Spain narrowly beat Malta 2-0

Spain kicked off their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Norway. Despite a difficult start, three points is what Luis Enrique and his team are aiming for.

As for the host Malta, they have participated in many qualifying rounds of the World Cup as well as the Euro but have never reached the final round of a major tournament. Malta is often called a treasure trove of points, a backstop when meeting other teams. In the past, Spain and Malta have met 7 times, and of course, the victory has always been on Spain's side.

Spain have a second consecutive win in the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign. Photo: Getty

Although Spain was in the process of transferring its forces and many of its players had only played for the national team a few times, because the opponent was too weak, the "Bulls" had no difficulty in dominating the game and controlling the game after the opening whistle. The ball almost only rolled on Malta's field and the home team's goal was constantly in trouble.

However, there were not many truly dangerous opportunities. It was not until the 16th minute that Spain had a chance to break the deadlock when Saul Niguez's shot from outside the penalty area missed the post.

Immediately after that, the Atletico Madrid midfielder missed a good opportunity when his teammate created a chance to shoot from a distance of more than 10 meters, but his kick flew into the sky.

And it wasn't until the 31st minute that Spain found their first goal. Striker Morata perfectly controlled Hermoso's long pass to penetrate the Malta penalty area before finishing with his left foot from a tight angle, defeating the home goalkeeper.

Morata scored twice in a 2-0 win over Malta. Photo: Getty

It seemed that after that opening move, La Rojo would have an easier time scoring goals, but in the end, the situation did not improve much.

In the 57th minute, Sergi Roberto crossed the ball for Morata to show off his header, but the ball missed the target. A few minutes later, another Barca player sent the ball just in time for Asensio to finish with his strong left foot. However, the kick was so light and not dangerous that goalkeeper Bonello easily dived to catch it.

In the 61st minute, the unknown goalkeeper of Malta again frustrated Asensio and the creator continued to be Roberto, the player who played as a right-back in this match but advanced very high from the beginning of the second half. Finally, it was not until the 73rd minute that Spain had the second goal. Still from an attack on the right wing but the crosser was Jesus Navas, not Roberto. The 33-year-old player helped Morata complete his double with an unstoppable close-range header.

Trailing by 2 goals, the Maltese players also pushed up their formation several times to find an equalizer. However, with both a lack of strength and weakness, coach Ray Farrugia's team could not deploy the ball and create opportunities to attack goalkeeper Kepa's goal, because Spain is not the Faroe Islands. All of the Maltese players' attacks were neutralized in the midfield by the visiting Spanish players.

Despite a 2-0 victory over weak opponents Malta and maintaining the top spot in Group F, overall this was a disappointing match for Spain as they wasted too many opportunities, and their playing style did not show any signs of a great team.

Goal scorer:

Morata (31'; 73')

LINEUP:

MALTA(5-4-1): Henry Bonello; Joseph Mbong (Muscat 65'), Zach Muscat, Jonathan Caruana, Steve Borg, Joseph Zerafa; Juan Corbalan, Matthew Guillaumier, Paul Fenech, John Mintoff (Mifsud 70'); Kyrian Nwoko.

SPAIN(4-3-3): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Sergi Roberto, Sergio Ramos, Mario Hermoso, Jose Luis Gaya; Saul Niguez (Jeus Navas 65'), Rodrigo, Sergio Canales; Juan Bernat (Iker Muniain 56'), Alvaro Morata, Marco Asensio.

Results of some other matches in Group F

Norway 3 – 3 Sweden

Romania 4 – 1 Faroe Islands