The Spanish national team returns to the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán this Sunday, a venue it hasn't visited since 2015 and where it will officially debut the second star above its crest as world champions. The match marks a symbolic reunion between La Roja and a stadium that has been a historic stronghold for the national side, claiming an unbeaten run spanning 25 games.
The bond between Spain and the Seville coliseum stretches back over seventy years. The first visit was on 11 March 1964, for a European Championship quarter-final against Ireland that ended in a resounding 5-1 win. Since then, the record is overwhelmingly positive: 20 wins and 5 draws in the 27 times the national team has played in the Andalusian capital. The most recent was a 1-0 win over Ukraine in March 2015, with Álvaro Morata scoring.
A historic fortress
Among the glorious memories at Nervión are routs like the 9-0 win over Albania in 1990, featuring four goals from Emilio Butragueño, and the 1-0 victory against Denmark in 1993, marked by Fernando Hierro's goal and the debut in goal of Santiago Cañizares following Andoni Zubizarreta's red card. Seville is, in fact, the second city to have hosted the national team the most times, only behind Madrid. This Sunday, the stadium will once again dress up for a special occasion.
The personal connection runs deep too. The national team manager, Luis de la Fuente, knows the club intimately. "He is going to a house he knows well, having defended Sevilla's colours as a player and later from the dugout with the youth teams," the coach explained. His career at the club adds an extra layer of meaning to this return.
The current context of host club Sevilla FC shows a team fighting for a top spot in La Liga. The Andalusian side sits fifth with 13 points, from 4 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses in the first seven matchdays. Their last outing was a tough 1-3 defeat to Barcelona, a rival they trail by eight points in the table.
After the international break, Sevilla will resume competition on 12 October with a trip to face Levante, a team currently battling to escape the relegation zone. The schedule for the second part of the season, available in our fixtures section, will be key to consolidating their strong start. The squad, which has scored 10 goals and conceded 9, will be looking for more defensive consistency.
The Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, with its iconic commemorative tile for the '12th man', is ready for another chapter in its long history with the national team. Spain arrives for the match unbeaten in its last 39 official games, a streak it will test on a stage that has always been favourable. The event will serve to present the new kit with the second star to its home fans, closing a cycle that began with their World Cup triumph.
The report in full is at ABC Deportes
