A4 game on Monday, with the Spaniards guaranteed top spot before kick off and the Swiss already confirmed as relegated.
Holder Spain finished with 16 points and is through to the quarterfinals while bottom side Switzerland ends on two. Denmark also made the quarterfinals with a 0-0 draw in Serbia to secure second place.
In a game with little to play for, manager Luis de la Fuente fielded a completely different starting 11 to the one which beat Denmark 2-1 on Friday, and the European champion showed its strength in depth as a relatively inexperienced side got the job done.
Spain opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when Yeremy Pino fired home after Pedri had his penalty saved, before the Swiss levelled through Joel Monteiro in the 63rd, but the host was back in front five minutes later when Bryan Gil netted.
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Switzerland thought it had snatched a draw when Andi Zeqiri netted a penalty five minutes from time but another spot kick in added time earned the Spanish side the win.
Spain’s attacking play lacked its usual intensity and in the early stages, Nico Williams rounded two Swiss players to reach the edge of the area but with no movement from his teammates, opted for a shot which sailed over the bar.
Alvaro Morata was taken down by Ricardo Rodriguez for the first penalty. Pedri’s spot kick was parried away by Swiss keeper Yvon Mvogo and Williams rebounded effort was blocked but Pino pounced on the edge of the six-yard box to score.
The game livened up after the break and substitute Joel Monteiro charged through the home defence before slotting the ball to the net.
The Swiss joy was short-lived as Gil, only on the pitch a few minutes, battled for possession in the area before firing past Mvogo. However, when Spain conceded a late penalty, it looked like the visitor would end a disappointing campaign in style.
Instead, Zaragoza was fouled in the box in added time and he stepped up to score from the spot to score his first international goal and give Spain its fifth consecutive win to cap a hugely successful year
Spain’s 2024 began with a 1-0 loss to Colombia in a friendly, but since then has gone unbeaten in 16 games, including winning Euro 2024 in Germany.
The future looks bright, as the manager handed defender Aitor Paredes his debut, with Pablo Barrios and Samu Omorodion also coming on to make their first appearances, while keeper Alex Remiro and midfielder Marc Casado started for the first time.