Joselu scores twice on long-awaited debut to ease Spain past Norway

Joselu had waited 15 years to make his international debut but he wasn’t about to wait any longer. Sent on with nine minutes left, the 32-year-old Espanyol striker was only two minutes into his first ever game when he scored the goal that finally secured victory for Spain and only three minutes into it when he scored his second, clinching a 3-0 victory over Norway on their first night under the coach Luis de la Fuente.

After the first had given Spain a 2-0 lead, Joselu had stood by the centre circle, holding his head, barely able to believe this but it was going to get even better. Next thing he knew, he was lying in the corner having only gone and done it again, while the Rosaleda chanted his name. This was not the way anyone had expected a sometimes nervy night to finish, but they were loving it. An old man had won it for a new team.

Only four of the starters had begun Spain’s last game, against Morocco in Qatar – and one of them, Rodri, did so in a different position. Sixteen of those who had been to the World Cup were no longer even in the squad. Not that the players were entirely unfamiliar, certainly not to each other. There were recalls for Kepa Arrizabalaga, Iago Aspas, Borja Iglesias and Nacho, while seven members of De la Fuente’s Tokyo Olympics team were called up, although Pedri and Bryan Gil subsequently pulled out. And it was one of those four repeat starters who gave Spain an early lead.

Mikel Merino had chased a lost cause, keeping the ball in play on the right. Dani Carvajal found Álvaro Morata, the new captain, who set off across the face of the area and rolled it into the path of Alejandro Balde. His cross, low and fast was turned into the net with a flick of Dani Olmo’s ankle, contact made with the outside of his boot.

Spain's Dani Olmo opens the scoring against Norway. Photograph: Manu Fernández/AP

At that point, 11 minutes in, Spain had 93% possession: at 167 passes they were on course for a thousand again, which was familiar too. The most noticeable tweak was a willingness – possibly even an over-willingness – to hit long diagonals. Aymeric Laporte in particular looked left to right often.

But Spain’s capacity to invite difficulties had not been banished, and two minutes later Kepa and Laporte played themselves into trouble. Alex Sørloth robbed and found Martin Ødegaard inside the area, the opportunity opening before him only to be denied by Nacho – and Merino was perhaps fortunate not to have given away a penalty for his challenge from behind just as Ødegaard took aim.

Norway were denied there, but the game tilted their way, Ødegaard playing and pointing, not just seeing the pass he had to make but the passes everyone else did too. He released Sørloth on the right for a lovely cross to the far post from which Fredrik Aursnes struck a hard, clean side-footed volley from the corner of the six-yard box. Kepa threw up his hands fast, but the save might actually have been made with his head.

That move was replicated at the other end soon after, Merino’s volley stopped by Ørjan Nyland’s legs, before Ødegaard and Sørloth almost took advantage of Caravjal’s loose control to supply a shooting chance for Birger Meling. There was a second penalty appeal too when Carvajal seemed to push over Mohamed Elyounoussi, a forearm in the back not considered sufficient by the referee Benoît Bastien.

A neat cross from Carvajal gave Aspas the chance to extend Spain’s lead at the start of the second half, but he did not make clean contact with the header, before hesitant defending saw Norway create a clear chance of their own.

Ødegaard again was involved, nudging the ball wide where Marcus Pedersen was arriving in the area. The shot spun up off Nacho’s foot and head and towards the goal where Kepa had to slap it off the line. It was quiet now, a little edgy.

Spain made substitutions in search of lost control, Norway in search of the goal that by now they probably felt they deserved.

They should have got it too, even if it was Spain who first found a way through, Yéremy Pino pulling his shot past the far post and Merino blocked soon after.

A lovely move saw Patrick Berg clip to Sørloth all alone at the far post but his volley flew wide with ten minutes to go.

Standing there heading in hands, Sørloth could not believe it but that was nothing compared to how Joselu was about to feel. A header, a finish and the fairytale was told.