A team that had found its rhythm
En la víspera de un Mundial, las selecciones no solo buscan victorias, sino certezas. España encontró ambas en La Cerámica, donde un 3-0 ante Serbia en el último amistoso de preparación reveló algo más que un marcador: un equipo que ha hallado su identidad colectiva. Mikel Oyarzabal, con un doblete histórico, y el debutante Víctor Muñoz, con un gol de instinto puro, fueron los rostros de una noche que habló del presente y apuntó al futuro.
- El último ensayo antes del Mundial exigía respuestas, y España las ofreció con una victoria contundente y convincente ante Serbia.
- Oyarzabal se convirtió en el único jugador de la historia de La Roja en participar en gol durante diez partidos consecutivos, superando en la tabla histórica de goleadores a Sergio Ramos y Alfredo Di Stéfano.
- Serbia rozó el descuento en la segunda parte con un remate de Birmancevic que fue anulado por falta previa, el único instante en que el guion de la noche estuvo en duda.
- Las rotaciones de De la Fuente en el segundo tiempo abrieron la puerta a los nuevos, y Víctor Muñoz la cruzó con un gol de tacón exterior en su debut que dejó una impresión duradera.
- España llega al Mundial con el sistema asentado, el once definido y la confianza que solo da ganar bien, no solo ganar.
España llegó a La Cerámica con una misión concreta: cerrar la preparación mundialista con una demostración de solidez. Luis de la Fuente necesitaba ver a su equipo no solo ganar, sino jugar con la fluidez y el entendimiento que exige un torneo de máximo nivel. Ante Serbia, la respuesta fue rotunda: 3-0 y una actuación que habló de un equipo que ya sabe quién es.
Mikel Oyarzabal fue el protagonista indiscutible de la primera mitad. En el minuto dieciséis, una combinación iniciada por Lamine Yamal y continuada por Fermín López terminó en sus botas con un remate clínico. Antes del descanso, volvió a marcar desde la frontal del área, asistido por un largo pase de Pau Cubarsí. Con ese doblete, Oyarzabal se convirtió en el único jugador de la historia de la selección española en anotar o asistir en diez partidos consecutivos, superando además a Sergio Ramos y Alfredo Di Stéfano en la lista de máximos goleadores históricos de La Roja.
En la segunda parte, De la Fuente dio entrada a los suplentes y el partido se convirtió en un escaparate para los menos habituales. Víctor Muñoz, centrocampista del Osasuna en su debut internacional, aprovechó un tacón milimétrico de Ferran Torres para rematar con el exterior del pie derecho y sellar el 3-0 con un gol de gran factura técnica. Fue el tipo de debut que no se olvida.
Serbia apenas inquietó a Unai Simón. El momento más peligroso llegó con un remate de Birmancevic que fue anulado por falta previa sobre Cucurella, un episodio que pudo cambiar el tono de la noche pero que quedó en anécdota. España controló el partido de principio a fin, con la posesión, el ritmo y la tranquilidad de quien llega al Mundial sabiendo lo que hace.
Spain's national team walked onto the pitch at La Cerámica on a March evening with one clear objective: prove they were ready for what comes next. The World Cup looms. This was the last friendly before the tournament, and Luis de la Fuente's squad needed to show not just that they could win, but that they had solved the puzzle of how to play together. Against Serbia, they answered emphatically. The final score was 3-0, but the manner of the victory—the movement, the precision, the way the ball traveled from one flank to the other—suggested something deeper: a team that had found its rhythm.
Mikel Oyarzabal, the Real Sociedad forward, was the evening's centerpiece. He scored twice, both with his left foot, both with the kind of technical assurance that makes a striker indispensable. The first came in the sixteenth minute, a goal born from the kind of passing sequence that defines de la Fuente's philosophy. Lamine Yamal started the move on the right wing, threading a diagonal pass inward. Fermín López collected it at the edge of the box and read the play perfectly, finding Oyarzabal with a pass that Baena had the intelligence to let through. The finish was clinical. Before halftime, Oyarzabal struck again, this time from the top of the area, a shot that seemed to bend toward the corner with purpose. The assist came from Pau Cubarsí, whose long pass from midfield found Oyarzabal in space.
With those two goals, Oyarzabal entered territory no Spanish player had reached before. He became the only player in the history of the national team to score or assist in ten consecutive matches. He also climbed into the top ten all-time scorers for La Roja, surpassing both Sergio Ramos and Alfredo Di Stéfano. For a player competing for the role of Spain's primary striker heading into a World Cup, these are not small achievements. They are the kind of statistics that settle debates.
Serbia offered little resistance in the first half. Unai Simón, Spain's goalkeeper, faced one genuine threat from Birmancevic, the Getafe player, but the shot was routine. After the break, the visitors grew more dangerous, with Birmancevic connecting with a volley that beat Simón cleanly—only for the referee to rule that Cucurella had been fouled in the buildup. It was a moment that could have shifted the evening's narrative, but it didn't.
De la Fuente used the second half to rotate his squad, withdrawing Yamal, Pedri, Fermín, Oyarzabal, Rodri, and Baena. This was the moment for the new faces. Víctor Muñoz, the Osasuna midfielder making his debut, justified his selection immediately. When he entered the field, he had perhaps twenty minutes to make an impression. He needed fewer. Ferran Torres, operating with the kind of spatial awareness that marks elite playmakers, sent a backheel pass into Muñoz's path. The debutant's finish was exquisite—a strike with the outside of his right boot that left the Serbian goalkeeper with no chance. It was the kind of goal that stays with you, the kind that tells you something about a player's instincts.
Spain's dominance was nearly total. They controlled possession, dictated tempo, and created chances with the kind of efficiency that suggests a team moving toward something. There were no moments of panic, no stretches where Serbia threatened to make the match competitive. This was a performance designed to build confidence, and it succeeded. With the World Cup weeks away, Spain has shown they have the personnel and the system to compete at the highest level. What happens next will be decided on a much larger stage.
Notable Quotes
Oyarzabal demonstrated he is the perfect striker for the Spanish national team, with two left-footed finishes that showcased both technical assurance and tactical understanding.— Match analysis
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a friendly matter this close to the World Cup? Isn't it just a tune-up?
It's the last chance to see how the pieces fit together without the weight of knockout football. You're testing your system against real opposition, watching how your strikers move, whether your midfield can control a game. For Spain, it was about confirming that Oyarzabal is the right man up front.
Oyarzabal scoring twice and breaking a Spanish record—is that the story, or is it something else?
The record is the headline, but the story is what those goals tell you. Both came from the kind of passing sequences that take months to build. He wasn't just finishing chances; he was the endpoint of a system that works. That matters more than the record.
What about Víctor Muñoz? He's a debutant and he scores a beautiful goal. Does that change anything?
It shows de la Fuente has options. You can't win a World Cup with eleven players. You need depth, and you need young players who understand the system well enough to step in and contribute immediately. Muñoz did that.
Serbia barely threatened. Does that worry you about Spain's preparation?
Not really. You want to see your team dominate a friendly. The concern would be if they struggled. What matters now is how they perform when the stakes are real and the opposition is at full strength.
What's the feeling heading into the tournament?
Confidence, but not arrogance. Spain showed they can control a game, create chances, and finish them. They have a system that works. Whether that's enough against the best teams in the world—that's the question the World Cup will answer.