EQUATORIAL GUINEA 1 SPAIN 2 | INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY MATCH RESULT

A festive atmosphere for the Spanish Football National Team which played Equatorial Guinea in an International Friendly tonight. It was a celebration for the locals as the World Champions visited an ex-Spanish colony & the historical ties helped with the off-field friendliness & joy while on-field the locals were "hard" at times. The final result was a 1 - 2 win for Spain which could ( & should ) have been more but perhaps the steamy conditions & lack of tension did not assist with a runaway scoreline. Equatorial Guinea also played their part as they were pushed on by enthusiasm & by the special occasion. 

The Spain starting XI was:

Reina; Juanfran, Bartra, Íñigo Martínez (sub Ramos), Alberto Moreno; Xabi Alonso (sub Busquets), Koke (sub Iniesta), Cazorla (sub Villa); Jesús Navas (sub Pedro), Mata  & Negredo (sub Fernando Llorente ).

A virtual "reserve" line-up that gradually saw some regulars substitute & get a run as the match well on.

Spain Football Team 2013

The match took a while to excite & that moment came when Cazorla opened the scoring for Spain in the 13th min after a terrible local goalie fumble. The locals advanced with their enthusiasm & managed to equalize in the 36th min when Bermudez headed from a corner. The Spanish defence could have done much more & were not concentrating but the Equatorial Guinea player celebrated as if it was the winning goal of a World Cup Final. 

Spain Football Team 2013

The locals then got over excited with some tough tackles, one of which caused Xabi Alonso to hop off the field. Later news was that it was just a scare which was a relief for Real Madrid fans after losing yesterday German International midfielder Khedira for the next 6 months to a serious knee injury. 

The second goal for Spain came in the 42nd min when defender Juanfran fired home after a poor clearance from the goalkeeper.

Spanish Coach Vicente Del Bosque made changes all the 2º half, which was slower & with numerous missed chances which was frustrating to watch. Equatorial Guinea created their own opportunities towards the end of the game but Spain kept them out & under control.

Next International Friendly for Spain against South Africa.

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