Spain cruised past Serbia 3-0 in a friendly match, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring twice and Victor Munoz netting on his international debut. This dominant performance highlights why Spain enters the World Cup as favorites, sweeping aside their opponents with clinical finishing.
Spain 3-0 Serbia in international friendly (ESPN)
First-Half Brace Seals Control for Spain
Spain started brightly, with Alex Baena nearly opening the scoring in the fifth minute via a curled effort from inside the box toward the top right corner. Baena, recently moved from Villarreal to Atletico Madrid, was instrumental early on.
In the 16th minute, Spain sliced through the Serbian defense. Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez linked up on the edge of the box, with Lopez passing to Mikel Oyarzabal. The Real Sociedad striker powered a left-footed shot into the top right corner for his 10th goal in his last 10 international matches. Baena’s feint created the space for the move.
Three minutes later, Yamal struck the right post with a left-footed effort from the edge of the box, again assisted by Baena, the 2024 Golden Boy winner.
Fermin Lopez thought he had his first international goal in the 35th minute, but it was ruled out for handball by referee Luis Godinho.
In the 43rd minute, Oyarzabal struck again sublimely. Pau Cubarsi played the ball into his feet outside the box, and Oyarzabal glanced up before arrowing a left-footed shot into the top right corner. Vanja Milinkovic-Savic was left furious at his defense for failing to press.
Spain led 2-0 at halftime, while Serbia posed no threat in the opening 45 minutes.
Second-Half Substitutions and Munoz Debut Goal
At halftime, Dani Olmo and Pablo Fornals replaced Fermin Lopez and Pedri for Spain.
Serbia had a goal disallowed in the 50th minute when Veljko Birmancevic pushed Marc Cucurella before scoring. No VAR was in use.
On the hour mark, Serbia made four changes: Luka Jovic, Sasa Lukic, Lazar Samardzic, and Mijat Gacinovic entered.
Mikel Oyarzabal was substituted in the 62nd minute by debutant Victor Munoz.
Ten minutes later, Munoz scored on debut. Dani Olmo slipped the ball to Ferran Torres, who backheeled it to the on-running Munoz. The 22-year-old Osasuna forward curled a right-footed shot with the outside of his boot into the bottom left corner—a moment he’ll never forget.
Milinkovic-Savic made a world-class save to deny Dani Olmo a fourth, diving to tip a close-range effort over the bar.
Match Context and Upcoming Fixtures
The match replaced a cancelled Finalissima against Argentina due to conflict in the Middle East. Serbia had been scheduled to face Qatar the previous day.
Stay updated with the latest Resultados Futbol Hoy for more live scores and match highlights from international friendlies and tournaments.
Spain next face Egypt on Tuesday evening, their final game before the World Cup opener against Cape Verde on June 15. Serbia play Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, March 31, in another friendly.
For comprehensive football results and analysis, visit Resultados Futbol Hoy.