Spain made a total of 10 changes to their starting lineup against Albania, with Aymeric Laporte being the only player to remain in the starting 11, as a 1-0 victory means they win all of their group stage games for only the second time in their European Championship history.
The last time that they achieved this was the 2008 campaign, in which La Roja beat Sweden, Russia, and Greece to secure maximum points, and then subsequently went on to win the competition.
The difference against Albania on the night was a brilliant run from Ferran Torres, whose perfect accuracy into the far corner gave Spain an early lead that they were able to hold on to.
Although appearing in the first two games, this was his first start for Spain this campaign, and his performance certainly gives Luis de la Fuente something to think about ahead of the last 16.
At club level, the Barcelona man scored 11 goals in all competitions in his last campaign, an impressive figure given that he was not a cemented name in Xavi’s starting XI.
Since his senior international debut against Germany in September 2020 he has scored 20 goals, showing his attacking influence within the side.
He also made history, becoming the youngest player to have scored 20 international goals, showing the impact he has made in a short space of time.
This shows the depth in Spain’s Euro squad, in that players who would have perhaps started on the bench if Spain had not already qualified for the Round of 16, can still make a huge impact in the international spotlight.
The same could be said about David Raya, second to Unai Simón in the opening fixtures, who pulled off a number of saves to ensure that Spain concluded their group stage campaign with 3 clean sheets.
The Premier League Golden Glove winner proved himself in the Spanish net, denying Albania on several occasions to secure Spain all 9 points with no goals conceded.
He was forced into his first save of the night after an Asllani's effort from outside the box sent Raya diving to his left to deny Albania an equaliser.
A strong second-half performance then saw him deny Broja twice with two excellent saves, proving himself a strong candidate to start in the Spanish goal.
In fact, Spain being consistent in form despite a total of 10 changes is enough to show the competition for positions within the whole squad, and serves as a warning for their opponents about the talent on their bench, as well as on the starting field.
The performance put in on the night gives Luis de la Fuente something to think about ahead of Spain’s Round of 16 clash with Georgia on Sunday.
La Roja will be looking to continue their momentum from two high-scoring fixtures against Georgia in their qualifying campaign, netting 10 times across 2 fixtures, with Ferran Torres amongst the goal scorers.
Spain have certainly made a huge statement with the talent on display from their entire squad, as they head into the knockout stages of the competition in threatening form. They certainly have the potential to change a tight game with their options off the bench.
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