Spain took another step towards the next World Cup with a comfortable victory in Elche against Georgia (2-0). Yéremy Pino and Mikel Oyarzabal scored the goals in a victory that fell short considering La Roja's remarkable dominance in the 90 minutes of regulation time.
Luis de la Fuente opted for Pau Cubarsí in the center of defense, partnering with Robin Le Normand, while Pedri González and Ferran Torres were also in the starting XI. Dani Olmo, meanwhile, returned to Barcelona on Saturday after suffering an injury to his left calf in Friday's training session.
Spain took 24 shots, 7 of them on goal, but Giorgi Mamardashvili made 4 saves, including a penalty, to prevent a scandalous rout. With the victory, the team has 9 points and is the leader of Group E, with a 3-point advantage over Turkey (6).
Pedri led Spain's midfield against Georgia
Although he was the only one of Barça's international players who didn't play the full 90 minutes, Pedri was, by far, the master of La Roja's midfield. The Barça midfielder threaded a pass to Le Normand in the 23rd minute, allowing the center-back to pass the ball to Yéremy Pino, who, unmarked, pushed the ball into the net to make it 1-0.
In the 74 minutes he was on the field, the Tenerife native completed 76 of 86 passes (88%), in addition to creating 4 scoring chances. He also recovered 5 balls and won 4 of 6 individual duels. In the disciplinary section, he drew one foul and committed another. Pablo Barrios came on in his place with a quarter of an hour left to play.
Understanding Pedri's importance in La Roja's engine room, it is very likely that Barça's '8' will repeat in the starting XI against Bulgaria next Tuesday in Valladolid (8:45 PM CEST). Pau Cubarsí, meanwhile, also has a good chance of staying in the lineup with Dean Huijsen out.
Cubarsí had a quiet night in defense; Ferran missed a penalty
The Barça center-back was the player with the most completed passes (123) of the matchday, with 98% effectiveness (he barely missed a couple of passes). The 18-year-old defender also recovered 5 balls and was impeccable in marking, with 2 out of 3 duels won and no fouls committed.
Ferran Torres, for his part, was erratic in Elche. Wearing the '11' on his back, the player from Foios missed a penalty that he himself had provoked in the 29th minute. The 'Shark' telegraphed his right-footed shot too much, and Mamardashvili guessed the side, deflecting the ball with relative ease.
Previously, the forward had provoked another possible foul inside the area where the main referee, warned by the VAR, sanctioned the Valencian player for simulation. In total, Ferran made 5 shots (2 on goal), but only won 1 duel in 4 attempts and also completed 14 of 18 passes (78%).
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