Nations League: How the Barça internationals fared with Spain against the Netherlands

Spain salvaged a draw in their visit to the Netherlands (2-2) in the first leg of the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals. Luis de la Fuente's side featured Pau Cubarsí, Pedri González, and Lamine Yamal in their lineup, while Dani Olmo remained on the bench. With Ferran Torres ruled out due to a muscle injury, the FC Barcelona internationals had a bittersweet day in Rotterdam. Here’s how the Barça players performed in La Roja.

Pau Cubarsí, injured

The center-back had to leave in the 40th minute due to severe pain in his right ankle. It appears that Pau suffered a mild sprain as a result of a tough tackle from Memphis Depay during a challenge for a loose ball. Looking ahead to Sunday, it is very likely that Luis de la Fuente will not have the Estanyol native available, who is also doubtful for the Barça-Osasuna match scheduled for next Thursday.

Pedri González, assist provider

Pedri rubbed the lamp right at the start of the match, assisting Nico Williams with a pass that allowed the Basque winger to open the scoring in the 9th minute. However, in the following minutes, he had an intermittent performance, caused by the effective pressure from the Dutch in the opposing half. Still, the Tenerife native completed 40 of 43 passes (93%), created one opportunity, and drew one foul. Dani Olmo replaced him in the 66th minute.

Lamine Yamal, frustrated

Lamine, like Pedri, had a performance that declined as the match went on, missing a partner in attack. A steal from '19' from Hato opened the door for Spain's 0-1 lead, but afterwards, he fell into several turnovers, thanks to the good defensive work of the locals and the lack of support from a completely disconnected Morata. The presence of Pedro Porro as right-back also did not weigh heavily. In total, the Barça winger shot 2 times (one on target), won 3 of 5 duels, and recovered 5 balls, although he missed 9 of 28 passes.

Dani Olmo, game-changer

His entry for Pedri provided oxygen to a rather erratic Spanish midfield for much of the match. Alongside Ayoze Pérez, the Terrassa native added more depth to La Roja, also allowing Martín Zubimendi to regain prominence after being overwhelmed for long stretches. In 24 minutes, Dani attempted a couple of shots blocked by opponents, missing just 1 pass out of 22 possible.

Ferran Torres, in the stands

Meanwhile, the 'Shark' was left out of the squad for the first leg of the quarter-finals due to a knock suffered on Sunday against Atlético de Madrid. Luis de la Fuente preferred to leave him in the stands, hoping to have him available for the rematch next Sunday at Mestalla. The tie is completely open after the draw in Rotterdam, but Spain has the home advantage, and any victory will allow them to advance to the 'final four'.