Spain became the first country to score more than two goals in the European Championship after comfortably bringing down Turkey 3-0 at the Allianz Riviera in Nice earlier today.
Vicente del Bosque fielded an unchanged line-up from the one that went against Czech Republic in their opening group stage game, whereas Fatih Terim started Burak Yilmaz in place of Cenk Tosun as a lone striker with Arda Turan and Hakan Calhanoglu beside him.
The Spanish team, who are on course to win their third consecutive European Championship, completed 90% of a staggering amount of 706 passes between them throughout the 90 minutes and had two times as many attempts than the Turkish side during the encounter.
They opened the lead through Alvaro Morata on the 34th minute when the Juventus striker headed the ball past Volkan Babacan after a beautiful cross from Nolito. The provider then turned goalscorer three minutes later after he capitalized on Mehmet Topal’s error. The second half saw Spain pick up where they left off in the first half as Alvaro Morata scored his second goal and his country’s third goal of the night after an easy tap in on the 48th minute.
Here are the three best players that impressed the most during the Group D clash:
Alvaro Morata
The ex-Real Madrid man single-handedly ensured qualification for Spain to the round of 16 of the European Championship after a brilliant display of performance earlier this morning. He showed Vicente del Bosque that he can be the leading man for them as he scored two goals against a desperate Turkey side, with the first goal being an impressive header just before half-time. He then doubled his tally with an easy tap-in after an unselfish Jordi Alba pass.
Nolito
The Celta Vigo player scored five goals in his last five appearances for Spain and produced a tireless effort to help his country earn all three points. He had a hand in La Roja’s first goal of the night after a brilliant assist to set Alvaro Morata up for a great header, before getting himself on the scoresheet with a first-time volley to ensure a win for the reigning champions.
Andres Iniesta
When will this man ever stop producing brilliant displays of football on a consistent basis? The two-time European Championship winner dictated the tempo of the game, controlled possession and started almost every attack for his side. He made 99 passes, had the most dribbles in the game and was absolutely terrific for Spain. He seems to get better with age.
FULL HIGHLIGHTS:
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