Six hours of calm for Spain on Georgia flight home after Rubiales scandal
The return journey from Tbilisi to Madrid represented the first moments of relaxation for the Spanish national team after a complicated week. The nearly six-hour flight didn't feel as long as it might have on other occasions. Spain arrived at around 5:00 in the morning and headed to rest at the Las Rozas Football City with an unusual calm that has been lacking recently.
Since they gathered on Monday, with the captains' statement against Luis Rubiales, the players' explanations, controversies surrounding Jenni Hermoso, doubts about Luis de la Fuente in the lead-up to the Georgia game, and even concerns about the boots and gloves being left in Madrid, preventing the team from training with a ball the day before the match, everything seemed problematic until the actual game.
However, during the match, Spain played with great energy, overwhelming Georgia, a tough opponent on their home turf, and secured a crucial victory for Euro 2024 qualification. Additionally, there was the joyful news of Lamine Yamal's historic debut at 16 years and 57 days, which included a goal.
Not even the injuries to Dani Olmo and Asensio tarnished the return journey. During the flight, thoughts turned to Ferran Torres and Yéremi Pino as replacements, and both were summoned early in the morning to travel to Madrid.
The national team will play against Cyprus in Georgia on Tuesday. It's a match that Spain should comfortably win, further solidifying their second-place position, which grants direct qualification for the Euro, with Scotland, the leader, still holding a considerable lead with five consecutive wins.
The feeling within the expedition, from interim president Pedro Rocha to the last employee, was that they deserved a victory of this magnitude. A 1-7 triumph to change the mood of everyone and bring back smiles.
Luis de la Fuente tried to create a bubble of concentration within the squad to keep the "Rubiales case" from affecting them, but it was impossible. The topic of conversation was always the same, with doubts about how to manage the situation.
The final instruction, once in Georgia, was to stop talking about the issue. They needed to put an end to it, even though news continues to unfold, such as Jenni Hermoso's complaint against Luis Rubiales.
Heading to Granada, Spain managed to finally focus on football, and although controversy may resurface, especially since it's the hometown of Luis Rubiales, the team is hopeful that things will gradually calm down.
The ball dictated events in Georgia, and if they can repeat another good performance with a victory at Los Cármenes, a turbulent period may end on a positive note, regaining the positive vibes generated after winning the UEFA Nations League in Rotterdam in June.
