Spain squeezes a penalty from the sky and defeats the Czech Republic

To this unstoppable Spain full of casualties, to fulfill what is necessary it is also worth a penalty dropped out of nowhere and the relief of a red for a rival. He takes advantage of any circumstance, and thus achieved his fifth victory in the five Nations games in Prague, with which he left first place in the group for Sunday in the Metropolitan against England. They are worth it with a draw after defeating a Czech Republic that held their own until the end, even with one less, with a barrage of set pieces that was indecipherable for the Reds. It didn't matter: they have already accumulated 44 consecutive competitive matches without losing.

De la Fuente's formula, of which there are actually many, works in any way. If Rodri is missing, the axis around which the world champion team revolves, there is Martín Zubimendi, as if he had not been stuck in the Arsenal attic for months. Even with a mask. If he cannot count on Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, Fermín emerges in the center, opening spaces between the lines with his tireless electricity.

Santi Denia's Czech Republic was armed at the start with an orderly structure that threatened to put pressure on Spain. Caution before everything. Also with the ball, with mountains of passes between the centre-backs that went nowhere. De la Fuente's team moved on a different frequency. The ball was flying and the Czechs were chasing shadows, always late. Escorted by Fabián, the best company for anyone in the middle, Zubimendi controlled the tempo with that falsely slow trot of his, a lie that astonishes the rival when he releases the whip of the filtered pass. A sudden acceleration that connected with Fermín's expertise to discover a meter around him in the most guarded areas of the field. Vertigo began in him. Although the next step, Ferran Torres, had a blurry night and there the danger vanished.

Spain played the music at the appropriate tempo, but did not finish adjusting the dance steps to the melody. And then, just as snow might have fallen, a gift fell from the frozen sky of Prague. In the most harmless point of the Czech area, the left corner, the ball fell to Ambros, who controlled it with a kind of swipe so subtle that only the VAR detected it. He notified the referee and when he saw the trick, or the reflection, on the screen, he declared a penalty. Oyarzabal was also missing, so Baena took charge of the throw and put Spain ahead. While searching for the game he came across a goal that was an atmospheric phenomenon.

La Roja then opened the container of delicacies and gave a brilliant combinatorial maneuver on the front, with Zubimendi, Fermín, Ferran and Fabián, who ended up hitting the post with his right foot, a few centimeters below the square. They threatened with the final avalanche, with Spain unleashed and the Czechs ousted. From his area, Unai Simón found Yeremy behind the defense, who beat Kovar. But the same VAR that reported the penalty discovered the attacker offside.

The scare woke up the Czechs, who turned to Coufal's ability to convert throw-ins into corners. The Hoffenheim footballer dried the ball with a towel, caressed it and catapulted it into the area. These attacks were indecipherable for De la Fuente's team. The ball always ended up on an opponent's head. Coufal also had that disconcerting effect with corners. Some shots fell into Unai's hands, others wandered through the danger zone, one bounced off the crossbar.