Alvaro Morata’s remarkable revival continued on Tuesday as he scored twice for Spain in a 2-0 victory over Malta.
After edging Norway 2-1 on Saturday, Morata’s double at the National Stadium gave Spain two wins from two in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying and the perfect start in Group F.
Luis Enrique’s side again showed the inability to convert possession into chances that clouded their early exit from last year’s FIFA World Cup.
Photo: Reuters
However, Morata’s brace offers room for encouragement, the striker extending his return to form since he joined Atletico Madrid on loan from Chelsea in January.
He has five goals in six games, his best return since September 2017, and has strengthened his case for a position that has recently proved troublesome for Spain.
“The boss knows how happy I am to be here and I am grateful to him,” Morata said. “We want to qualify as soon as possible for the Euros, so it was important to win today.”
Malta are 182nd in FIFA’s world rankings, between Liechtenstein and Macau. Their win over the Faroe Islands last weekend was their first in 17 matches and only their second in almost four years.
Luis Enrique was absent for “personal reasons,” leaving his assistant, Robert Moreno, in charge on the touchline. There were unfamiliar faces on the pitch as well, as only three players — Sergio Ramos, Morata and Marco Asensio — retained their places in a much-changed lineup from the team that beat Norway.
Six of Spain’s starting 11 owned five caps or fewer, including Real Betis Balompie’s attacking midfielder Sergio Canales and Mario Hermoso, the 23-year-old RCD Espanyol defender linked with a summer move to Real Madrid.
Morata’s first, shortly after the half-hour, owed much to Malta goalkeeper Henry Bonello, who failed to stop the forward’s scuffed finish after Hermoso’s clipped pass over the top.
Sergi Roberto’s cross almost gave Morata his second, only for the glancing header to flash wide, but he did not have long to wait. Jesus Navas delivered another ball to the back post in the 73rd minute and this time Morata made no mistake.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two