Norway – Spain: Nordics Must Navigate The Narrow Strait (0-1)

The two favorites in Group A to qualify for the EUROs have suffered scares on their way to book a place at next year’s tournament. Thanks to the Scots, this clash could determine whose woes in this campaign would be costly and force a fancied nation along the longer route into the competition. The ones to thread this path are Norway, the next victims of La Roja’s resurgence.
Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

Spain's 2-0 defeat to Scotland in March upset the expected order in Group A, but the reverse scoreline brought back normalcy. Home turf remains a fortress for La Roja in EURO and World Cup qualifiers, in which the nation hold onto a 49 game unbeaten record that stretches back to 2006. Most of all, Luis de la Fuente and his squad went one step closer to fulfilling expectations of being favorites in this section. An away victory would knock the Scots off their perch to reclaim the top spot in the table.

Norway could not ruin de la Fuente's debut in the dugout at the outset of this campaign. However, dropped points against Georgia and Scotland from winning positions crushed . . .