It’s been a long summer for the Spanish national team, but one that could have a happy ending thanks to Marco Asensio. The Real Madrid man stepped up to deal the crucial blow for La Roja against Japan on Tuesday to fire them into the final of the Olympic Games, where, according to Marca, Brazil await.
Asensio came on as a substitute and did what he does best; change the game and decide the result. Rafa Mir had been given the nod ahead of him following his hat-trick against the Ivory Coast in the quarter-final, but the former Huesca man couldn’t find the net during his time at the spearhead of the attack on this occasion. Deep in extra-time, however, Spain’s fifth this summer if you include Euro 2020, Asensio did.
Six of Luis Enrique’s squad from Euro 2020, which Spain reached the semi-final in before losing to eventual winners Italy, were included in Luis de la Fuente’s squad for the Olympic Games. Asensio wasn’t one of them; he’s endured a below-par couple of years at the Santiago Bernabeu, and is keen to begin to deliver on his undoubted potential. If he can help his country defeat Brazil and win Olympic gold for the first time since 1992, that will be a good start on doing exactly that.