Page 6 - Spain

Olympics: Spain held to 0-0 by Egypt with 6 players from Euro 2020

Starting with six players who rushed from the European Championship to the Olympics, Spain was held to a 0-0 draw by Egypt on Thursday in the team's opening match of the men's soccer tournament.

How local politics and nationalism shaped football as we know it today

The sport, which began capturing global imagination just after World War I, has been used as a platform to make political and racial statements and broadcast ethnic identities

Euro Cup 2021 final date, match time, live telecast and streaming in India

England qualified for the first major tournament final since 1966 and will now face Italy in the summit clash at Wembley Stadium on July 12

Spain has hopes of a bright future after Euro 2020 campaign

Losing big matches inevitably leads to questions about the future. With Pedri Gonzlez, Spain already seems to have the answer. Still only 18, Pedri was the man in the middle at the European Championship, starting every match for his team and controlling the transition between the defense and offense. That quality and leadership, even coming from a teenager playing in his first major tournament, helped Spain make it all the way to the semifinals. What Pedri has done during this European Championship I haven't seen done by any 18-year-old in any other competition, Spain coach Luis Enrique said. I've never seen anything like it. The constant comparisons to Andres Iniesta, the great Spain playmaker who helped the team win Euro 2008, Euro 2012 and the 2010 World Cup, don't seem so exaggerated anymore. Not after this tournament. Not even Iniesta did what Pedri did, Luis Enrique said. Always calm and collected, Pedri was key in controlling the tempo in Spain's midfield match after match

Ex-Madrid captain Sergio Ramos signs 2-year deal with PSG

Obsessed with winning the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain added precious experience to its squad by recruiting former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos on Thursday

Spain, Italy take unbeaten runs into Euro 2020 semifinals

Luis Enrique thought for a couple of seconds, looked straight back at the questioner, and gave the curtest of replies. No, said the Spain coach, with the blankest of looks on his face, after being asked if he had seen a better team than his at the European Championship. An answer out of blind loyalty? Perhaps. Or was it the fact that Spain was the leading scorer at Euro 2020? Maybe. Or the fact that La Roja is on an unbeaten streak stretching back to October, a run of 13 games? Quite possibly. Spain's opponent in the European Championship semifinals on Tuesday might have something to say about all that. Italy, another of the continent's traditional powers, brings an even better run of form to Wembley Stadium a national-record 32 matches unbeaten, going all the way back to September 2018. From the moment tenor Andrea Bocelli cleared the field at Stadio Olimpico after his stirring rendition of Nessun Dorma at the opening ceremony, making way for the start of the tournament, the .

Spain beat 10-man Switzerland on penalties to reach Euro 2020 semis

Mikel Oyarzabal held his nerves to score the crucial penalty as Spain entered the semi-finals of the ongoing Euro Cup after beating Switzerland 3-1 on penalties on Friday.

Euro Cup: Spain beat Croatia in extra time thriller to reach quarter-finals

Spain defeated Croatia 5-3 after extra time in their Round of 16 clash in the ongoing Euro Cup in Copenhagen to progress to the quarter-finals on Monday.Alvaro Morat scored in the 100th minute to take Spain 4-3 ahead and Mikel Oyarzabal netted one in the 103rd minute to get Spain a double lead. In the final few minutes, Croatia tried hard but were unable to score a goal as Spain got over the line.In the first half, Spain struggled to string passes together and the strikers failed to get through Croatia's defense. Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon was unable to control a bouncing pass from Pedri which resulted in an own goal as Croatia took the lead.However, Spain bounced back in style as Pablo Sarabia latched onto a rebound to drill home the equaliser from close range in the 38th minute.In the second half, both teams started the game from 1-1 but Cesar Azpilicueta scored his first-ever goal for Spain as the side again got the lead in the 57th minute.Croatia kept pressing hard for an ...

Spain, Croatia peaking ahead of Euro 2020 knockout game

Dani Osmo will be lining up against some familiar opponents when Spain faces Croatia in the round of 16 at the European Championship. In fact, he easily could have been lining up for Croatia instead of Spain at Euro 2020. The attacking midfielder turned down overtures from Croatia's national team after moving to Dinamo Zagreb from Barcelona's academy as a 16-year-old and spending six seasons at the club. Olmo has never played senior club soccer in Spain he moved to RB Leipzig in 2020 but doesn't regret his decision to stick to his home country. "There was interest from Croatia, but I always preferred to play for Spain," Olmo said. The 23-year-old Olmo is part of a group of young players who have been given leading roles in Luis Enrique's new-look Spain team. Against Croatia, he has the added role of being the in-house expert on the opposing players. "Our coach knows the Croatia team well. If he asks me, I will share my opinion with him, Olmo said. I have played with the majorit

Software entrepreneur John McAfee was not suicidal, widow says

She said she wanted a thorough investigation on the circumstances of the death of her husband

Spain put 5 past Slovakia, book Euro last-16 berth

Spain produced their best performance of the group stages to qualify for the last-16 of the European Championships with an impressive 5-0 win over Slovakia.

Busquets proves key as Spain gets back on track at Euro 2020

After helping Spain avoid elimination at the European Championship, Sergio Busquets had to pause for a moment while talking about his time away from the squad because of the coronavirus. The Spain captain teared up recalling the doubts that went through his mind after being told he had to go into isolation only days before the tournament was to begin. I'm emotional because I had to go through some difficult times, Busquets said. I had to stay at home for 10 days, not knowing if I was going to be back or not. Spain was glad Busquets did make it back, just in time to lead the team to victory over Slovakia on Wednesday. The Barcelona midfielder was voted the man of the match in the 5-0 win that sent Spain to the round of 16 after opening with disappointing draws against Sweden and Poland. The result allowed Spain to finish second in Group E, setting up a meeting against Croatia in Copenhagen on Monday. All this helped us grow, Busquets said. Now whatever challenges we have in front

Euro Cup 2021 round of 16 schedule, qualification scenarios, team standings

A total of 16 teams will qualify for Round of 16 matches and Euro 2020's next round which will begin from June 26, 2021. Check Euro 2020 round of 16 schedule, qualification scenarios, team standings

Euro 2020: Spain need a draw against Slovakia to enter last-16

Spain need a point in their last group game against Slovakia on Wednesday night to assure their place in the last-16 of European Championship.

Spain players criticized after ignoring fans at Euro 2020

Spain's national soccer team has faced criticism for its performances at the European Championship, and now the players have to defend themselves from accusations that they snubbed their own fans. A video of players ignoring supporters in Seville has put the squad in a tough spot ahead of its final group match against Slovakia on Wednesday. Only a victory will be enough to secure the team a spot in the next round at Euro 2020. The video was posted by Spain's national team on its Twitter account. It was shot by the Spanish soccer federation as the squad left its hotel ahead of Saturday's 1-1 draw against Poland. Spain had opened with a 0-0 draw with Sweden and is in danger of not advancing past the group stage. In the short video, several dozen fans are seen outside the hotel as players make their way to the bus that will take them to the nearby La Cartuja Stadium. The crowd, which includes many youngsters and children, is waving Spanish flags, applauding, cheering and loudly chantin

Spain set to bring in Sergio Busquets to avoid Euro 2020 debacle

Spain may summon its most experienced player for its most important match at the European Championship. Sergio Busquets is set to return for the match against Slovakia on Wednesday, when La Roja faces the possibility of an embarrassing elimination in front of its fans. Only victory for Spain will be enough to ensure a spot in the round of 16 at Euro 2020. A draw may be enough, but only if Poland doesn't defeat Sweden in the other Group E match. Both games will be played at the same time. The 32-year-old Busquets, the only player left from Spain's World Cup-winning squad in 2010, didn't play in the team's first two matches after testing positive for the coronavirus. The Barcelona midfielder had to go into isolation and only rejoined the squad on Friday. He did not dress for the game against Poland on Saturday. "We missed him," Spain defender Csar Azpilicueta said. "We tried to make up for his absence, but Sergio is a key player for this team and we are happy that he is back." Rodr

Scoring becomes key as Spain and Poland meet at Euro 2020

Spain and Poland will have a common challenge when they meet on Saturday at the European Championship. Goals. Spain created chance after chance against Sweden but was still held to a 0-0 draw in its opening match at Euro 2020. Poland lost to Slovakia 2-1 as Robert Lewandowski was held scoreless in yet another lackluster performance at a major soccer tournament. The focus on Spain at La Cartuja Stadium will be on lvaro Morata, the striker singled out by fans and Spanish media for his misses against Sweden. He had also been ineffective in Spain's warm-up match against Portugal, which ended 0-0. Spain coach Luis Enrique will have to choose whether to keep the Juventus striker in the starting lineup or make a change to try to boost the attack. The initial indication is that he will keep Morata, with the coach saying his striker had a very good game despite his misses against Sweden. Luis Enrique's other choices in attack include Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres, who started alongside Morat

Home field not an advantage for Spain so far at Euro 2020

Home-field advantage wasn't much of an advantage for Spain at the European Championship. Spain is one of nine teams hosting matches at Euro 2020, but playing in Seville didn't seem to help much on Monday in a 0-0 draw against Sweden. Not only didn't the result go Spain's way, but the team also had to deal with poor field conditions and even boos from the home fans. It's much better to play when the fans are applauding than when they are jeering, Spain midfielder Pedri Gonzlez said. But I prefer to focus on the applause of the fans who motivated us. That will help us a lot more than if we focus on the negative things. More than 12,000 fans were at La Cartuja Stadium for the match against Sweden, and most were supportive of the national team. They proudly honored the national anthem and loudly chanted some players' names. But many grew unhappy and didn't hide their discontentment as Spain struggled to capitalize on its scoring opportunities. Most of the jeers were directed at strik

Spain hopes to jumpstart electric car industry with European Union funds

Spain produced 2.2 million cars and trucks in 2020, second only to Germany in Europe. But only 140,000 of these were electric or hybrids

Spain vaccinates Euro 2020 soccer team after outbreak scare

Worried that a Covid outbreak could derail its chances at Euro 2020, Spain sent in the army on Friday to vaccinate the national soccer team three days before its opening match at the tournament