El Mago was at the centre of all La Roja’s good work as they secured a 2-0 victory over Slovakia to go top of the group on goal difference. He took just five minutes to start doing the damage, his beautiful ball over the top picking out the head of Jordi Alba, who made no mistake to open the scoring.
Displaying the early season form for his country that has so delighted fans of his club, City’s Spanish wizard nearly set up Andres Iniesta for the second just minutes later, and when he hit the sidenetting after twisting and turning inside the box after 53 minutes he was agonisingly close to the goal that no neutral watching his display would have begrudged him.
Iniesta scored the second from the penalty spot in what was a thoroughly comfortable game for Vincente Del Bosque’s men, who restricted the visitors to limited counter attacks. Silva came close twice more in the second half but was unable to add his name to the scoresheet on a good night for Spain ahead of their trip to Macedonia on Tuesday.
City’s England trio are celebrating tonight after securing qualification for Euro 2016 with three games remaining after the Three Lions thrashed San Marino 6-0. Joe Hart was a virtual spectator throughout the 90 minutes as England ran rampant against the group minnows.
It was 2-0 at half time thanks to a Wayne Rooney penalty and an own goal, while Ross Barkley made it three almost from the second half kick off.
Fabian Delph entered the fray after 56 minutes, and it didn’t take him long to make the impact he will have been craving - the midfielder setting up Theo Walcott for England’s fourth goal of the evening. Harry Kane and Walcott’s second finished off the home side and Delph will have been pleased with a quietly assured performance in the centre of the park.
Raheem Sterling was rested as Hodgson used the opportunity to tinker slightly with his first choice XI, bringing in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jamie Vardy. Now qualification is secured, there may well be more of the same when England host Switzerland at Wembley on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, Brandon Barker impressed on his start for England u20s, helping them to a 5-0 victory over Czech Republic at St George’s Park. Ashley Smith-Brown was a second half sub in a behind closed doors encounter that the Three Lions thoroughly dominated.
City also had two representatives in England u18s - Will Patching started the second of two games against Holland this week, while Marcus Wood was a second half sub as the ten-man young Lions earned a very impressive stalemate after winning the first encounter 2-0.
