Recap: It wasn’t easy, nor particularly entertaining, but France were able to capture a 1-0 victory over Spain on Thursday.
After having seen a goal incorrectly ruled offside—more on that later—France combined to find the breakthrough in the 73rd minute. A passing clinic left the Spanish defense bewildered. Loic Remy polished off the final pull-back from Mathieu Valbuena. The goal proved to be decisive.
Spain were unable to threaten the hosts all match.
Key Moment: The scoreline was flattering for Spain, but only because of a faulty decision from the assistant referee. If the attacking player is in line with the pass, he is onside. This goal from Karim Benzema was wrongfully disallowed.
Man of the Match: Mamadou Sakho was an anchor in defense for France. The 24-year-old finished the match with 14 clearances, four tackles and completed 94 percent of his passes.
Lesson Learned: Spain’s revival will not be immediate. Head coach Vicente del Bosque will need more than one match to return the national team to prominence. Despite boasting a majority of the possession (58 percent), the Spaniards finished with zero shots on goal. Del Bosque can ill-afford another disjointed performance in European qualifying.
Up Next: France travel to the Faroe Islands for a 2016 European qualifier on Sunday, while Spain return home to host Macedonia on Monday.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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