Spain Beat Tunisia 1-0 in Friendly Action Behind Iago Aspas Late Goal

Spain needed a late goal from substitute Iago Aspas to secure a hard-fought 1-0 win over Tunisia in their final international friendly before the FIFA 2018 World Cup.

Tunisia frustrated the hosts for long periods of the match, which seemed to be heading for a draw until Aspas fired home with six minutes remaining.

Spain's Strikers Fail to Stake Claim

Saturday's game was a final chance for Spain's strikers to make a case for a starting spot, and manager Julen Lopetegui opted to start with Rodrigo Moreno.

However, Spain looked toothless in the first half and did not make a single shot on target, per Opta:

Diego Costa replaced Rodrigo on the hour mark, and Aspas arrived on 76 minutes for Jordi Alba as Lopetegui searched for a winner.

The two players eventually combined for the game's only goal, as Costa held the ball up for Aspas to hammer past the goalkeeper.

Opta showed Aspas' international record:

The Celta Vigo man's goal will have boosted his hopes, but Lopetegui will not have learned too much about his strikers from this game.

Isco Suffers Champions League Hangover

Isco returned to action for the first time since Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League win over Liverpool but failed to impress for Spain.

Dermot Corrigan at ESPN FC offered his view of Isco's performance:

Spain struggled to break down a disciplined Tunisia side, and Isco could not summon his usual creative spark.

Muhammad Butt at Squawka thought all the Real Madrid players were below par:

Spain will need their players to get back to speed quickly, and Isco's creativity will be vital. Portugal, Iran and Morocco will all look to frustrate Lopetegui's men in Group B, and invention will be needed to break them down.

Tunisia Will Prove a Tough Test for England

Tunisia will open their World Cup campaign against England and showed on Saturday they will give the Three Lions a tough test.

England manager Gareth Southgate has picked a young squad, but they have warmed up for the tournament with wins over Nigeria and Costa Rica, which has bred optimism.

England will be favourites to beat Tunisia, but Nabil Maaloul's men have enough to cause an upset, per Corrigan:

The Three Lions and Belgium will be expected to progress from Group G, but on this evidence, Tunisia will have a say in which teams will qualify for the knockout stages.

Tunisia Show How to Frustrate Spain

Despite having a star-studded squad, Spain struggled to break down Tunisia and found it hard to create chances.

David Silva, Isco, Andres Iniesta and Thiago Alcantara all started the game but did not work together effectively.

Football journalist Rik Sharma explained why they found it tough going:

Tunisia were quick to press Spain and deny them time and space on the ball. It was an effective tactic and one that we will probably see again at the World Cup.