• Spain 6-0 Croatia
• Saúl 24, Asensio 33, Kalinic 35og, Rodrigo 49, Ramos 57, Isco 70
Well, this is different. A thousand pointless passes gave way to incision, precision, and goals. Lots of goals. Spain, already heartened by what they had seen at Wembley on Saturday, got a first glimpse of their new national team in the flesh three days later and they could not have been happier. It is eight years now since they were in a World Cup final, glory days slipping further away. And yet, while it is only eight weeks since Croatia were there, Luis Enrique’s team defeated them 6-0 in Elche, awakening hope that maybe they can return after all.
Saúl Níguez did not play a minute at the World Cup, but this is a different era and he appears set to lead it, a symbol of a new Spain. In the two games the selección have now played under Luis Enrique, he has opened the scoring both times – first at Wembley and now against Croatia in Elche. The Martínez Valero is his home, the place he dreamed of playing as a kid, and it erupted when he leapt to head in the first, standing to applaud when he was finally withdrawn, the game long since won. Yet when the singing had begun, it was Marco Asensio who was serenaded.
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