What is the plan? Spanish sports pages infuriated by Scotland’s ‘shipwreck’

Spain suffers historic loss to Scotland in Euro 2024 qualifier

In an epic match at Hampden Park, a resurgent and passionate Scottish side overpowered a completely lacklustre Spanish national team. The Tartan Army, in full voice, saw their side net the historic win to kick off their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign to a pitch-perfect start following Saturday’s 3-0 win over Cyprus.

An anonymous Spanish side failed to find a response in either half to the Scott McTominay’s brace, which sent Scotland shooting to the top of Group A. Manchester City’s Rodri, who captained the Spanish team, was bitter in defeat, calling Scotland’s performance ‘rubbish’ and blaming timewasting, gamesmanship and a negligent referee for the Spanish defeat.

The national press wasted no time in unpicking the mistakes made by an ‘inconsistent’ team and a coach whose eight changes had no result. Newspaper Marca was the first to ask questions of manager Luis de la Fuente, its headline shouting: ‘What is the plan?’ With his defeat, he became the first Spain manager to lose his first match on the road since Vicente Miere in 1991.

Marca offered a brutal assessment of Spain’s performance, with a front page asking, ‘What’s the Plan?’ The paper noted that an inexperienced team that lacked the big-name players failed to provide any fightback after conceding twice to McTominay. AS offered a similarly damning post-mortem, with their headline reading ‘Shipwreck in Glasgow.’

The team conceded within the first eight minutes of the match after McTominay justified his inclusion in the starting line-up with a continuation of his scoring form. With his third goal in three days and 38 minutes played, the Newcastle target capitalised on a moment of Spanish weakness to keep Scotland on the front foot. He scored again just after the break, and the visitors were unable to claw back momentum.

De la Fuente took a gamble against Steve Clarke’s side that failed to pay off. The former Magpie, Joselu, failed to trouble Angus Gunn, in only his second international appearance for Scotland. Debutant David Gracia had a night to forget, in part blaming the length of the grass.

In conclusion, Spain’s performance was a complete letdown, and De la Fuente’s eight changes proved to be costly. The team failed to find an answer to McTominay’s brilliance, and the lack of focus from Spain was evident throughout the match. The loss should prove to be a sobering one for Spain, and they will have to improve to get back to their best.



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