Patri Guijarro highlighted his goal in the first minute of the friendly between Spain and the United States, but noted that the team did not apply the pressure he expected. The match, played at Audi Field in Washington, ended 0‑2 in favor of the North American team, although the Spanish striker opened the scoring with a shot from outside the area.
The FC Barcelona midfielder, who is also international, expressed satisfaction with the goal that gave La Roja an early advantage. “Starting with an advantage, with a goal, practically at the beginning of the game is always a good thing,” commented Guijarro. “They always tell me to try and see, luckily he came in,” he added, referring to the confidence that coach Sonia Bermúdez gave him in the starting eleven.
Despite the victory, Guijarro considered that the high press, one of the hallmarks of the team, did not work optimally at certain moments. “I think the pressure hasn't helped us much, we could have stolen more balls in their field,” he said. “They are very good at pressing forward, but when we found close possessions from walls, finding our midfielders behind their midfielders, I think we got a little more possession there.” The player highlighted the need to improve ball recovery in the United States defensive zone.
In the same match, Real Madrid player Eva Navarro, who had played as a full-back during the season, was named in the starting eleven as a right winger. Navarro recalled that the coach asked him to “face and center” and not hesitate to shoot when he had the opportunity. "When Salma gave me the pass, I knew it was an incredible pass. I went in alone and was able to finish first and go into the entire squad," she explained, referring to the second goal she scored 14 minutes into the game.
The final result, although favorable for Spain, left the delegation with the feeling that more could have been done in terms of pressure and ball recovery. Guijarro concluded that the experience against one of the best teams in the world served to identify areas of improvement, especially in the defensive phase and the ability to steal balls in the rival zone. With the friendly concluded, the Spanish team will continue fine-tuning its game before the next international matches.