Spain plays, Portugal hits

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Surely Spain deserved more prize this Thursday against Portugal, without a doubt one of the best teams of the moment, at least if you look at their list of footballers, many of them settled in the elite and some trying to get there like

, a toothache for Who has to measure up to him?

He surely deserved Spain more because he was the one who tried the most, who proposed the most and who arranged the most, but he was measured against a much more specific group.

Spain played better, but Portugal hit harder, so things ended in a tie that is not a drama for anyone.

The whole competition remains ahead.

It was not the night of the other Thursday, probably because the footballers, whatever they say, are assailed by a point of laziness when they have to face these games.

Then, already involved in work, it's something else, but at the beginning, a competition still without pedigree, with the first heat of June, after a whole year fighting... So the two teams came out, especially the Portuguese, to temper bagpipes as time passed.

Spain, for its part, began with doubts, generated by the obstinacy, not necessarily bad, in getting the ball played.

Diego Llorente

, the great novelty in the lineup, recognizable by everything else, suffered as Santos' team forced them to come out on that side, and between the center back,

and

had a hard time.

Portugal's obsession with preventing the start of the game on the side of

and

led to some choking when the ball came out.

Luis Enrique's team had a hard time passing the midfield, overcoming that first Portuguese pressure, and they barely approached

until the goal.

Before, a shot by Leao at fifteen minutes had been Portugal's letter of introduction, surprisingly at the start without

.

Fernando Santos listened to the voices that in the country are betting that CR will give way to guys like precisely Leao and left sitting who is still the great figure.

Morata's goal

Everything changed in the 25th minute. When Portugal was at its best, definitely lying on the Spanish field, a poor execution of a corner turned into an electric counterattack led by

.

The interior of Barça won a dispute and began to run like a demon.

He was escorted by

, who received, and

, who finished off the service of his partner.

Morata is one of those players who, with confidence, multiplies his performance, and

at the moment gives him a lot.

Morata celebrates his goal.Jose Manuel VidalEFE

Shortly afterwards

was able to make it 2-0 with a double shot on serve, again from Gavi, by then already the best of the Sevillian night.

Portugal continued with the latent danger offered by its players, high-level guys like

.

André Silva sent a shot wide in the half-turn in the 34th minute and the game went to half-time without noticing the horrible night that Ferran Torres was dispatching, owner of as many turnovers as deliveries he received.

On the way back things started just as lazy as at the start, but this time it was the Portuguese who woke up Spain with two chances that weren't miraculous goals, especially a one-on-one by Leao, a nuisance throughout the night for Azpilicueta.

Cristiano entered the match with half an hour to go, but there was no news of him.

And in Spain the thing was going to more as the night progressed.

He began to find the spaces that had been denied him in the first half and, getting out of the Portuguese ambushes with some ease, he had some option, the clearest being a one-on-one with Morata who left.

He did not know how to close the game in that section and saw how, in a defensive mismatch, he allowed

to find a highway on the right.

With the defense advanced,

had only to push it.

The team reacted well, having a very clear shot from

's header to an empty goal.

Surely that second goal would have been fairer, but since this sport is not about justice, the tie stayed where it was.

And no drama.

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• Spain National Soccer Team

• Portugal National Soccer Team

• Alvaro Morata

• Cristiano Ronaldo