Other Spain also wins thanks to historic defence in Europe

To Albania's credit, they were able to find players who wanted to defend the colours of the country where they, their parents or perhaps an ancestor were born. It was not easy for a country forged in the shadow of communism and on the brink of a civil war in the late 1990s that would have torn it apart.  

Sylvinho and Zabaleta came on the scene to add football to a crest with a two-headed eagle that already foreshadowed that two heads were needed to give meaning to the sport in a country with little tradition that only played in the finals of Euro 2016.  

Albania leave Euro 2024 Germany playing good football, but not at the level needed to make things difficult for Spain or Italy. Their last match was against Luis de la Fuente's Spain B team. Only Laporte was in the starting eleven from the second match, but it was necessary to know the involvement of the rest of the squad in view of the qualifiers to come.  

There were no doubts. Raya is a goalkeeper of great performance and great security. You have to give Luis Enrique credit for discovering him for La Roja before he joined Arsenal. Navas, Dani Olmo, Grimaldo, Merino or Zubimendi did not disappoint in the first half where Joselu was looking for the goal as a pure 9 after announcing that he is leaving Real Madrid and heading to Qatar.  

Alongside Joselu, that perfect son-in-law, was Ferran, the Barça striker who is beginning to be more recognised in the Spanish shirt than in his team's. Less press and less exposure because of the media animosity instilled in him by Luis Enrique, but a goalscorer who scored the 1-0 and says he wants to make history in Spain.  

Spain's first half was good, the 10 changes were hardly noticeable. De la Fuente has taken any kind of previous pressure off these youngsters. Only the 90 minutes of each match and their drift will be the ones that will demand from Williams or Yamal what they have to do on the wings and how they have to manage the game. The coach gives them every confidence and makes them feel comfortable so that everything that happens inside is the result of their decisions.  

Nine points, five goals scored and none conceded. De la Fuente said that these figures were historic because never before had a national team done anything like this in the group stage. Spain's record will be worth nothing if they stumble in the last 16 when the whole country is waiting for Germany in the quarter-finals.  

The first cross also benefits this system that De la Fuente has put in place. An opponent of lesser quality, but with 90 minutes ahead where there is no net. Either you win or you go home, and that's what you have to know how to play.   

Sunday at 21:00 is the time for Spain to show that they also know how to play to win when they have a lot to lose.