Spain beats Peru and arrives ready for the World Cup
Spain ended its preparation for the World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Peru this Monday (8), in Puebla, Mexico. The friendly gave thousands of fans present at the stadium the opportunity to closely follow one of the teams considered favorites for the title just days before the start of the tournament.
The team led by Luis de la Fuente opened the scoring just two minutes into the game. Mikel Oyarzabal received the ball on the edge of the box and finished powerfully to score the first goal of the match.
The lead was doubled in the 31st minute, when Pedri appeared free to push the ball into the empty net after a cross from Ferran Torres.
Spain reached the third goal at the beginning of the final stage. A cross from Yeremy Pino caused a mistake by goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and ended up in the back of the net. Peru managed to take advantage of Jairo Vélez, who finished low to beat the Spanish goalkeeper.
Packed for the World Cup
The World Cup will start next Thursday (11). World champion in 2010, Spain debuts in the competition on June 15th, against Cape Verde.
The World Cup atmosphere was already taking over the surroundings of the stadium in Puebla. The stands were dominated by shirts from the Spanish national team and Barcelona, reflecting the strong presence of players from the Catalan club in Luis de la Fuente's squad.
Peruvian fans were a minority, but they supported the team throughout the match.
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Pedri, Rodri and Ferran Torres were among the athletes most celebrated by those present. Fans sang chants and held hellos in the stands throughout the match.
In the streets around the stadium, stalls selling official World Cup products reinforced the festive atmosphere. Even with a strong security system, the celebratory atmosphere remained among the fans.
"It was a game to gain momentum, and we did exactly that. I didn't imagine they liked me so much here in Mexico", Pedri told reporters.
The goal scored by Oyarzabal extended his streak of finding the net with the Spanish national team shirt to six consecutive matches. The striker said he hopes to increase the tally to seven games when the World Cup starts.
"I'm happy and I try to help in any way I can. What has made things work for us is that, as a group, we know what we need to do and we trust each other," said Oyarzabal.
Coach Luis de la Fuente celebrated another convincing performance by the team, but minimized the evaluations that place Spain as the main favorite for the world title.
"Being recognized as a favorite doesn't guarantee anything. We have confidence in ourselves and the way we play, but there are many other teams with the same quality and ability as us", said the coach.
Source: CNN