Spain needed a late header from defender Gerard Pique to overcome a stubborn Czech Republic and begin their Euro title defence with a win.
After a number of chances went begging for Vicente del Bosque’s side, they finally found their breakthrough when Andres Iniesta’s inch-perfect cross was met by an unmarked Pique to beat an impressive Petr Cech and send the Czech Republic defence to its knees.
We list out a few talking points that decided an eye-catching encounter at Toulouse:
#1 Cech mate - nearly
He just would not allow himself to be beaten today. 33-year old Petr Cech stamped his mark on the game by making a number of outstanding saves, including two to deny Alvaro Morata (one of which was from point blank range). Against a creative Spanish side who dominated the game right from the get-go, he had to be alert to bail out his stretched defence throughout the game.
Good goalkeepers are always proactive to danger, and Cech was a perfect example. His anticipation of David Silva’s approach into the 6-yard box was well read by the Arsenal custodian, who managed to get in the way of Silva’s shot.
He couldn’t have done anything about Pique’s goal – it was a perfect header from the unmarked Barcelona defender.
His display in Toulouse against the defending champions showed why he is still regarded as one of the world’s great shot-stoppers.
#3 Spain creative, but wasteful in finishing
Spain did what they do best on the field – dominate possession, find pockets of space through their creative midfielders and create golden goal-scoring chances. David Silva and Andres Iniesta were as usual – displaying their visionary class in the middle of the pitch to find the striker upfront with that killer pass.
However, the finishing touch was somewhat missing from Juventus’ Alvaro Morata. His tendency to congest the midfield despite the presence of 5 Spanish players meant that there was no one in a position to meet the cross coming in from the wings. Even when he did manage to meet a final pass or cross, Morata was brilliantly denied by Cech. In short, it was a frustrating afternoon for Morata, who would later be subbed off to be replaced by 35-year old Aritz Aduriz, who could not make the desired impact in the striker’s role.
Jordi Alba also missed a glorious opportunity from a one-on-one situation to put Spain in front after 70 minutes, failing to make the most of another delightful pass by Silva.
It required a defender in Gerard Pique to finally get on the end of a cross by Andres Iniesta to beat Cech and give his side all three points.
If they must overcome Turkey and Croatia, they will have to work on their movements inside the 18-yard box to reward the work of the midfielders.
#3 Czech Republic’s defence deserves tons of credit
Spain may have regretted ruining a plethora of opportunities to score, but the Czech defenders were equally - if not more – responsible for keeping the Spaniards at bay until the 87th minute.
The fact that the Czech Republic defence was the leakiest in the qualifying stages could have considered laughable based on the heroic performance by the centre-halves and full-backs against the reigning champions. Pavel Kaderabek, Roman Hubnik, Tomas Sivok and David Limbersky were unbeatable at times in Toulouse, getting bodies in the way of shots and committing themselves to last-man challenges – all of them successful.
They kept absorbing all the Spanish pressure and repelling attack after attack. They were understandably heartbroken at the final whistle, getting nothing out of a warrior-like performance.
#4 Cesc Fabregas makes a match-saving clearance
Though Spain dominated nearly the entire game, they had their hearts in their mouths in their half of the pitch midway through the second half. A rare Czech attack resulted in a corner.
It was taken short, and a fabulous delivery into the box was flicked on by Theodor Selassie towards goal. Everyone around the stadium thought that was going in, only for Cesc Fabregas to hook it off the line and away to safety. Spain were living on the edge, and Fabregas got them out of jail.
#5 Lazy Nolito must be careful running the offside trap
Spain had to endure a frustrating game, churning out meaningful chances but failing to capitalise on them. One factor behind the frustration was the apparent laziness of winger Nolito, who found himself caught offside on many occasions. Being a winger, he has no excuses since he has a complete view of the Czech backline. To fall in the offside trap on that many occasions is disappointing for the Celta Vigo man, whose dilly-dallying on the wings busted Spain’s chance creation on that side of the pitch.
