Spain vs. Ukraine: Winners and Losers from Euro 2016 Qualifier
Vicente del Bosque's Spain side earned a narrow 1-0 victory over Ukraine to keep the pressure on Slovakia at the top of Euro 2016 Group C.
They have 12 points, three less than the group leaders.
Alvaro Morata was the man who did the damage, and although Iker Casillas had to make a few saves, for the most part, La Roja were solid enough.
The supporters will want more from the side that are the reigning champions of Europe, but Spain have lost one of their key players in Xavi and are still finding their feet after being dumped out of the World Cup in Brazil at the group stage.
Here are the winners and losers from Friday night's game:
Loser: David De Gea
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With the next major international tournament in the summer of 2016, you might think Spain would consider breaking David De Gea into the side and getting a few games under his belt.
When the European Championships roll around, it would be a surprise if the Manchester United custodian was not between the sticks for Spain.
Iker Casillas, erratic these days and soon to be 34 years old, seems to be heading for the exit at Real Madrid, per Miguel Delaney of ESPN FC.
De Gea has excelled at Old Trafford, and this should have been the start of his tenure as Spain's goalkeeper.
However, Del Bosque stuck with his old favourite, which is bad news for La Roja and for De Gea.
Winner: Alvaro Morata
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Diego Costa pulled out of the Spain squad injured again, and this time Alvaro Morata took full advantage.
The young Spaniard has been impressive recently at Juventus, and his move away from Real Madrid seems to have worked well for his career.
Morata hasn't disappointed Del Bosque, since being rewarded with a call-up. On Friday he kept his composure and stabbed the ball over Ukraine's goalkeeper and into the net, after good build-up play from Andres Iniesta and Koke.
The one blot on the striker's copybook was a terrible dive in the first half, as he tried to claim a penalty.
Loser: Yevhen Konoplyanka
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The Ukrainian winger is out of contract at FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and has plenty of suitors in Europe. Liverpool and Tottenham want the midfielder, per Anthony Chapman the Express, while he turned down Roma in the hope of securing a switch to England.
"Yes, Roma were interested in me, but I refused them," Konoplyanka said on his YouTube channel (h/t the Express). "Perhaps they will be disappointed, but that's life and that's football. Last time with Liverpool was different. I wanted to go there, but the clubs could not agree terms."
However, despite being given an excellent stage on which to strut his stuff, Konoplyanka never hit his stride.
Although the current champions of Europe could not exert their full force in the match, he was well-marshalled and never proved much of a threat to Spain's goal.
A top-class performance here could have gotten Champions League teams interested in him, but he could not oblige.
Winner: Koke
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There was a certain poignancy to Xavi being pictured in Qatar at the same time that the Atletico Madrid man took up his mantle in the middle of Spain's midfield.
The icon of La Roja moving toward the end of his playing days, while the one touted as his replacement steps into the breach.
It was Koke who played the through-ball which set up Alvaro Morata's goal, with a pass typical of Xavi's quality.
He provided a nice counterbalance in midfield, in front of Sergio Busquets, while the tricksters such as Isco, David Silva and Andres Iniesta tweaked and twisted in front of him.
This was not a vintage Koke performance, but with each and every game he plays, he'll become more comfortable in the Spain shirt, and we could see him as a key part of this team for years to come.
Losers: Jordi Alba and Barcelona
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We don't yet know how serious Jordi Alba's injury is, but any time out would be bad for Barcelona.
The full-back has been in excellent form lately, and Luis Enrique likely winced as he saw Alba pull up with an injury late in the game.
He was clutching the inside of his right leg, suggesting a muscle problem in the groin, although tests will reveal more.
Barcelona are four points clear of Real Madrid in La Liga, and that is a slim advantage when you consider some of the tough fixtures they have still to play.
Juan Bernat came on to replace Alba, who did not look happy as he left the pitch.
Winners: Anyone Watching Andres Iniesta and Isco
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Real Madrid star Isco is one for the future, and many believe he can take the place of Andres Iniesta in the Spain team.
He'll have to wait a while, because Barcelona's legendary playmaker has clearly still got it.
One clever shimmy was vined and revined as everyone marveled at the quality Iniesta still brings to the table.
"Andres Iniesta is a freak. Some people would say on paper he isn't the most skillful player in the Spanish side, those people would definitely be wrong," Lee Thomas-Mason wrote on Mirror UK.
Isco impressed alongside him, in a role similar to his at Real Madrid, which involves a bit more running than he was used to at Malaga.
The crowd in Seville chanted the youngster's name on Friday. Although he's not from this part of Andalusia, he's still cherished across Spain's southern region as if he was one of their own.
With Iniesta playing like this, though, the changing of the guard will have to wait.
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