Spain beat Bosnia after Nations League heartache

Spain responded to their Nations League disappointment by beating Bosnia 1-0 on Sunday but an unconvincing victory will have done little to lift the mood.
Luis Enrique’s side needed 21-year-old debutant Brais Mendez, on as a substitute, to score the only goal of a scrappy game at Estadio Gran Canaria, in which neither side would have been unfairly represented by a stalemate.
Spain already knew their hopes of progressing to the Nations League finals were over after England snatched top spot in Group 4 following a last-gasp win at Wembley over Croatia.
A thrilling conclusion, which would have sent Spain through had Croatia held on for a point, was a feather in the cap for the inaugural tournament and came in stark contrast to this rather underwhelming friendly a few hours later.
“Bad luck and mistakes we made meant we didn’t make the finals,” Luis Enrique said. “I would have liked a draw (between England and Croatia) but I’m focused on qualification for the European Championship and I think the team looks good.”
A narrow win over Bosnia came with a rotated and youthful line-up, in which only Isco and Dani Ceballos survived from Thursday’s defeat by Croatia in Zagreb.
Harry Kane’s late winner against Croatia had the Spanish press swooning for a striker of his calibre and another erratic performance from Alvaro Morata hardly promoted the Chelsea striker’s cause.
“It is always difficult against a team that sits back. It is very nice for a coach to see there is a future,” added Luis Enrique.
Sergio Ramos, out of form this season, was injured and unavailable, opening the door to Real Sociedad’s Diego Llorente and Espanyol’s Mario Hermoso to stake their claim as the absent captain’s regular partner. Neither made a misstep but they were also rarely tested.