Albania 0-1 Spain: Ferran Torres secures top spot for Luis de la Fuente’s in-form side despite making 10 changes

Calmly and ruthlessly, Spain continues, demonstrating on an evening of Albanian passion and partiality on the Rhine that this team has a multitude of winners. England can consider that the defeat of Albania guarantees their progress. It’s cold comfort.

Luis de la Fuente played a reserve side, knowing that Spain would go through as group winners, and they did. Some were less known and appreciated than 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, who came off the bench for the last half hour.

They got a little tired when they saw the Albanians, for whom this was an evening to talk about forever. But the precision, confidence, fluidity and vision were something to behold.

There was a pessimism about the fact that Albania had lost to Spain on each of the eight occasions they faced, but there was such a plethora of reasons to push that night’s Rojas to secure the unlikely victory they needed to make progress.

Above all, the color and energy of a crowd of fans who flocked to this ground in warm sunshine, many wearing their signature Geleshe hats, looking like white Christmas puddings. They bounced up and down in unison, a sort of forward-facing ‘Poznan’, and lit the flares, sending the opening minutes of the match into a smoky haze.

Ferran Torres scored the only goal of the match to send Spain into the last 16 of Euro 2024

However, sentiment can be hard to find in football. Spain, who were so impressive against Italy on Thursday, fielded a B team – and yet at half-time this seemed like nothing more than a training session.

The early goal was breathtaking and, you might say, even worth the €300 tickets flogged for outside.

A ball tracked across the surface of the pitch by Dani Olmo and fired into the net by Ferran Torres, who didn’t even have to scan the horizon to know where to send it. He ignored the advancing Albanian defender, Mario Mitaj, as if he did not exist.

At 26 years old, Olmo, the man from Leipzig, does not belong to the wonderful new Spanish generation, but what a smart player between the lines. What a player to have in reserve.

Albanian Armando Broja forced a smart save from Spanish goalkeeper David Raye… but little else

There should have been more for Spain in short order, even though both members of the left flank who quietly tore Italy apart – Nico Williams and Marc Cucurella – were rested. Alex Grimaldo stepped up and produced something similar down that flank.

His cross to Torres was in vain, as was his lay-back to Mikel Merino, who cleared his shot. Spain struggled with the intensity because it simply wasn’t a requirement.

Inter Milan’s Albanian Kristjan Asllani encouraged the fans just before half-time. His shot from 20 yards took David Raya to the left to grab both gloves. But the magnitude of the task was akin to climbing the Albanian Alps in flip-flops.

Manager Luis de la Fuente has crafted the perfect start to Spain’s Euro 2024 campaign

When the team found the furthest space in the final third, the two Real Sociedad players patrolling the back of the Spanish midfield, Martin Zubimendi and Merino, cleared the threat.

At halftime, some Albanian faithful had resorted to throwing plastic cups onto the pitch. Perhaps they too saw the futility of their team sinking deep, without even the slightest pace to get past Spain.

In the early stages of the second half, as Spain began to make changes and slow down the pace, Slough-born substitute Armando Broja, on loan from Chelsea to Fulham last season, attempted to lob Raya even though he was up to against the effort. .

Albania can say that it went down fighting. Spain can say that they are serious contenders.