Super Eagles midfielder, Alex Iwobi, has commended Austria captain, David Alaba, for producing a brilliant goal-line clearance during Austria’s 3-0 defeat to Spain, highlighting the defender’s excellent positioning and wealth of experience.
Although Austria suffered a comprehensive loss on Thursday night, Alaba delivered one of the game’s defining defensive moments late in the encounter.
In the 85th minute, the veteran defender raced back to clear Lamine Yamal’s rebound effort off the line after the Spanish teenager had already beaten goalkeeper Alexander Schlager.
Iwobi, speaking during his analysis on SuperSport said Alaba’s anticipation and defensive instincts were evident in the way he read the situation before making the decisive intervention.
“His positioning is like he knew that the ball was going towards the direction where Lamine Yamal was and clear,” the Super Eagles midfielder said.
“Clearing the ball off the line is something that he has to do over the years. Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time he can do that but he is still relentless.”
The Fulham midfielder also praised Spain’s attacking depth, noting that Austria had to contend with multiple dangerous players across the pitch rather than concentrating solely on Yamal.
“Obviously, Lamine Yamal didn’t get his goal today but they kind of focused on him. There were so many attacking threats , Alex Baena, for [Marc] Cucurella, [Pedro] Porro, [Mikel] Oyarzabal. Everyone was a threat so it wasn’t easy to contain that,” he added.
Spain’s convincing victory sealed qualification for the Round of 16, where the European giants will meet the winner of the knockout tie between Portugal and Croatia as they continue their pursuit of the title.
