Spain crushes Belgium (1-5) and only needs a draw at home against England to qualify

Spain thrashed Belgium (1-5) on Friday with doubles from Esther González and Athenea del Castillo and a goal from Alba Redondo , remaining the leader of Group A3 of the Nations League and depends on itself to advance to the final phase, which it will reach if it wins or draws with England this Tuesday in Barcelona.

The Spanish national team needed a win to remain self-sufficient on the road to qualifying for the finals. They didn't want any surprises, having already struggled in the first matchday to overcome a 2-0 deficit against this Friday's opponent, who scored 5-1 in the 88th minute with a Tine De Caigny header from a corner.

The biggest doubt was whether Montse Tomé would make any rotation to give rest to the Barcelona players or to Arsenal's Mariona Caldentey , after finishing the season late due to the Champions League final played less than a week ago and the load of matches, but seven of the ten culés called up and Mariona were starters.

Spain quickly settled into the opposition's half, but in the first fifteen minutes there were few clear-cut chances, apart from a shot in the fifth minute from Mariona that was easily cleared by Evrard . With a solid defensive line of three central defenders, Belgium prevented the Spanish attackers from getting through.

Little by little, Spain's ball circulation became more fluid, but clear chances still eluded them. After a foul on Patri Guijarro , Alexia took the lead and came close to scoring, but in the 36th minute, her persistence was rewarded. From the right, Mariona delivered an exquisite cross to Esther, who finished with her left foot to make it 1-0. Spain continued to try, but went into the break with the minimum margin.

After the break, Spain continued to dominate Elisabet Gunnarsdottir 's team, which this time wasn't able to damage the World Cup and Nations League champions as it had in the first group stage match. Calmly, Spain gathered possession and waited for their chance. And then it came. It was Esther again.

The Gotham forward took advantage of a dead ball in the area after a move by Athenea to make it 0-2 in the 64th minute. She was still close to scoring a hat trick, but right after her clear chance she was substituted by Salma Paralluelo , who came on accompanied by Lucía Corrales , who made her debut after being included in the squad due to the absence of Laia Codina .

Spain wanted more, and Athenea del Castillo came out to have fun at Leuven's Den Dreef stadium. In just two minutes (the 78th and 79th minutes), she scored twice to make it 4-0, and Alba Redondo added the fifth in the 85th.