Spain captain Rodri Hernandez has called Soctland’s way of playing rubbish after his side fell to a 2-0 defeat at Hampden Park on Tuesday night. He accused the home side of wasting time, simulation and provocation, also claiming it was up to the referee to take action.
Luis de la Fuente fell to his first defeat in his second game, with a brace from Scott McTominay condemning Spain to a loss. With Alvaro Morata on the bench, Rodri took the armband for the night, and while he did show his face after the defeat, he placed the responsibility for it elsewhere.
“It’s their way of playing and you have to respect it, but for me it’s a bit rubbish. Always wasting time, they provoke you, they fall…”
“It’s the way they play… it’s a bit rubbish”
Rodri goes on an all-time rant following Spain’s loss to Scotland.
He puts everybody on blast and you need to see it 😅#OptusSport pic.twitter.com/dMkUuabWQE
— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) March 29, 2023
“For me, this is not football. For the speed of the game, you have to keep going The referee has to assume this, but he doesn’t say anything,” Rodri continued.
“It’s a bit frustrating because we want to win.”
The Manchester City star did not stop there, claiming the referee had to do more. Curiously there were two of them, after the Sandro Scharer was replaced at half-time by Lukas Fahndrich.
“We have to use our weapons and we will learn for the next time, we want to get to the next ties and we always fight, but this is not about fighting. It was (Scotland’s) wasting time… But this is up to the referee, not us.”
Teammate David Garcia had previously complained that the grass was too long on the Hampden pitch, which inhibited their game. That was one of the few faults he did not find with Scotland.
🇪🇸 Spain's Rodri gives his verdict on his side's loss to Scotland
"It's the way they play…for me it's a bit rubbish. Because it's always wasting time. They provoke you. They always fall. For me, this is not football." 🗣️👀#EURO2024 | #SCOESP pic.twitter.com/MIgxOOA2Cl
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) March 28, 2023
“They have played a good game, the pitch is no excuse, they have their conditions and we have to adapt. The first goal meant we were trailing and it is difficult against a line of five locked up, even so we have had chances, but the ball didn’t go in, and we have to be more effective.”
The general consensus after the match has been that Rodri’s excuses were weak and unfounded. While Scotland no doubt engaged in plenty of game management, the likes of Joselu Mato, Dani Ceballos and Pedro Porro were no stranger to the so-called dark arts either. Particularly after a defeat in which they were outplayed, Rodri’s excuses did not strike a chord with many.
