For the third time in his third international match, 33-year-old striker Joselu was the goldcrest of Spain on Thursday evening. The seasoned striker seems to be in his second youth. Against Italy (2-1), he tapped his country to the final of the Nations League just in time.
Fairy tale of Spanish late bloomer continues
It seems like a fairytale, the way in which Joselu suddenly seems to reach the top in the autumn of his career. The center forward was relegated last season with Espanyol, but by scoring sixteen goals he put himself on the map in his own country. He did this in such an impressive way that Real Madrid would like to have the striker in the selection at the start of the new season.
Joselu was allowed to replace attack leader Alvaro Morata six minutes before the end, with a tie (1-1). While Enschede seemed to be preparing for an extension, the veteran was there like the chickens to prevent that. With a deflected swipe from Rodri, the striker was the only one paying attention. From close range, he tapped the ball behind defeated Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
“The goal came from faith”
It was Joselu’s third goal in his third international match. After 81 official minutes of play with the national team, the counter is therefore already at three goals. “The goal came from faith. The team played a great game. We dominated the entire second half, only that goal was missing,” Joselu told Marca afterwards.
“I was just a bit naughty with Rodri’s shot,” laughed the match winner. As a result, he shot Spain to the final. He added, “I felt the ball was going to fall there and I was confident that I wasn’t offside. I am especially happy with that goal now. I’ve come here to get a prize.”
Meanwhile, Joselu also stood up for his national coach Luis de la Fuente, who is under fire in his own country. He concluded, “There is a lot of nonsense talk, but the press always does that a lot. Italy is a big favorite and we knocked them out. What else do you want? I love it. Especially with my family who could experience it from the stands.”
