Spain loses 1-0 to Georgia in final warmup for Euro 2016
MADRID (AP) - Spain lost 1-0 to Georgia at home on Tuesday in its final warmup before heading to France to defend its European Championship title.
Spain dominated from the start but failed to capitalize on its scoring chances, while Georgia took its only significant chance, following a blunder by Spain's defense.
Midfielder Tornike Okriashvili scored the winner in the 40th after a bad pass by Jordi Alba led to a counterattack.
It was the first time coach Vicente Del Bosque had all of his players available, including the four from Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid who joined late because they played in the Champions League final last month.
Del Bosque made several changes to the squad but it was not enough to overcome Georgia's tight defense.
It was the third warmup for Spain, which was coming off a 3-1 win over Bosnia and a 6-1 rout of South Korea. Tuesday's game was the only one at home in the team's final preparations before going to France, and a few jeers were heard after the final whistle.
"We have an extraordinary challenge ahead of us," Del Bosque said. "We can't let this result affect us."
Del Bosque used a team similar to the one expected to start in Group D against the Czech Republic on Monday in Toulouse. The only surprise was the inclusion of Real Madrid forward Lucas Vazquez, who made his first international appearance with the national team. Andres Iniesta came into the match at halftime.
"They didn't give us any space," Del Bosque said. "With Iniesta we cleared some lines and understood the game a little better. We lacked the final scoring touch."
Del Bosque said he still hasn't decided who will start in goal in France, but it was David De Gea instead of Iker Casillas who got to play on Tuesday.
Spain was in control when Alba made a wayward pass to Sergio Ramos at the back, leading to a fast breakaway that culminated with Okriashvili's easy goal from close range. The midfielder appeared to be offside when he scored, but it was a close call.
One of Spain's best chances came when Vazquez set up Thiago Alcantara for a low shot that struck the far post in the 28th. In the second half, "La Roja" came close to scoring when Manuel "Nolito" Agudo unleashed a dangerous shot that went wide, while the final opportunity was Gerard Pique's header in the 87th, which also just missed.
After playing the Czech Republic, Spain will face Turkey on June 17 in Nice and Croatia on June 21 in Bordeaux.
Spain won the last two European Championships and will be trying to regain its soccer supremacy after a disappointing elimination early in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
___
Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/tales-azzoni