Spain were left with a “bitter taste” in their mouths following a goalless draw in an international friendly with 10-man Egypt, so says Barcelona midfielder Pedri.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A dominant display by the European champions failed to reap the rewards as Luis de la Fuente’s side failed to follow up their 3-0 win over Serbia with another victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n
La Roja had a whopping 25 shots worth an expected goals (xG) total of 2.3, but only six of those tested visiting goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir at\u00a0RCDE Stadium.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was their most shots in a match without scoring in all competitions since June 2010, when they lost 0-1 to\u00a0South Africa in their opening match of the 2010 World Cup (26).<\/p>\n
And it\u00a0went\u00a0down as a memorable result for Egypt, given\u00a0Spain had\u00a0won 12 of their last 16 matches against African teams in all competitions (D2 L2) before Tuesday’s\u00a0draw.<\/p>\n
“It \u200bleaves a bitter taste. We wanted to get the victory,” Pedri told Teledeporte. “They are a team that \u200ctries to \u2060play, and without the ball, they get back, and it is difficult to get in.<\/p>\n
“We had to give more rhythm to the ball [in the second half]. In the first, we were a little slow and in the second, better.<\/p>\n
“Everyone is looking forward to the World Cup. Now we have to \u200bfocus on our clubs and \u200bwait for the \u2060World Cup that we all want.”<\/p>\n
Their draw with Egypt, who were without the injured Mohamed Salah, was also Spain’s\u00a0final match before announcing their squad for this summer’s World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unlike other nations, Spain do not have any more pre-tournament friendlies currently lined up before taking on Cape Verde in their first Group H match on June 15.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But De la Fuente was asked about what the next two months would look like for him, most notably with the team selection, given the decisions he made this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
New additions to the Spain squad included Barcelona’s Joan Garcia, Arsenal’s Cristhian Mosquera, Real Sociedad’s Ander Barrenextea, and Osasuna’s Victor Munoz.<\/p>\n
The likes of Fabian Ruiz, Mikel Merino,\u00a0Dani Carvajal, Robin Le Normand and Raul Asencio all missed out, along with Euro 2024 winner Alvaro Morata.<\/p>\n
“It will not be different from what we have been doing. Player monitoring is key,” De la Fuente added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“There will be detailed information and then a follow-up of all the rivals. But the most intense part is the detailed monitoring of the coach.”<\/p>\n
Spain’s result also saw them relinquish top spot in the FIFA rankings to France, who beat Brazil and Colombia during the international break.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“This shows what a number one is in any activity,” the Spain boss said. “Conceding a draw, there’s a team that does a little better than you and passes you.<\/p>\n
“It’s a great lesson to see that you have to give your best in every game. It’s a great motivation to try to recover it in the next game.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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