Zubimendi a worthy stand-in for Spain's Rodri

Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was left red-faced as a second-half strike by midfielder Martin Zubimendi gave an injury-hit Spain a 1-0 win in the Nations League on Oct 12.

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Missing seven of the starters who beat England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final in July, Spain dominated proceedings in Murcia but it was not until the 79th minute that they managed to find the winner as Zubimendi netted his first goal for his country.

The Real Sociedad midfielder unleashed a first-time shot from the edge of the box that deflected off a defender before squirming under Schmeichel, who should have kept it out.

It helped justify coach Luis de la Fuente's pre-match comments that Zubimendi was the second-best holding midfielder in the world, after the injured Rodri.

De la Fuente added after the match: "With his goal the attention will go up but his play, the fact that he's got a computer in his brain means we are privileged to have him at a time when Rodri will be out for a while."