10-Man Spain Beat Switzerland To Return To Winning Ways

Following a 0-0 draw against Serbia in their UEFA Nations League opener, Spain returned to winning ways with a 4-1 victory against Switzerland. Goals from Joselu, Fabian Ruiz and Ferran Torres handed La Roja a hard-fought win.

The reigning European champions made a blistering start, as within 13 minutes Spain were ahead by two goals. Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal played a crucial role in Spain’s early dominance. The 17-year-old jinked past a couple of Swiss defenders and delivered an inch-perfect cross from the byline, which Joselu headed home to hand Spain the early advantage. However, Switzerland struck back just minutes later through Becir Omeragic. But the Swiss joy was short-lived, as the goal was ruled out after a lengthy VAR check.  

Fabian Ruiz doubled La Roja’s advantage in the 13th minute, as a Nico Williams shot was parried straight into Ruiz’s path. Spain were in complete control at this point, but Robin Le Normand’s red card completely flipped the script. Down to 10 men for majority of the match, Spain handed all the initiative to Switzerland. And credit to Murat Yakin’s men, they dominated the proceedings from then on. Zeki Amdouni halved the deficit in the 41st minute, and it looked like the Swiss players could even go on to grab an equalizer, which looked improbable after the first 15 minutes. 

However, Spain’s rearguard held firm despite constant Swiss probing. La Roja mainly resorted to quick counter attacks, and in the 76th minute, a long heave by David Raya sent Ferran Torres on the attack, who squared the ball to an unmarked Fabian Ruiz in the Swiss box. Ruiz calmly guided the ball into the bottom left corner of the Swiss goal to hand Spain a crucial two-goal advantage. Just three minutes later, it was Ferran Torres’ moment to shine. A slick through ball from Joselu put Torres through on goal, and he effortlessly slotted it past goalkeeper Gregor Kobel to rubber-stamp Spain’s first win of the 2024-25 Nations League. 

After their thrilling 4-1 win over Switzerland, La Roja occupy the second spot, two points behind Denmark who’ve both their games in League A Group 4. In their next Nations League matches, Spain face Denmark on 13th October and Serbia on 16th October.   

Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo Comes to Portugal’s Rescue as They Continue With Their Winning Ways