Liechtenstein 0-8 Spain: Alvaro Morata and Iago Aspas at the double as visitors confirm play-off spot | FOOTBALL IS LIFE

By : Football is Life

Published On: 2017-09-06

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Liechtenstein 0-8 Spain: Alvaro Morata and Iago Aspas at the double as visitors confirm play-off spot | FOOTBALL IS LIFE
Spain beat Liechtenstein with Chelsea centre-forward Alvaro Morata netting twice and David Silva adding the goal of the game from a free-kick – his 33rd goal for his country.
The final score made it 39-0 in the eight games between these two teams with all of those goals scored against 35-year-old keeper Peter Jehle.
He kicked fresh-air to concede from Isco but the result owed more to the huge gulf in class rather than individual gaffes.


pain in their current mood were too much for Italy at the weekend so this was always going to be a mismatch of monumental proportions and one for the teleprinter to spell out.
Liechtenstein's 37,000 population would fit twice into the Santiago Bernabeu; the country doesn't have its own league; and as yet they have no points in Group G, which is now topped by Spain who need one win from their last two games to secure their place in Russia 2018.


The goals started flying in as early as the third minute and it was Sergio Ramos who broke the deadlock heading in his first goal for his country in three years.
Morata made it 2-0 on 15 minutes when Andres Iniesta crossed from the right and he glanced his header past Jehle. If the keeper was faultless for the first two goals, the third was all about him.


He missed his kick instead of clearing and was robbed by Morata, who squared to Isco for the third goal. Silva was next to score. And it was the pick of the first half strikes.
His free-kick beat Jehle all ends up and took him to 33 goals in 144 games. Only three players have scored more goals in Spain's history and no-one has scored more since Julen Lopetegui took over.
Spain were so comfortable that they were getting sloppy. Gerard Pique tried to pass back to Sergio Busquets and gave the ball straight to Nicolas Hasler who failed to make the most of the gift.
Pedro was then guilty of a foul throw and keeper David De Gea had a 'Jehle' moment giving the ball straight to Liechtenstein but none of the mistakes were punished and Spain could have scored more.
Jehle made a good save from Morata and the Chelsea striker scored what would have been his second but he was wrongly flagged offside.
The Rheinpark Stadion holds just 8,000 and the crowd were offering up a slightly more timid atmosphere than the Bernabeu had three days earlier.


It was a practice match for Spain now with only goal difference and the chance to move up the FIFA rankings at stake.
They came into the game 11th and not guaranteed being a seed when the World Cup draw is made.
Spain made three changes at half-time and on 51 minutes one of those substitutes Iago Aspas scored the fifth from close range.
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Pedro crossed from the right and Morata headed on to the bar. When the ball hit Jehle as it bounced down Aspas converted. It should have been Morata's goal but he got the next.
This time stroking the ball in from the edge of the six-yard box. He looked almost embarrassed as his shot trickled over the line – this was just too easy.
Pedro was keen to get in on the act but his shot was parried and when it fell to Aspas on 62 minutes he made it 7-0.
Gerard Deulofeu created the eighth when his cross was turned past his own keeper by Maximilian Goppel to complete the rout.

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