Isco Takes His Chance and Inspires Spain to Comfortable Win over Belarus

Isco took full advantage of his opportunity to shine with an excellent performance in Spain’s 3-0 UEFA European Championship 2016 qualifying victory at home to Belarus on Saturday.

After missing out on Spain’s World Cup squad following an inconsistent first season at Real Madrid, Isco made his first international start on the back of his strong recent form at club level.

With Andres Iniesta and David Silva missing through injury, he took on the creative baton and inspired Spain to a comfortable victory.

Isco started on the left of midfield in a 4-4-2 formation—the position in which he has recently starred for Madrid. He exuded confidence from the opening whistle, taking on defenders and consistently seeking opportunities to advance the team forward.

It only took 10 minutes for chants of “Isco, Isco” to emerge from his fellow Andalusians in the stands of the Estadio Nuevo Colombino in Huelva.

The acclaim increased shortly thereafter when he received a pass from Koke and fired a beautiful curling effort right into the top corner of the net from outside the area. It was a marvelous way in which to open his account for the senior national team.

"

Gracias por tanto, @isco_alarcon pic.twitter.com/ZPlYGIxccK

— Isco Alarcón. (@deunamadridista) November 15, 2014"

Spain doubled their advantage through Sergio Busquets a minute or so later, effectively finishing off a Belarus side that had won just three of their previous 25 away matches in European Championship qualifying.

The tempo dropped a little thereafter, but Isco continued to impress, linking well with overlapping left-back Jordi Alba and producing some lovely moments of skill and trickery.

His close control was mesmerising at times—defenders were drawn to the ball only for it disappear in front of their eyes and re-emerge out of their reach. He delighted the crowd with some sumptuous yet efficacious ball-juggling early in the second half.

The Benalmadena native did overelaborate on occasion, but it was difficult to fault him too much on a night on which the majority of what he tried came off.

On the other side of the pitch, Santiago Cazorla also had an impressive match on his return to the ground where he made his international debut and first provided clear evidence of his talent at Recreativo. He produced a delightful through ball for a chance missed by Pedro during the first half and played a key role in the build-up to the third goal in the 55th minute.

Yet it was Isco who stole the show, receiving a deserved standing ovation when he was substituted with just over 10 minutes left to play.

The 22-year-old has come up through the ranks of the Spanish system. He has represented his country at every age group from Under-16 upward and was part of the side that won the European Under-21 Championship in Israel last summer.

In the same way that he took full advantage of Gareth Bale’s injury to stake his claim for regular playing time at club level, against Belarus, he made a compelling case for continued inclusion in the starting XI of the senior Spanish national team.

Having performed so well on his first start, Isco will hope to get a chance to further prove his worth against stronger opposition in Tuesday’s friendly against Germany in Vigo.

Regardless, he has left manager Vicente del Bosque with plenty to consider once Iniesta and Silva return from injury.