Under an intense whistle, while Spain dominated the ball but could not find Mamardashvili’s goal, Rodri stopped in front of the ball for a few seconds. He moved his arms. He asked his companions to calm down. Surprise had taken over the match in Cologne and the Georgia fans’ dream – they had a flag that read “Believe” in the middle of the stands – threatened to become a reality. But not for Rodri. Luis de la Fuente’s football leader had other plans for La Roja and they were not the same as those of the Georgian fans. Rodri won, that is, he won patience.
4
Unai Simon, Cucurella (Grimaldo, min. 66), Dani Carvajal (Jesus Navas, min. 80), Le Normand, Laporte, Pedri (Dani Olmo, min. 52), Fabian (Merino, min. 81), Rodrigo, Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Morata (Oyarzabal, min. 66)
1
Mamardashvili, Luka Lochoshvili (Heorhii Tsitaishvili, min. 63), Kashia, Dvali, Giorgi Gvelesiani, Kakabadze, Giorgi Chakvetadze (Zuriko Davitashvili, min. 63), Giorgi Kochorashvili, Otar Kiteishvili, Georges Mikautadze (Budu Zivzivadze, min. 79) and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Goals 0-1 min. 17: Le Normand (pp). 1-1 min. 38: Rodrigo. 2-1 min. 51: Fabian. 3-1 min. 75: Nico Williams. 4-1 min. 83: Dani Olmo.
Referee François Letexier
Yellow cards Morata (min. 43) and Zuriko Davitashvili (min. 70)
After the victory against Albania, with Georgia already on the calendar, Luis de la Fuente repeated a phrase at Spain’s base camp in Donaueschingen: “I don’t want a long match.” The coach sought to impress upon his players that Georgia had to be crushed. And it had to be done from the first minute, without mercy and much less memory: there was no need to think about the 10-2 aggregate he had given Willy Sagnol’s team in the qualifying phase for the European Championship in Germany (1-7 in Tbilisi and 3-1 in Valladolid). “We have to press and press. The goal has to come quickly,” insisted the Spanish coach to his players before the round of 16 match. But it was not to be. And the key was held by Rodri, the MVP of the match.
Spain found themselves with the first line of five in defence at the Euros. But also with a team that took no time at all to corner Mamardashvili’s goal, one of the most reliable goalkeepers at the Euros. Traffic inside, also on the wings, the Georgians doubled up to stop Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal. In the 18th minute, when Spain dominated the ball 85% of the time and had already attempted eight shots, a Georgian counterattack ended with the ball in Unai Simon’s net. Kvaratskhelia had not even managed to touch the ball. Georgia’s job had been made easier by good luck, but bad luck for Le Normand, who scored an own goal. The game, of course, did not change after Georgia’s goal. Not even Sagnol’s team sharpened their defence. It was almost impossible to retreat further. Spain, then, had to resort to another weapon. An old recipe that it had used in the past: patience. And for that formula, few players are smarter than Rodri.
The office of the 16th
Rodri learned the job of defending with Diego Simeone and attacking with Pep Guardiola, few lessons that combined can be better in modern football. But the jump from the intense Metropolitano to the lyrical Etihad Stadium was not easy for the Madrid pivot. It was not until the second season in the Manchester team when Rodri found his place in the eleven. He basically had to learn to have the same thing that he asked of his teammates against Georgia: patience. “Pep gives you a toolbox that you can use on the field,” remembers Rodri. Furthermore, the midfielder trained in the red and white youth team usually highlights that one of the most revealing lessons learned under Guardiola’s command is to remain calm in games.
Last season, when City couldn’t find the bridges to get past the tough defence of Nottingham Forest, one of the teams that fought to avoid relegation in the Premier League, Rodri shouted to his teammates that they should not lose their cool. City won 0-2. A few months later, in Cologne, the pivot asked his teammates to do the same. He didn’t want anxiety, especially that of the youngest players, the two pearls of La Roja on the wings (Lamine and Nico), to drive Spain to despair. And it was precisely Rodri who brought peace to Spain. He scored the equaliser that ended in a rout and a ticket to the quarterfinals. Germany is waiting, but Rodri is not despairing.
You can follow EL PAÍS Sports on Facebook and xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.
