That thing about us suffering like never before and winning like always, what those who watch the National Team’s matches say, well, it’s going to be true., because Spain has already gone 17 games without losing in the European Championships (18, 20 and 22). But today’s outcome is rarely seen: with 26-25, eight seconds ahead, Russia attacks, and the winger runs into Gonzalo Pérez and the end … but the referees go to VAR, and decide which is Ángel Fernández’s penalty for putting his foot in the winger’s race: with the clock at zero Soroka catches the ball, throws and…stick. Final: 26-25 (12-11). Two points, six in total; the semifinals in Budapest are already closer for the champions.
Today Spain has accused the fatigue. Two games in less than 24 hours is too much punishment even though Ribera rotates his men a lot. That exhaustion is noticeable in many aspects, but fundamentally in the freshness and success in the shot, in the withdrawal, in going out to play in defense.
Switching from 6-0 to 5-1 was an option, but it’s complicated because the forward and the assists have to cover more spaces. That is why Ribera must have understood that it was best to be conservative while possible.
Only in this way is it explained that Santalov, in the second half, shot again and again from nine meters without a hand that bothered him. Also, that the Russian game, much more serious than what is presupposed in the popular imagination, which always points to an antediluvian game, knew how to get us out of the encounter due to its parsimony in the organized attack.
Before minute 50 that seemed lost, 18-22, due to inefficiency, lack of ideas, lack of control. But in one minute Spain scored three goals, finally two counterattacks after recovering the ball with an intense defense. Excellent Maqueda! What had incomprehensibly failed before, not now, and in the 50th minute the game was up in the air again: 23-23
The end of the shock analyzed sitting down and without passion, was nonsense. Take the last minute as an example: Spain won by a goal and lost an innocent ball in attack in a pass to nobody from behind. And the Russian winger launches a childish counterattack that Agustín Casado recovers with one hand: 45 seconds to go… and Spain throws from nine meters passively with passes without consuming…and of course, Russia recovers that when the VAR gives it a penalty (it seems fair) it sends one of those who had already failed to the line. And he failed again to put the Russians very uphill in this Championship.