Spain's magical win at a boisterous La Rosaleda stadium in Malaga

La Roja defeated the Czech Republic 2-0 in the Costa del Sol capital, a result that has returned them to the top spot in their Nations League group

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Monday, 13 June 2022 | Updated 15/06/2022 10:27h.

Spain made it two wins on the trot on Sunday night as they defeated the Czech Republic 2-0 at Malaga CF's La Rosaleda stadium in their last Nations League game before the summer break.

The result, aided by an energetic, 30,000-strong home crowd, means that the national team sit on top of their group and are positioned to make it to the Final Four.

Once again, head coach Luis Enrique made a plethora of changes after the team's game on Thursday, with only Unai Simón and Álvaro Morata keeping their place.

Spain tried to open up spaces on the pitch by pushing their full-backs wide and bringing the wingers - Asensio and Soler - closer to Morata through the middle, which would help with the opening goal. The link-up play three forwards dazzled the trio of Czech centre-backs, and Soler opened the scoring as the opposing defenders struggled to stop him.

La Roja would then take full control of the game, and the script wouldn't change for the remaining hour of play. Spain suffered very little pressure but also found it hard to score a second goal.

However, Sarabia would be the one to double the home side's lead when he came on with 15 minutes to go. The PSG striker tapped in a low-driven cross to seal the match and hand local fans at La Rosaleda something to cheer about - as Malaga haven't won a game there since November.

The Nations League will resume towards the end of September, just a couple of months before the 2022 World Cup is due to start in November. Luis Enrique will continue doubling down on his final squad list in what is expected to be a hectic last three months of the year.

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