Spain 3-1 Czech Republic: Lamine shines at the Tartiere (and a Real Sporting player watched it live)

Right then, mate. I went to Carlos Tartiere. Of my own free will, no one twisted my arm and with cash in my pocket. And I'll tell you more: I left happy. Don't get used to it, this happens once every eleven years and only if the world champions come to town.

My mini video from the Tartiere stands. Can't see it? Watch it on Instagram.

🎺 Bagpipes, the World Cup and goosebumps

Before kick-off it was already worth the ticket. The anthem played with bagpipes, and two 2010 World Cup winners with deep Asturian roots, Santi Cazorla and Juan Mata, handed the World Cup to Rodri to show it to the crowd. The second star, on tour through Asturias. And there I was, mouth wide open, thinking how I wish we could see something like that at El Molinón one day.

⚽ Lamine, another masterpiece

De la Fuente rotated half his lineup (nine changes from Croatia) and gave debuts to Iván Fresneda and Roberto Fernández. But he didn't touch Lamine, people paid to see him. And he delivered in the 6th minute: Olmo found him in the final third, he cut inside and curled it into the top corner from distance. The manager with his head in his hands. Us too. Third straight game scoring in this window: England, Croatia and now Czech Republic.

The 2-0 came in the 35th, from a transition that Rodri started and finished himself: recovering the ball, one-two with Pedri and he's away. The captain hadn't scored for Spain since June 2024, against Georgia at the Euros. By half-time, it was party time.

😬 The dip (and the scare)

Lamine and Baena went off at half-time, and the spark went with them. Spain took their foot off the gas, Santi Denia's Czech Republic (yes, the Spanish lad who managed the U-21s) believed they were back in it and in the 69th, fullback Sláma cut it back on the counter after a pass from Hložek. Shortly after, Naderi did put it in for 2-2 following a David Raya mistake, but the ref ruled it out for a foul. That's when the Tartiere did what it does best: suffer.

The Czechs got heated, yellow cards flew and their captain, Ladislav Krejčí, was sent off for two yellows in the 85th. And in the 89th, a burst down the wing from Víctor Muñoz, a deflection and Merino crossed it in at the far post. 3-1 and job done.

🔴⚪ A Sporting fan at the Tartiere

I know what you're thinking. A Sporting lad at the Tartiere, clapping. Don't worry, there's an explanation: Friday Real Oviedo lost 4-1 away at Eldense's Messi show, and the next day their stadium got to see the best team in the world win. That pitch hadn't seen a team like this since… well, since the last time Spain came, back in 2015.

And fair play: the atmosphere was brilliant. The Tartiere was packed, singing and behaving. Asturias is football country, even if everyone experiences it from their own corner.

📊 Spain in Oviedo, by the numbers

With this one, the national team has now played eight matches in Oviedo: six wins, one draw and one loss. Before, at the Tartiere, they won 2-0 against Latvia in 2007 and 2-0 against Slovakia in 2015. And that's 41 games unbeaten under Luis de la Fuente.

🔜 What's next

Spain finish the window on Tuesday 6 October in Split against Croatia, with a quarter-final ticket already in the bag. And us, back to business: Sporting.

Were you at the Tartiere? What did you think of Lamine's screamer? Tell me in the comments. Come on Sporting and vamos España!

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