SEVILLE, June 23, 2021 - Suddenly Spain look more like their old selves at Euro 2020. However they did need a literal helping hand in thrashing Slovakia 5-0 to secure a place in the knockout stages as Group E runners-up behind Sweden.
A nightmare display by Slovakia goalkeeper Martin Dubravka assisted the three-times European champions to the biggest win of the finals so far.
Sweden topped the group by defeating bottom team Poland 3-2 with Spain finishing as runners-up and leaving Slovakia on three points and with a fatally poor goal difference.
Luis Enrique's men, held by both Sweden and Poland, had no option but to beat Slovakia in Seville to stay alive in the European Championship their illustrious predecessors had won in 1964, 2008 and 2012.
They made hard work of it at first but, once they hit their stride they ran up a hatful of goals against a sloppy Slovak side who contributed the poorest performance of the finals by some distance.
Spain’s nerves showed as they missed an early penalty when Alvaro Morata’s kick was beaten away by keeper Martin Dubravka. However Spain's fifth successive penalty miss at international level did not prove costly and it was Dubravka whose blunders turned the tide of the tie.
A drive by Pablo Sarabia hit the bar and flew up into the air but, as it descended, so Dubravka misjudged his attempt to push the ball over the bar and, instead, punched it down into his own net. Some 15 minutes later Dubravka chased a loose ball too far and Gerard Moreno crossed for Aymeric Laporte to head home.
That was game over and Spain cruised through the second half with strikes from Sarabia and substitute Ferran Torres plus an own goal by Juraj Kucka.
In the other Group E clash, Sweden almost threw away command of both their match against Poland and the table after grabbing a two-goal lead in just under an hour with strikes from Emil Forsberg. At that point they relaxed and were duly and properly punished. FIFA's world best player Robert Lewandowski pulled one back in the 61st minute and equalised in the 84th.
The Poles needed to win to have any hope of qualifying but their desperation cost them discipline and Sweden capitalised by breaking away for Viktor Claesson to score a fine winner in stoppage time.
