Spain clinched their ticket to the European Nations Championship (Euro 2024) alongside Scotland, with a hard-fought victory over Norway (1-0) on Sunday in the eighth round of Group One matches.

🏆 Securing a Spot in Euro 2024:

Entering the match, Spain, the three-time European champions in 1964, 2008, and 2012, needed a victory to guarantee their qualification. In the previous round, they had defeated group leaders Scotland (2-0), while Scotland, absent in this round, required either a win or a draw against Spain in Oslo to secure their spot.

With their fifth victory in the campaign, guided by coach Luis de la Fuente, Spain caught up with Scotland at the top of the group with 15 points each from six matches. They opened up a five-point gap over third-placed Norway, who played their seventh game, ensuring both Spain and Scotland secured their places in the finals.

🌍 Euro 2024 Qualification Format:

The top two teams from each of the 10 groups qualify for the finals, set to take place next summer in Germany, the host nation. The remaining three spots will be determined through the UEFA Nations League playoff, with Georgia earning a place by topping their Level Three group in the 2022-2023 competition.

Spain and Scotland now join France (Group Two), Portugal (Group Ten), and Belgium (Group Six) as teams that have already secured their spots in Euro 2024, along with the host nation Germany.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland’s Return:

This marks the second consecutive appearance of the Scottish national team among the elite of European football. In contrast, Norway, led by star Erling Haaland, saw their dream of returning to the Euro come to an end after 23 years of absence since their last appearance in the tournament hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium at the turn of the millennium.

🥅 First-Half Near Misses:

• In the 20th minute, Spain’s Alvaro Morata thought he had scored, capitalizing on a defensive lapse, but VAR disallowed the goal for offside.

• Carvajal came close to breaking the deadlock with a powerful long-range shot in the 28th minute, narrowly missing the right post.
• Morata had another chance in the 32nd minute, with a close-range attempt, but Norwegian goalkeeper Oier Olazabal made a crucial save.
• Morata continued to threaten Norway’s goal late in the first half, notably with a header from a free-kick delivered by Ferran Torres, but his attempt went wide in the 41st minute. Rodrigo also took a shot in the 44th minute, but it missed the target.

🌟 Second-Half Turning Point:

• The breakthrough came early in the second half after an extended consultation between the referee and VAR. Spain took the lead in the 49th minute as Gavi’s shot from outside the box found the net, bypassing the offside Morata.

💫 Norway’s Second-Half Response:

• Norway displayed an improved performance in the second half, with Martin Odegaard testing his luck in the 62nd minute. However, the Arsenal star’s effort was off target.

🚀 Pedraza’s Near Miss:

• Alfonso Pedraza, making his debut for the national team, came close to adding a second goal with a long-range effort in the 73rd minute. Unfortunately, the ball hit the side netting.

🏁 Match Conclusion:

• The match concluded with Spain securing all three points.

Spain Euro 2024 Qualification

Spain secures their spot in Euro 2024 with a 1-0 win over Norway, joining Scotland at the top of Group One. Read the match highlights and implications for Euro 2024 qualification

[Table of Contents]

• Securing a Spot in Euro 2024
• Euro 2024 Qualification Format
• Scotland’s Return
• Match Highlights