Spain secured a spot in the last four of the UEFA Nations League with a 1-0 win over Portugal on Tuesday night.
Joao Cancelo returned from suspension and took the place of Diogo Dalot, who netted a brace over the weeked, with Pau Torres the only survivor from La Roja’s loss to Switzerland.
Luis Enrique’s boys launched the early warning signs with a low shot on the edge of the area by Pablo Sarabia after the hosts conceded possession due to a pressing trap.
Thereafter, Spain struggled to get into advanced areas through the middle of the first half and goalkeeper Unai Simon had to produce a flying save to smother Ruben Neves’ speculative shot towards the near post.
La Roja continued to have little joy up top after the half-hour mark as a switch of play to the far post saw Jota cut inside on the right of the area and worked a smart save off Simon.
Portugal’s relentless approach in attack nearly reaped rewards over ten minutes to halftime, where a cleverly worked shot outside the area from Bruno Fernandes found the side-netting.
A Selecao continued to dominate minutes in the second half and could’ve gone ahead through a low shot from close-range by Ronaldo, but Simon parried just after Sergio Busquets entered for Spain.
Spain started to see a lot of the ball shortly following the resumption, as Pedri replaced Carlos Soler before Gavi filled in for Koke whilst Sarabia made way for Yeremy Pino.
With the half flowing by, the clear-cut openings remained at a premium where little particularly offensively separated the two.
It changed however as La Roja found the winner at the death through a smart finish by Morata from a ball by Nico Williams and handed his side a spot in the last four of the Nations League.
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