The first 45 minutes witnessed Spain’s dominance in terms of both ball possession and the number of scoring opportunities created.
Veteran Andres Iniesta proved his indispensable role in Spain’s lineup, igniting most of the team’s attack spells on the Czech side.
Iniesta drove the ball in the box for Juanfran and Morata in the 26th and 29th minute; however, the two players could not manage successful converters.
While the Spanish played offensively, Pavel Vrba’s side favoured the counterattack tactic. The Czech defensive line worked effectively with strong concentration, creating certain difficulties for Vicente Del Bosque’s players in approaching Petr Cech’s goal.
The Czech side attacked more strongly in the second half. Hubnik then had a rare chance for the Czechs in the 57th minute as he got to Ladislav Krejci’s free kick, but De Gea got down well to save it. Moments later De Gea had Cesc Fabregas to thank when he produced a spectacular overhead kick to keep Theodor Gebre Selassi’s header out following a corner.
As the match had a few minutes to go, Gerard Pique had fans on their feet, heading home the “creator” Iniesta’s excellent cross to secure the full three points for the Del Bosque side.
The victory was a rewarding result for the Spanish player’s performance throughout the match. It also brought a big boost to their confidence after an unsuccessful World Cup 2014 and a recent frustrating 0-1 loss to Georgia in an international friendly.
