The 2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or nominee made his highly anticipated return to the field, playing for the first time since La Roja’s dramatic European Championship victory over England in July. The midfielder featured for 58 minutes in Spain’s impressive win at the Stade de Genève, where goals from Joselu, Fabian Ruiz (who netted twice), and Ferran Torres secured a commanding victory for Luis de la Fuente’s side. Switzerland’s Manuel Akanji also played the full 90 minutes in a spirited match.
Spain couldn’t have asked for a better start, as Joselu opened the scoring just four minutes in, converting a precise cross from Lamine Yamal. However, Switzerland nearly struck back when Becir Omeragic found the back of the net. Unfortunately for the Swiss, the goal was disallowed after a VAR review revealed a handball in the build-up.
Spain doubled their lead soon after, with Fabian Ruiz reacting sharply to a rebounded effort from Nico Williams, slotting the ball into the net. The action-packed first half continued as Spain’s Robin Le Normand was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Breel Embolo, leaving La Roja down to 10 men just 21 minutes into the game.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Spain held on until the brink of halftime, when Zeki Amdouni cut the deficit for Switzerland, making it 2-1. After the break, the hosts pressed hard for an equalizer, but Spain restored their two-goal cushion with just over 10 minutes to go. Ruiz showcased dazzling footwork in the box, creating space before firing a low shot into the bottom corner. Ferran Torres added the finishing touch with a late fourth goal, putting the result beyond doubt.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Europe, Croatia secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Poland, with Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol playing key roles. After a scoreless first half, Luka Modric broke the deadlock shortly after the interval, scoring the game’s only goal and sealing victory for the hosts.
Over in Portugal, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva played the full match in a thrilling 2-1 comeback win against Scotland at Estádio da Luz. The visitors took an early lead when Napoli’s Scott McTominay powered a header into the far corner in the seventh minute. Despite Scotland’s resilient defense, Portugal equalized 10 minutes into the second half through a low strike from Bruno Fernandes on the edge of the box. The match seemed destined for a draw, but with only two minutes left, Cristiano Ronaldo rose to the occasion, heading in a perfect cross to complete the turnaround and secure all three points for Roberto Martinez’s side.
With these victories, Spain, Croatia, and Portugal continue to assert their dominance in European football, each showing grit and determination on the road to further international success.
