The China Mail - Spain aim to turn 'suffering' to success in Nations League final second leg

Sonia Bermudez's side had had to "suffer" in Kaiserslautern on Friday, but they are hoping to return to their sparkling best for the decisive second leg at the Metropolitano stadium in Madrid on Tuesday.

Their task will be made harder by the absence of Aitana Bonmati, after she suffered a leg fracture in training on Sunday which will keep her out of the game and potentially for months ahead.

Even with the three-time Ballon d'Or winner they struggled badly last week and needed goalkeeper Cata Coll to frequently come to their rescue, to the extent that Spanish daily Marca joked that the stopper would be "banned from entering Germany" in future.

"We knew that it would be complicated here," said Coll after the match. "We competed well and when we had to suffer, we did it together."

They survived unscathed and will have home advantage in the capital, in front of what is set to be a record crowd to watch the national team on home soil at Atletico Madrid's 70,000 seater stadium.

Around 50,000 tickets have been sold for the clash, with Alexia Putellas, Spain's other Ballon d'Or winner, believing that the fans will play their part.

"We want the Germans to feel the atmosphere at the Metropolitano," said Putellas. Claiming Spain's third international trophy would be a proud moment for the likes of Jenni Hermoso and Laia Aleixandri, former Atletico players.

"I get goosebumps because we are going to be with the whole family and all the people who will come to support us," said Aleixandri.

- 'Things to adjust' -

To defend the Nations League trophy they won last year in the first ever edition of the competition, Spain must step up a gear or two.

Bermudez replaced Montse Tome at the helm after Spain finished as runners up to England at Euro 2025.

A 5-0 aggregate victory over Sweden in the Nations League semi-finals showed promise, but the visit to Germany was a reminder that many teams are snapping at their heels.

That is something Spain's Barcelona stars saw last season as Arsenal caused an upset by beating them in the Champions League final, following years of domination.

Spain were also uncharacteristically slack, perhaps unable to shake off the comforting thought of the second leg at home to come.

But Germany coach Christian Wueck said that the first leg had proved that "we cannot only compete but even play our own game against a team like Spain", although he admitted his frustration at not securing the victory.

Spain had 56 percent of possession, down from their usual level of control, while they suffocated under close marking from the Germans.

Spain's coach Bermudez said that her team would have to improve in the second leg.

"We didn't play our best match and there are things to adjust," she explained, later adding that the team needed to be more "incisive" and generate more in attack in Madrid.

That fluid, attacking football is what the fans who will flood to the Metropolitano are expecting to see, along with Spain's golden generation lifting another trophy.

E.Choi--ThChM