Arsenal transfer target Martin Zubimendi played the full 90 minutes as Spain lost to Portugal on penalties in the Nations League on Sunday night.
The midfielder opened the scoring for La Roja after 21 minutes, tapping home from close range after the ball fell nicely for him inside the penalty box.
Portugal fought back through Nuno Mendes, before Mikel Oyarazabal’s neat finish re-established Spain’s advantage just before the break.
Cristiano Ronaldo then equalised for Roberto Martinez’s team, before Alvaro Morata missed the decisive penalty in the shootout.
Zubimendi is expected to sign for Arsenal for £51 million, and the North London club’s hierarchy and fans certainly would’ve been impressed with what they saw from him on Sunday in Munich.
Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images
Zubimendi was impressive for Spain against France in the Nations League semi-final last week, but arguably upped his game in the encounter with Portugal.
Arsenal fans were hugely impressed by their imminent new signing’s performance, as he dictated the pace of the game from the base of the Spanish midfield in the absence of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.
Spain’s national media were particularly enthused by the Real Sociedad man’s display, with AS stunned by the ease with which he replaced the Manchester City man.
The publication wrote in their assessment of the player’s outing: “He played well against France, and even better against Portugal. He also found the reward of scoring.
“It’s not easy to join a team to fill the place previously occupied by the Ballon d’Or. But he did it and passed the test with flying colours. He’s like salt; you can’t see it, but if it’s missing, you’ll notice it.”
Deployed in a midfield trio alongside Barcelona’s Pedri and Paris Saint-Germain’s Fabian Ruiz, Zubimendi ran the game, conducting Spain’s build-up and driving his team up the pitch throughout.
Photo by Vasile Mihai-Antonio/Getty ImagesMartin Zubimendi’s statistics vs Portugal
Completing a staggering 101 passes (out of 107 attempted), Zubimendi was everywhere against Portugal, constantly trying to get on the ball and make things happen.
His progressive passing numbers have been scrutinised at club level, but every time he’s been put in a competent possession team, he leads the ball progression.
Martin Zubimendi’s Statistics vs Portugal – via FBRef
Completing 14 passes into the final third, he was essential to getting Spain up the pitch.
Meanwhile, he still managed to break into the box and make a telling contribution with a goal, whilst maintaining his defensive work, with four recoveries.
A stunning display, and Mikel Arteta will hope he can replicate this at the Emirates.