Álex Baena Shines as Spain Defeats Serbia 3-0 in Nations League

European champions Spain have sealed their spot in the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals with a comfortable win over Serbia. Spanish captain Alvaro Morata missed a penalty in the second half, but he managed to redeem himself with a goal a few minutes later.

Aymeric Laporte and Álex Baena scored in either half as they sealed the 3-0 win over the toothless Serbia. The win keeps the Spanish side on top of their group, while their opponents today need to win big in their next two matches to make it to the quarterfinals.

Here are the Spain vs Serbia player ratings:

Spain National Football Team Player Ratings vs Serbia

David Raya – 8: Hardly involved in the game and had to make just one save in the whole match. He basically had the best seats in the house as Spain rolled over Serbia.

Defenders

Pedro Porro – 8.5: One of his best performances for club and country. Attacked the right flank with a lot of freedom and that helped Spain dominate possession.

Daniel Vivian – 7.5: Spent most of the match at the half line as Spain had the ball a lot. Never looked out of position when Serbia tried to attack and was ready to help out in any way possible.

Aymeric Laporte – 8: Scored the opening goal and then helped his side keep the ball. Never put a foot wrong and ensured that his side were in complete control from start to finish.

Marc Cucurella – 8: He just keeps getting better and better this season. The Chelsea man was once again solid on the pitch and spent most of the time in the opponent’s half as Spain were comfortable with the ball at their feet.

Midfielders

Martín Zubimendi – 7.5: Sat back and controlled the match for Spain. Showed exactly why Pep Guardiola sees him as the Rodri replacement and why Liverpool wanted to sign him in the summer.

Fabián Ruiz – 8: The pass for Alvaro Morata’s goal was simply too good, and there was nothing Serbia could do about it. He too helped out in controlling the possession and was always a step ahead of the opponents.

Mikel Oyarzabal

Mikel Merino – 7: A decent match for the Arsenal man as he dominated the midfield. Had two chances to score early in the game, with the first one coming off the post.

Álex Baena – 9: His performance was stunning today, but the free kick was even better. He scored with his final touch of the match before going off in the 78th minute.

Forward

Álvaro Morata – 7: Missed a penalty but made up for it with a superb first-time finish. It was not his best game but he should be happy with the performance overall.

Substitutes

Pedri – 7

Bryan Zaragoza – 6.5

Joselu – 6

Pau Cubarsí – 6

Aleix García – 6

Manager

Luis de La Fuente – 10

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Serbia National Football Team Player Ratings vs Spain

Predrag Rajković – 7.5: Serbia’s best player despite conceding 3 goals. Made seven saves in the match to keep the scoreline respectable and his team within reach of getting a draw.

Defenders

Strahinja Eraković – 6: Struggled to get close to Álex Baena and was getting pulled out of position a lot. He

Nikola Milenković – 6: Played 90 minutes today and still did not commit a single foul. One of the better players from Serbia today, but not enough to keep his side in the game.

Strahinja Pavlović – 5: Got sent off in the 76th minute after a tackle on Oyarzabal. The resulting free kick was Spain’s third goal of the match.

Midfielders

Nemanja Maksimović – 6.5: He kept trying his best to get Serbia back in the game and close down the Spanish midfielders who were keeping hold of the ball.

Kosta Nedeljković – 5: Played 64 minutes today and was never able to get into the game. He misplaced just one pass, but tried just 11 passes in the whole game.

Lazar Samardžić – 6: Was hooked off at half time as he was never able to get involved in he match. He managed just 12 touches and completed six passes in the match.

Saša Zdjelar – 6.5: One of the players who kept trying to keep Serbia in the match but failed to get control as Spain were just not letting go of the ball.

Veljko Birmančević – 4.5: Played the full 90 minutes and still managed just 13 passes. He managed just one tackle and also gave away a penalty in the game.

Forwards

Aleksandar Mitrović – 6: Missed a golden chance just seconds before Spain went down the other end and scored their second goal of the match. If he had scored from his chance, the match would have very well ended with a different result.

Dejan Joveljić – 6: Played just 45 minutes and was ineffective. He never got a shot away and managed just 6 passes, as he was isolated most of the time

Substitutes

Marko Grujić – 6

Luka Jović – 6.5

Nikola Čumić – 6

Andrija Maksimović – 6

Jan-Carlo Simic – 6

Manager

Dragan Stojkovic: 6

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