A night of debuts and excitement in A Coruña.

The national team said farewell to Spain before embarking on its most exciting journey yet: the road to the World Cup.

The atmosphere in the city following the arrival of the national side was extraordinary. A Coruña experienced a true football festival in every corner from early in the day, with a spectacular welcome for the team at their hotel and a fitting send-off on their way to Riazor.

The areas surrounding the stadium were congested hours before kick-off by thousands of supporters wearing red and yellow shirts and flags, foreshadowing a memorable evening for fans from A Coruña, Galicia, and across Spain. The Spanish national anthem was performed by the Real Banda de Gaitas of the Provincial Council of Ourense, in a historic moment that concluded with pyrotechnics forming the colours of the national flag and a unanimous ovation from the more than 30,000 spectators packed into Riazor.

The match began with Spain, coached by Luis de la Fuente, enjoying complete dominance of possession, with quick circulation and significant attacking threat down the flanks whenever Porro and Grimaldo linked up with the forward players. The first major chance fell to Álex Baena, who, from the left side, struck a powerful effort that was well saved by Basil, who diverted the ball for a corner.

Eight players made their senior international debut at Riazor: Jon Martín, Marc Bernal, Gonzalo García, Beñat Turrientes, Javi Guerra, Marc Pubill, Leo Román, and Javi Rodríguez all played their first minutes for Spain.

As the minutes passed, Spain continued in search of an opening goal. Shortly after the quarter-hour mark, Borja Iglesias allowed a pass from Dani Olmo to run through his legs, enabling the ball to reach Ferran Torres, captain for the day, who embarked on a fine solo run before finishing with his left foot to put Spain ahead and send Riazor into celebration, with the crowd quickly responding by performing a wave.

Just when the game seemed under control, Doski struck with a left-footed effort that surprised Joan García, who could only get a slight touch on the ball. Spain immediately sought a response, and just one minute later Dani Olmo struck a shot against the visiting goalkeeper.

Spain continued to move the ball from side to side, searching for space in Iraq’s defensive structure, which remained compact after equalising. Baena came close with a header that went narrowly wide from a Grimaldo cross, but the closest player to restoring Spain’s lead was Ferran Torres. The Valencia forward unleashed a shot that was denied by both Basil and the crossbar. The teams went into half-time level at 1-1.

Eric García wore the Spain shirt again four years after his last appearance.

After the break, Luis de la Fuente made several changes, but the pattern of the match remained unchanged. One of the substitutes, Jesús Rodríguez, produced the first notable chance of the second half, though his powerful effort went just wide of the post. Gonzalo, making his senior debut, came close to marking the occasion with a goal, but his effort from a Baena assist went narrowly off target.

The second half, which featured numerous international debuts, saw the tempo of the game gradually decrease due to multiple interruptions. Yeremy Pino, very active on the left wing, repeatedly sought to reach the byline, though the goal remained elusive on this occasion.

Riazor and A Coruña were able to enjoy Spain’s final match on home soil before travelling to North America in the countdown to the start of the FIFA World Cup. A total of 30,423 spectators attended the match, showing their support and enthusiasm for the national team.

The national side will travel to the United States on Friday, where preparations will continue ahead of their first official World Cup match on Monday 15 June against Cape Verde. Saudi Arabia and Uruguay complete the group of opponents in their bid to qualify for the round of 16.