Spain 1-1 Greece: 5 talking points as Spain fail to beat Greece in their opening qualifier | FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 2021
Spain shared points with Greece in a frustrating 1-1 draw. La Roja had to settle for a point in their opening World Cup qualifying fixture.
Dani Olmo produced the first big chance of the night as he came close to scoring for the hosts, but was denied by the woodwork. Minutes later, Alvaro Morata scored a beautiful goal after receiving a lofted pass from Koke. The Juventus forward did brilliantly to bring the ball down under his control before dispatching one into the net.
Spain had everything under their control, but substitute Inigo Martinez gave away a penalty after a reckless challenge on Giorgos Masouras. Anastasios Bakasetas made no mistake as he tucked the ball in perfectly from the spot to deny Spain all three points.
Spain vs. Greece: 5 talking points
#5. A lucky point for Greece
The Spanish national team would be feeling a bit hard done after the game. Greece did absolutely nothing throughout the game and still managed to grab a point from the fixture.
The game looked done and dusted, but Greece somehow managed to draw a penalty for themselves which was later slotted in by Bakasetas. Apart from the penalty, the visitors hardly did anything to salvage a draw.
#4. The substitution that cost Luis Enrique
Spain head coach Luis Enrique withdrew Sergio Ramos at half-time keeping in mind that he was coming in after a long break due to his injuries. The Real Madrid captain was replaced by Inigo Martinez.
Close to the hour mark, the Athletic Club defender put in a heavy challenge on Masouras to award a penalty to the visitors. The mistake cost his side a huge win in the opening fixture of the qualifiers.