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Spain recovered from a goal down to beat Georgia 2-1 in their FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifier. Dani Olmo came off the bench to score the winner in stoppage time to save the blushes of the 2010 winners.
After taking a surprise first-half lead, Georgia conceded right at the death to concede all three points to the visitors. To add insult to injury, substitute Levan Shengelia saw red for a reckless two-footed challenge on Pedri.
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It was an interesting first half, as Spain dominated possession but recorded fewer shots on target than the hosts. Their only shot on target came in the 11th minute when Ferran Torres' effort was saved by Giorgi Loria. The Manchester City winger wasted a few good scoring chances after this attempt as well.
Georgia always looked dangerous on the counter and almost scored in the 18th minute following a corner. But Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon produced an impressive save.
Spain were made to rue their 80% possession in the first half, as the hosts went ahead in the 43rd minute. 20-year-old Khvicha Kvaratskhelia finished off a blistering counterattack in style to stun their more illustrious visitors.
The hosts continued to play on the counter in the second half. But La Roja responded well and bagged their equaliser in the 56th minute. Ferran Torres connected with Jordi Alba's cross after Alvaro Morata failed to get a touch from point-blank range.
The 2010 World Cup winners pushed Georgia in search of the winner but lacked the finishing touch going forward.
Dani Olmo replaced Bryan Gil after the break and added much-needed energy for Spain in the final third. He was rewarded for his efforts when his long-range shot found the back of the net right at the break, despite Loria getting a hand to it.
With the win, Spain recorded their first win in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign after drawing on matchday 1. On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game:
#1 Spain's defence struggle without Sergio Ramos
While Spain didn't have to do a lot of defending on the night, thanks to their superior possession, Georgia were able to find themselves behind the visitors' defensive line with ease.
The hosts took full advantage of the width and pace provided by Kvaratskhelia and Saba Lobzhanidze to attack on the counter. Without the presence of their captain and defensive maestro Sergio Ramos, Spain were caught off guard on a couple of occasions.
The lack of communication and awareness in the Spain defence led them to concede the opener.
It is worth mentioning that the visitors conceded a goal in their previous outing after Ramos had left the pitch after the break. Fortunately, Olmo would save Spain's blushes.
#2 Ferran Torres delivers an impressive performance
Spain have one of the strongest teams in Europe at the moment. Unfortunately, most of that talent is in defence and midfield, and Spain have lacked a reliable finisher in recent years.
Luckily for Enrique, one of the newcomers - Ferran Torres - to the squad could change that. The 21-year-old forward only made his Spain debut in September last year but has already scored five goals for his country.
Though he missed a few sitters in the first half, Torres made up for his misses by netting Spain's equaliser in the 66th minute.
Also Read: 5 national teams with the most fans in the world.
#3 Georgia struggle to keep possession against Spain
Georgia were pushed onto the backfoot by Spain with their possession-based game. The hosts rarely had the ball with them for any significant swathes.
While they did well to block and intercept most of Spain's forays into their box, Georgia failed to hold the ball. Either they were dispossessed in midfield, or they squandered possession with poor passes.
The hosts only had a 67% pass completion rate. That with their 21% possession meant that Georgia weren't in the game against Spain for significant periods, which eventually proved to be their undoing.
#2 Spain's profligacy in front of goal is disconcerting
Despite boosting 79% possession and recording nine shots on target, Spain needed a late winner to take home all three points.
That was because despite the chances they created, Spain failed to finish them off, which meant the visitors were close to going winless in their first two games of the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
#1 Spain are now unbeaten in 65 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
Ferran Torres' equaliser and a late Dani Olmo strike meant Spain have no lost a FIFA World Cup qualifying game in almost two decades.
They last lost a World Cup qualifier 18 years, on 31 March 1993, when Denmark won 1-0. Since then, Spain have played 65 FIFA World Cup qualifiers without tasting defeat.
Spain are now second in Group B as they look set to seal their berth at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar by topping their group.
