Spain beat the Czech Republic 3-1 but the game ended up being far from comfortable for the World Cup winners
David Raya.
David Raya failed to impress his home country's media(Image: Diego Souto/Getty Images)
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David Raya was handed a rare start for the Spain national team against the Czech Republic. However, he failed to impress with this opportunity thanks to a distribution blunder and an equaliser late on that was "luckily" ruled out.
The Arsenal goalkeeper's last competitive international appearance was in 2024 during the previous Nations League campaign. Raya is often kept out of the squad by Athletic Bilbao's Unai Simon, but Luis de la Fuente decided the Czech clash was his chance to impress.
Despite the 3-1 scoreline, the 31-year-old left the Spanish press feeling lacklustre about his performance. Raya was beat by Jiri Slama in the 69th minute and dropped the ball from a routine free-kick 15 minutes later, which led to a shock equaliser.
However, a foul on Robin Le Normand spared the shotstopper's blushes and he was eventually saved from a tense ending when Arsenal team-mate Mikel Merino made it 3-1 just before the 90 minutes were up. Cope claimed that Spain's starting XI was their "weakest version" since winning the World Cup with several stars handed rare spots.
SPORT rated Raya as one of the 'fine' players of the night, claiming he "didn't have much to do" but he still "made a mistake" in the disallowed equaliser.
AS stated that the goalkeeper was "rewarded" by De la Fuente but ultimately gave the team "some scares." While the media outlet conceded that he couldn't do much about the first goal, he "left the ball on a plate" for the second that "luckily didn't count."
Marca criticised Raya's "blunder" for the equaliser, with his blushes somewhat spared as the referee had blown his whistle before the ball hit the net. Meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo claimed the entire team got "a little nervous" after the first Czech goal, which led to the Arsenal shotstopper making "a mistake" that the opposition couldn't capitalise on.
Finally, Estadio Deportivo claimed the Spaniards "continued to underperform" after Slama's strike and that Raya's "fumble" on the ball was only ignored because of the foul on Le Normand.
David Raya.
Raya made a major blunder for the disallowed equaliser(Image: Miguel RIOPA / AFP via Getty Images)
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For the other Arsenal representatives on the pitch, Martin Zubimendi was seen as a reliable substitute for Rodri, as he ensured Slama's goal was "just a scare," according to AS. Merino got top marks from the Spanish media despite being more of a defensive option for De La Fuente.
AS stated that when Merino sees his opportunity, he "always takes it" and sealed the game with the third goal. Marca was in agreement, claiming the Gunners midfielder is "always there" for his country.
One more game awaits for Arsenal's Spanish trio before they return to club action as they visit a struggling Croatia, who were hit for seven by Thomas Tuchel's triumphant England in the other Nations League Group A3 fixture on Saturday night.