Álex Baena, the sniper

The national team qualified for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League after beating Serbia 3-0 at the Estadio Nuevo Arcángel in Córdoba. Álex Baena completed the rout with an exquisite free-kick, one of his specialities. ‘I only know how to score from free kicks,’ he confessed to our journalists after the match.

The Villarreal and Spanish national team player has a wand of a foot, a resource that he is grateful to Grimaldo for because he is ‘the one who teaches him’. ‘We hadn't scored a free-kick for a long time, and to have done it after Silva is a source of pride,’ explained the midfielder.

Baena also gave an assessment of the training camp: ‘Two victories for the team, two games without conceding any goals and qualification for the quarter-finals already achieved. We just have to wait until November to see if we can finish top of the group.