MADRID, Oct 16: Spain secured a place at Euro 2024 after Gavi’s second-half goal was enough to beat Norway 1-0 away on Sunday and they will be joined by Group A rivals Scotland and Turkey from Group D following an eventful night in qualifying.
Spain and the Scots both secured spots in the top two with 15 points from six games, with Norway third on 10 points having played a game more, while Turkey thrashed Latvia 4-0 to make sure they will finish among the qualifying places.
On a chilly night in Oslo, Spain dominated possession but struggled to break down a resolute home defence, and it looked like VAR might prevent them from booking their Euro berth when Alvaro Morata had a first-half goal ruled out for offside.
The Spain striker was the centre of attention again when midfielder Gavi fired home four minutes after the break and another VAR offside check ensued, but this time he was in the clear and the goal was allowed to stand.’
Norway set up to hit Spain on the break but struggled to create much in attack as the visitors kept striker Erling Haaland shackled to reach the finals with two games to spare.
A brilliant volley from Yunus Akgun just before the hour put Turkey on course for a comprehensive win against Latvia that ensured they will take their place at next year’s tournament.
The visitors tried valiantly to equalise but instead they collapsed, with two late goals from Cenk Tosun and one from Kerem Akturkoglu sealing Turkey’s participation in Germany.
The Turks top their group with 16 points, six points ahead of Wales and Croatia after the Welsh beat the Croats 2-1 in Cardiff to keep their qualifying hopes alive.
In Group I Switzerland had to come from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 at home to Belarus, while Romania top the standings with 16 points following their 4-0 victory at home to Andorra, one point ahead of the Swiss having played a game more.
Fourth-placed Kosovo’s home game against Israel, who are third in Group I on 11 points, was postponed due to the security situation in the Middle East which prevented the Israeli squad from travelling to Pristina.
Poland’s hopes of qualifying from Group E suffered a blow as they came from a goal down to draw 1-1 at home to Moldova and remain third on 10 points, three adrift of leaders Albania and one behind Czech Republic, who both have a game in hand.
With striker Robert Lewandowski missing through injury, the Poles had 21 attempts on goal compared to four by the visitors who took the lead in the 26th minute through Ion Nicolaescu, with Karol Swiderski netting a second-half equaliser.
Spain coach De la Fuente able to silence doubters
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has found a way to turn the doubters into supporters.
Nearly a year after he was appointed amid a wave of skepticism, De la Fuente now has widespread backing at the helm of La Roja, having turned Spain into a contender again and comfortably securing the team a spot in the 2024 European Championship.
Spain qualified for next year’s tournament in Germany on Sunday with a 1-0 win at Norway — the team’s sixth straight triumph since a loss at Scotland in March had left De la Fuente under pressure just two games into his stint. “We are always learning,” De la Fuente said. “At that moment the analysis was different than it is now. We’ve just reached an important objective and we have to keep working and learning. We recognize what was done well, but we know there are still things to improve.”
The 62-year-old De la Fuente replaced Luis Enrique after the team’s loss to Morocco in the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar. He was then relatively unknown in Spain after spending years coaching the nation’s youth squads.
“I’m happy with the work that we’ve done,” De la Fuente said. “When you achieve something like this, things must have been done right. But in soccer one day you are up and the other you are down again, so we have to stay balanced. I’m happy now, but I also stayed composed in the tougher moments.”
De la Fuente put Spain back on track in part by betting on the talent of some younger players. (AP)
