The Spanish Football Federation announced on Saturday morning that Dean Huijsen would be omitted from the matchday squad for their World Cup qualifier against Georgia national football team in Tbilisi,
which ended with a 4-0 victory.
Huijsen has started and played every match since his debut in March, only to withdraw after suffering a muscle issue during the final training session in Las Rozas and he is now set to return to the Real Madrid camp at Valdebebas for testing.
While he is not expected to be at risk for the visit to take on Elche in La Liga next weekend, his injury was deemed significant enough for him not to travel to Tbilisi to take part in the World Cup qualifier against Georgia.
Head coach Luis de la Fuente instead opted for Athletic Club’s Aymeric Laporte and Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi in Huijsen’s absence, with Tottenham’s Pedro Porro also filling in for the injured Dani Carvajal.
Spain victorious without Huijsen
In Tbilisi at the Boris Paichadze National Stadium, Spain delivered a statement-performance, brushing aside Georgia 4-0 and taking one giant step closer to automatic qualification. From the outset Spain set the tone. A hand-ball in the 8th minute gave them a penalty, which Mikel Oyarzabal coolly converted to open the scoring.
The lead opened the floodgates. Midway through the first half Arsenal’s Martín Zubimendi doubled the advantage with a composed finish, and before half-time Ferran Torres had made it three with a close-range strike. In the second half Spain showed no let-up. They continued to press, probe and exploit space. Oyarzabal added his second with a header, laying to rest any Georgia hopes of a reply.
On the defensive end Spain remained compact throughout, leaving Georgia without a shot on target for significant stretches and preserving another clean sheet.
Spain’s depth showed, even without their Madridista contingent, and their balance remained intact even without some injured regulars, and their collective discipline was outstanding. One more favourable outcome in their remaining match will seal direct qualification, with the margin of their lead meaning that they are already effectively qualified on goal difference.
