Spain's second XI prove better than most first teams

If this was very much the night’s second match, those watching Italy-Croatia may have missed the chance to see the fifth-best team at Euro 2024. That just happens to be Spain football’s second team, who kept playing with a fluidity beyond virtually everyone else at the tournament.

- MIGUEL DELANEY

Albania 1

Spain Torres (13) 1

They had many of the same qualities as the first team, if also the same flaws in the finishing. That didn’t matter here, as they beat Albania 1-0 to make it a perfect three wins from three in the group stage. They will now surely look to become the first European champions to win all their games, something no one has yet done, even in the 16-team era. That is what Spain should be aiming for.

This isn’t to diminish Albania, who did eventually up their game at the end as they knew they had a chance to stay in this competition but they couldn’t get close enough. They sank to their knees in disappointment at the end, but there was probably considerable exhaustion from chasing passes in that, too.

Albania’s national event was reduced to a training game, where Spain’s wider squad put forward their cases for places later on. They have suddenly gone from having the most convincing first XI to also having the strongest squad.

This is no guarantee of victory, of course, especially given Spain’s recent history. They have flattered to deceive a lot since 2012 and the last World Cup was the ultimate example of that.

But this is obviously how you would want to start any tournament. The perfect record still brought the chance to rest players.