Spain won the debut match of the new coach
Scoring: Olmo 13', Joselu 84' and 85'.
Nearly 30,000 fans flocked to La Rosaleda stadium in Malaga to witness the new beginning of Spain under new coach De la Fuente. The fans were not disappointed when the host beat Norway 3-0, thanks to Dani Olmo and a double at the end of Joselu - one of the three rookies who first joined the team at this convocation.
Coach De la Fuente only retains 11 players who attended the 2022 World Cup, and added 15 new faces. Iago Aspas started on his return, with Gavi and Olmo playing right behind captain Alvaro Morata.
Spain held the ball 94% of the time for the first 10 minutes, and great pressure soon materialized with the opening goal. From left-back Alejandro Balde's pass, Olmo hit the Norwegian net in the 13th minute.
Norway did not cause much difficulty for the Spanish defense in the first half, when star striker Erling Haaland was absent due to injury. The away team only made Kepa show his talent once, after Fredrik Aursnes' finish. Captain Martin Odegaard also tried his luck in the penalty area once, but was saved by Nacho Fernandez.
Early in the second half, Norway nearly equalized when Marcus Pedersen forced Kepa to save on the line. Then, it was Alexander Sorloth's turn to eat when he faced the host goalkeeper. Wasting the opportunity, Norway had to pay the price at the end of the game.
In the 84th minute, striker Joselu headed diagonally into the goal from close range after Fabian Ruiz's pass. A minute later, the Espanyol player continued to score when taking advantage of a messy ball situation, after Mikel Oyarzabal's failed shot. Joselu's memorable debut for the team was at the age of 32, with a brace just minutes after coming on as a substitute.
A 3-0 victory in the first match helped Spain open the door to the Euro finals for the eighth time in a row. Because in Group A, Norway is considered the biggest barrier of De la Fuente's teachers and students, when the remaining opponents are only Scotland, Cyprus and Georgia. In the second match three days later, Spain will host Scotland and Norway will face Georgia.
