Luis Enrique changed the defense (three of the four starters were new), he did not touch anything in the midfield (Busquets-Gavi-Pedri are his essence) and he modified the attack by betting on a pure nine like Morata wrapped up by Nico Williams. But Spain, which had possessions of more than 80% at the beginning, collapsed in a chaotic start to the second half, making inexcusable mistakes.
Morata and little else
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In the first 45 minutes there were three shots from Spain at the Japanese goal. And all three carried Morata’s signature. His first header was saved by goalkeeper Goda, but he didn’t even see the second because the Atlético striker dodged the center-backs by entering through the back door to seal the 1-0 score. His third goal in the World Cup. Morata was the only one with an aim.
no hands and no feet
In Unai Simón, the goalkeeper of Spain, the deep tactical imbalance was portrayed. He had a calm first half, but in the second he was poisoned because a bad transfer of his foot to Balde precipitated the 1-1, whose shot he did not intercept. And then he saw the ball pass through the small area from side to side at 2-1, a symptom of the nervousness that strangled a team that lost control, conceding two goals in three minutes.