Spain vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina: 2016 International Friendly Score and Reaction

Spain stepped up their preparations for the 2016 European Championship with a 3-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday in Switzerland.

Nolito netted a brace inside the opening 18 minutes of the encounter before Emir Spahic headed in from a corner.

The central defender was later sent off for raising his hands to Cesc Fabregas, but the dismissal lifted the performance of the Bosnian players. Pedro then made sure of the result in second-half stoppage time, tucking away a rebound from close range.

David Ramos/Getty Images

Real and Atletico Madrid's Spain internationals were unavailable for selection for the clash due to their UEFA Champions League commitments, having played out the competition showdown on Saturday evening in Milan.

However, the absence of Sergio Ramos, Dani Carvajal, Saul, Koke and others made little impact early on. With 11 minutes played, Spain moved themselves ahead after a smartly taken short corner was well-finished by Nolito. 

David Silva manufactured the move from the left wing before bending a cross into the box that was poorly cleared by the Bosnia defence. Celta Vigo attacker Nolito took one touch to set himself before bending a shot through a crowded penalty area and past Asmir Begovic into the far corner.

Seven minutes later, La Roja had doubled their advantage. Chelsea playmaker Cesc Fabregas darted down the right flank before drilling a low cross into the penalty area. Bosnia’s back line failed to deal with the danger, and Nolito patiently ran through the options in his mind before delicately chipping Begovic from the lip of the box. 

Yahoo La Liga journalist Andrew Gaffney was delighted with Nolito's second goal of the day:

Spanish publication AS also enjoyed the floated effort:

Fabregas almost made it 3-0 before the 20-minute mark after his free-kick from the left of the box scuttled under the wall before being deflected wide of the near post by the outstretched foot of midfielder Miralem Pjanic. 

Football statistician Ecanella felt Bosnia's focus was elsewhere during the first 45 minutes of the match:

Things went from bad to worse for Bosnia, as international captain and Roma striker Edin Dzeko was forced off through injury midway through the first period to be replaced by Milan Djuric.

With little to gain for either side, the pressure-free environment was resulting in an open encounter. As the timer ticked over into the 29th minute, Spahic pulled a goal back for his country against the run of play, heading in Pjanic’s in-swinging corner-kick.

However, despite halving the deficit, Spain remained the side in the ascendency, with Manchester City's Silva combining well with 35-year-old Aritz Aduriz. Fabregas' accurate pass found the Athletic Bilbao striker on the right of the Bosnia box, but the experienced attacker saw his shot well blocked. 

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/Getty Images

With time draining in the first half, Marc Bartra bent a superb cross into the area from a corner, but Aduriz could only volley over the bar.

Tempers flared in first-half stoppage time after a coming-together between Fabregas and Ognjen Vranjes. After a disagreement over a throw-in decision, Vranjes attempted to block the restart before goalscorer Spahic entered the scene and struck Fabregas with a blow to the face. The referee was given little option but to brandish a red card for his foolish actions.

Bosnian football writer Albinko Hasic saw the dismissal unfold on the stroke of half-time:

Moments following the interval, Mehmed Bazdarevic's men had a superb opportunity to level the match but Djuric could only strike against the chest of goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo from point-blank range after being put through one-on-one with the Villarreal stopper.

In spite of playing a man light, Bosnia grew into the contest after the break, as Izet Hajrovic tested the reactions of Asenjo after cutting inside and smashing an effort toward goal following a fine-flowing counter-attacking move.

The right side of midfield was an area of joy for Bazdarevic's side as they looked to enforce their grip on the game. Key creative force Pjanic, so often the architect for Bosnia's attackers, was pulling the strings in midfield and forcing questions of the Spanish back four with dangerous delivery into the area.

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/Getty Images

The former Lyon player bent a super curling effort on goal from the lip of the box on 70 minutes, which brought out a strong two-handed save from Asenjo as Vicente del Bosque's side failed to keep pace with the tempo of their opponents despite having a man advantage.

However, the next chance of the match did eventually fall to the feet of a Spanish attacker, but Mikel Oyarzabal was unable to beat Begovic at the near post after being picked out by Denis Suarez with a perfect cross from deep.

However, Pedro did put the game beyond doubt in stoppage time as he tucked in a shot from inside the six-yard box. Substitute Inaki Williams saw his strike from the edge of the area well kept out by Begovic, but his parry clear fell fortunately to the feet of the former Barcelona attacker, who made no mistake from an acute angle.

The positive result secured Spain's first win in three games following successive draws with Italy and Romania. Del Bosque's side will now continue their preparations for Euro 2016 with warm-up matches against South Korea and Georgia before their group-stage fixtures begin in France.  

Post-Match Reaction

Nolito staked his claim for a place in Del Bosque's 23-man squad for the European Championship after scoring a well-taken brace on Sunday.

David Ramos/Getty Images

Per ESPN, the Celta winger was being chased by Luis Enrique's Barcelona during the January transfer window before a move failed to materialise. 

Nolito, 29, says he is desperate to seal his place in the international shortlist ahead of the summer tournament and his ambitions remain high despite the healthy competition. Per AS, he said:

"

I always try to the best I can, as I do for my club. I had another opportunity to score but I’m happy with the win and the two goals. Now I have to keep working. 

Obviously everybody knows that in the national team there are a lot of quality players but dreaming is free and I’m available for the bass, who is the one who makes the decisions.

"

His experienced head coach, who led Spain to 2008 and 2012 success in the upcoming competition, must announce the team he will take to France by Tuesday.