Oyarzabal Shines with Two Goals in Spain's 3-0 Victory over Serbia Ahead of World Cup
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Key Takeaways
Madrid, March 28 (NationPress) Mikel Oyarzabal netted a brace as Spain triumphed over Serbia with a score of 3-0 at their home ground, marking one of the final friendly matches in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In other international friendlies that took place on Friday evening, England played to a 1-1 stalemate against Uruguay at Wembley Stadium in London, while the Netherlands secured a 2-1 victory over Norway at the Amsterdam Arena. Additionally, Germany edged past Switzerland with a score of 4-3 in an away encounter at Stade de Suisse, thanks to a late double from Florian Wirtz.
The defending champions, Argentina, had a comfortable outing, claiming a 2-1 win against Mauritania with two goals in the first half. Meanwhile, Russia overcame Nicaragua with a 3-1 victory at Luzhniki Stadium, coming back from a 1-1 draw at halftime.
Oyarzabal's opening goal came in the 16th minute, a precise shot across the goal following a well-coordinated team effort. His second goal, just before halftime, was a powerful long-range strike that left Serbian goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic helpless.
Spain's coach, Luis de la Fuente, retained Unai Simon as the starting goalkeeper, while FC Barcelona keeper Joan Garcia watched from the stands after receiving his first national team call-up.
Rodri took the field ahead of Martin Zubimendi in the center of midfield. The defensive line featured Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsi in central positions, with Marcos Llorente at right-back and Lamine Yamal positioned on the right flank of Spain's attack.
Yamal struck the crossbar shortly after Oyarzabal's first goal as Spain dominated proceedings. Victor Munoz, making his debut as a second-half substitute, quickly made an impact by scoring Spain's third goal in the 72nd minute, courtesy of a back-heeled assist from Ferran Torres.
Additionally, defender Cristhian Mosquera also made his debut, coming on just before Munoz nearly assisted Dani Olmo for a fourth goal.
Spain will face Egypt in Barcelona on Tuesday, providing De la Fuente with a final opportunity to finalize his squad for the World Cup.