- Spanish national team inflicted a disastrous defeat to Germany last night, 6-0.
- Manchester City’s Ferran Torres recorded a hat-trick.
- Spain jumped over Germany in the standings, progressing to the Final Four of the UEFA Nations League.
Magnificent Spain and Terrible Germany
Not in the wildest of dreams would anyone expect to see Spain annihilating Germany with 6-0 last night. This was the decisive match for advancing to the semifinals of the UEFA Nations League. Germany was one point ahead of their rivals, and everyone expected a tough battle between two strong sides. What happened was completely unexpected.
“Every aspect was bad today. There was nothing positive. It was a dark, dark day,” said Germany’s head coach, Joachim Low.
His side was down 3-0 after the opening 45 minutes, allowing three more goals in the second half. It is the toughest defeat since 1931, and officially the worst in all the competitive games played throughout Germany’s history. After 11 straight contests without a loss, die Mannschaft’s run was interrupted in the worst possible way.
Many would compare it to Brazil’s from 2014, once Germany trashed the five-time world champs in front of 80,000 of their fans.
Spain took the lead after 17 minutes, when Alvaro Morata’s header finished behind Manuel Neuer. The same player scored six minutes later, but the goal was canceled due to an offside position.
After 33 minutes of play, Ferran Torres scored the first of his three goals, indicating what was about to happen. It didn’t take too long for another confirmation to arrive when one other Man City player recorded a score. Rodri delivered a superb header, posting his first goal for the national team.
The Red Fury didn’t stop there, but continued to pound the lost Germans. Torres placed his name on the scoresheet twice more in the 55th and 72nd minute, playing arguably the best game of his entire career.
📹 | El histórico 'hat-trick' de @FerranTorres20… ¡A pie de césped! 🤩
— Selección Española de Fútbol (@SeFutbol) November 19, 2020
⚽ Revive la INCREÍBLE noche del jugador valenciano y vuelve a disfrutar de sus goles desde otro ángulo.
PD: ¡Activa el sonido! 🔊 pic.twitter.com/CIWABAi0OY
Mikel Oyarzabal put an end to this spectacular contest, one minute before the end of the regulations.
“It was one of the best, most complete games Spain has played,” Spain’s manager Luis Enrique told the journalists after the match. “For me, everyone deserves credit – I cannot single one player out. To be able to reduce a team like Germany, everyone has to work together.”
Low’s Job Not at Risk
Joachim Low has been under constant pressure coming from the media over the previous two years. After last night’s catastrophe, voices demanding his resignation became much louder. The officials from Germany’s Football association refused to discuss such a scenario, saying that Low has their support and that his position isn’t under review.
“We still trust Joachim Low, no doubt about that,” said Oliver Bierhoff, national team director, stated.
The 60-year old coach led Germany to its biggest success since 1990, winning the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. They would deliver one of the most convincing quests towards the title. However, the exit from the 2018 World Cup when Germany came back home following a disaster in the group stage hurt his reputation, and ever since, Low struggles to regain his status and the trust of the fans.
