Spain experiment in a 1-1 draw with Iraq

The coaching staff clearly sees something. They know who can contribute and who cannot. The fans, however, tend to view things differently, and they are right to wonder what exactly Spain gained from its friendly against Iraq. Not because of the Asian side's quality, nor even because of the final score (1-1), but because Spain handed senior international debuts to no fewer than eight players at the Riazor Stadium on Thursday. How many of them will feature at the World Cup remains difficult to predict, but one thing is certain: Luis de la Fuente was far from impressed with the performances of the newcomers.

For Spain's final match on home soil before crossing the Atlantic—where another warm-up game against Peru awaits before the start of the World Cup—De la Fuente named two teenagers in his starting lineup. Real Madrid center-back Jon Martín (20) started in defense, while Barcelona's 19-year-old Marc Bernal partnered Gavi in midfield. As it turned out, that was only the beginning of an experiment in which the coach constantly rotated his team and introduced six more debutants. Coming off the bench were Real Madrid striker Gonzalo García, midfielders Benat Turrientes of Real Sociedad and Javi Guerra of Valencia, Atletico Madrid defender Marc Pubill, Mallorca goalkeeper Leo Roman, and Celta Vigo center-back Javi Rodríguez.

The performance itself offered little encouragement, although it should be noted that several key stars—including Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams—were unavailable through injury. Unai Simon did not start in goal, Mikel Merino came off the bench, while Martín Zubimendi, Fabian Ruiz, and Mikel Oyarzabal were not even included in the matchday squad. Most of them are expected to be serious contenders to start Spain's World Cup opener against Cape Verde on June 15. What may concern Spanish supporters even more is the historical parallel. This match served as Spain's official farewell to the home fans before the tournament, and it took place at Deportivo La Coruna's stadium. A remarkably similar situation occurred back in 1966 when Spain, then also reigning European champions, drew 1-1 with Uruguay in La Coruna before heading to the World Cup in England—where they were eliminated in the group stage. Not that anyone is predicting such a scenario, but the current European champions are simply capable of much more, even if this was only a friendly.

The game actually started perfectly for Spain. Early on, Ferran Torres sprinted nearly 40 meters before calmly finishing past goalkeeper Ahmed Basil. With that goal in the 16th minute, the Barcelona forward officially moved into the top ten scorers in the history of the Spanish national team with 24 goals. Just when it seemed that strike would open the floodgates and break Iraqi resistance, Spain suffered a setback from which they never fully recovered. In the 27th minute, Merchas Doski, the left-back from Viktoria Plzen, produced a spectacular volley from a difficult angle to beat goalkeeper Joan García and level the score. Spain dominated possession, as they traditionally do, and patiently built their attacks, but they lacked the cutting edge required in the final third. Ferran Torres squandered the best chance of the first half, while Gonzalo García missed a golden opportunity after the break. Yeremy Pino also failed to seriously test the goalkeeper. The conclusion is straightforward: Spain must quickly raise its level and start fielding its strongest available lineup if it wants to meet expectations at the World Cup.