Striker Mikel Oyarzabal showed his sharpness by scoring a brace as Spain defeated Serbia 3-0 in a friendly match at the De la Ceramica Stadium, Villarreal, Saturday, March 28, 2026 early morning WIB.
Spain was supposed to play the Finalissima against Argentina. The big match that brings together the European Cup champions with the Copa America winner was supposed to be held in Doha, Qatar.
However, as the Middle East geopolitical constellation with the armed conflict between Israel and Iran, which also involves the United States, makes the duel postponed.
The match is planned to be moved to another place. UEFA has also submitted a proposal to move the Finalissima match, which has been held since 2022. However, according to UEFA, Argentina has always rejected every proposal regarding the relocation of the playing field so that the match was finally postponed.
With the postponement of the Finalissima match, Spain chose to test against Serbia. The duel was an ideal warm-up for La Furia Roja before appearing at the 2026 World Cup.
Moreover, Serbia came down with the best strength. Striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who is now playing at Al-Rayyan, dreams of a Serbian attack. This former Newcastle United and Fulham striker is supported by Al Hilal’s attacking midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who previously played at Lazio. Meanwhile, under the goalposts stands Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
Meanwhile, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente put his hopes on Oyarzabal who was the first choice in the front line. This makes Barcelona forward Ferran Torres start the match by sitting on the bench. Oyarzabal himself received support from Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez and Alex Baena.
Oyarzabal also showed his sharpness by opening Spain’s victory. Receiving an assist from Fermin Lopez, the Real Sociedad striker successfully broke Milinkovic-Savic’s goal in the 16th minute.
The 1-0 advantage made Spain more aggressive in pressing the Serbian defense. The result was not in vain. Oyarzabal again scored a goal that increased Spain’s lead to 2-0. He scored a brace after completing the assist of defender Pau Cubarsi in the 44th minute.
Entering the second half with a two-goal lead made Spain play more relaxed and enjoy the game. However, they still dominated the game.
Only Spain had to wait until the 72nd minute when Osasuna winger Victor Munoz, who came on as a substitute, overcame the deadlock. The score became 3-0 and lasted until the end of the match.
De la Fuente also showed satisfaction with the team’s performance. Moreover, they were able to win convincingly when facing an opponent who was not easy. He admitted that Serbia’s game had changed for the better compared to when the two teams met in the Nations League.
“Their approach is completely different compared to when they met in the Nations League a few months ago. I like the character and the idea of [Serbia coach Veljko] Paunovic by immediately bringing out his best players. I have respect for him and wish him success,” De la Fuente told Marca.
De la Fuente also praised Oyarzabal who overcame Spain’s front line problem. According to him, Oyarzabal’s performance dispelled the accusation that Spain did not have a striker with a killer instinct.
“We can’t seem to appreciate the talent of local players. When people say we don’t have any more killer strikers, but we actually have a lot of strikers and not just Mikel. He is clearly a world-class player,” he said.
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