Spain Triumphs 5-0 Over Andorra: Oyarzabal’s Hat-Trick Bolsters His Euro 2024 Prospects in Commanding Friendly Victory

Luis de la Fuente faced intriguing selection dilemmas after standout performances from Ayoze Perez and Mikel Oyarzabal in Spain’s clash against Andorra.

Mikel Oyarzabal made a robust case for his inclusion in Spain’s squad for Euro 2024 by notching a hat-trick in the recent 5-0 rout of Andorra on Wednesday.

In his first showing for the national team, Ayose Perez from Real Betis sparked his scoring tally with a goal at the 24th minute in Badajoz, using Pau Cubarsi’s airborne assist to nudge Spain in the lead.

Perez continued to bolster his case for the European Championship, setting up Oyarzabal for an easy score post-half-time. Oyarzabal claimed his second goal after 66 minutes.

Seven minutes on, Oyarzabal sealed his hat-trick, right before Ferran Torres closed the scoring, leaving Spain high and dry with a 5-0 triumph, days before their Euro opener against Croatia.

Data Debrief: Oyarzabal’s Treble Triumph

Oyarzabal became only the second Spaniard to snag a hat-trick under Luis de la Fuente’s management since Alvaro Morata’s exploits against Georgia in September 2023.

The Real Sociedad forward was instrumental, contributing 2.61 to Spain’s 3.89 expected goals (xG) for the match, rendering Andorra’s 0.08 xG futile as goalie David Raya observed a relatively tranquil evening.