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#3 Mikel Oyarzabal
The UEFA Nations League has a host of excellent forwards and midfielders at its disposal. Against all odds, Real Sociedad man Mikel Oyarzabal has climbed to the top, emerging as one of the best players in the tournament.
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After flying below the radar at EURO 2020, Oyarzabal seems to have pledged to make amends at the UEFA Nations League. In the first semi-final, he was a force to be reckoned with down the left-hand channel and made life impossibly difficult for the Italian right-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
He assisted both goals on Wednesday night and in a similar fashion. He put in a perfect cross into Torres’ path in the 17th minute to help Spain take the lead.
Just before the half-time whistle, he swung in another cross. This time it asked Torres to leap higher and meet the ball. The Manchester City man met that requirement to give Spain a 2-0 lead right before the half-time break.
#2 Gavi
Injuries to key players forced Spain coach Luis Enrique to experiment with his squad for the semi-finals against Italy in the UEFA Nations League. In the end, he walked home with a spring in his step, knowing his biggest gamble of the night paid off handsomely.
Enrique handed Barcelona starlet Gavi his Spain debut on Wednesday night. The move caught Italy off-guard and they spent the entire night trying to find a way to stop the youngster.
At 17 years and 62 days, Gavi became the youngest player in history to feature for Spain, and, surprisingly, he never looked out of depth. He passed expertly, dominated Italy's midfielders, and always found a way out of trouble.
It was a dream debut for the 17-year-old, and we are excited to see if he can carry his form over to the final.
#1 Ferran Torres
With Alvaro Morata ruled out, Enrique decided to give Ferran Torres the opportunity to prove his mettle. It only took him 17 minutes to make that opportunity count, to give his side a well-deserved lead.
Oyarzabal’s early cross from the left was perfect, but it needed Torres’ golden touch to reach the back of the net. Unfazed by the opener, he charged forward for his brace and eventually got it through with an excellent header right before half-time.
The “make-shift” striker’s header demonstrated his ability to play as an out-and-out centre-forward and score goals that any striker would be proud of. Unfortunately, he picked up an injury in the second half and was eventually taken off.
We hope the injury is not all that serious and he can feature in the UEFA Nations League final this Sunday.
