Daniel Munoz scored a stunning second-half goal to give Colombia a 1-0 win over Spain in a friendly at the London Stadium on Friday, giving the men’s side their first win over Spain.
The first half was dull, with both managers resting a number of key players, but Colombia came back strong after the break. Former Real Madrid attacking midfielder James Rodriguez came off the bench to lead the team to five consecutive wins and extend the team’s unbeaten streak to 18 games.
Rodriguez now plays for Sao Paulo in Brazil, where he and fellow flyer Luis Diaz pose a constant threat to the Spanish defense. Athletic Bilbao centre-back Danny Vivian has just made his Spanish debut and it will be difficult for him to stop the talented Liverpool winger.
Dias ran around the left wing at will and created several chances, only for his teammates to squander them. Two of those goals fell to Rodriguez, who first missed a curling shot and then forced Spanish goalkeeper Alex Remiro (who replaced Arsenal’s David Raya at half-time) to do Made a wonderful one-handed save.
Colombia dominated the second half and finally broke the deadlock after the opening hour. Rodriguez’s long pass was controlled by Diaz before he once again outran Vivian and crossed to Palace defender Munoz, who volleyed an acrobatic volley into the top corner for the winning goal. .
Outstanding work from Colombia! 😱😱
A brilliant flanker from Luis Diaz before Daniel Muñoz unleashed an acrobatic scissor-kick finish to give his country the lead against Spain 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/023yxHTOqD
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) March 22, 2024
The result delighted the large number of yellow-shirted Colombian fans who packed the West Ham home stands. Spain suffered its first defeat in a year, but coach Luis de la Fuente is likely to point to significant changes in his starting line-up as Rodri, Dani Carvajal, Alvaro Mora Towers and other key players were left out.
The Spanish coach handed three players their international debuts, including 17-year-old Barcelona defender Paulo Cubasi, who came on as a substitute late in the second half. “We want them to go through this experience. They are important players with a great future. They have a long way to go in their careers,” De La Fuente told Spanish television station TVE.
quick guide
Roundup: Reid scores on debut as NI draw in Romania
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Stevenage striker Jamie Reid scored just seven minutes into his international debut to help Northern Ireland draw 1-1 in a friendly away to Romania.
Connor Bradley and Shea Charles opened the scoring for the 29-year-old, with the Southampton man setting up Reid [pictured] Fire from under the bar. Romania, who are heading to Euro 2024, hit back when Dennis Man beat Conor Hazard in the 23rd minute.
Paddy McNair and Ianis Hagi missed their best chances in a sluggish second half and Michael O’Neill impressed for his young side. “I was very pleased with a lot of aspects of our performance,” O’Neal said. ‘[The goal] Represents the characteristics of our team: energy, athleticism and quality of play. ” AP average
Elsewhere, Ademola Lookman’s late goal sealed a 2-1 victory. Nigeria Flying over Ghana in Marrakech while Egypt Beat New Zealand 1-0 in Cairo.Oscar Bobb opened the scoring for Norway but Czech Republic A 2-1 comeback win in Oslo.Dominik Szoboszlai takes the penalty kick Hungary A 1-0 home win over Turkey, while fellow Euro 2024 qualifiers Albania lost 3-0 Chile In Parma.
“We learn more from defeats than from wins. We are happy with a lot of things. We want to test ourselves and continue to improve.” Spain will face Brazil at the Bernabeu on Tuesday and will play Euro 2024 The cup was preceded by a match against Andorra in June. Colombia next travels to Madrid to face Romania at Atletico’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
