Lamine Yamal has had Croatia on edge from the start. So when he gets the ball in a bit of space down the Spanish right flank with just Marcelo Brozovic in attendance, they panic. He may only be 16, but they know full well what he's capable of. Brozovic holds him off well, though, adjusting to the rapid change of direction attempted by Yamal even as more white-and-red checks rush to his aid. Which is when Yamal moves it on to Pedri. Taking a touch, Pedri moves it immediately on to Fabian Ruiz in the middle.
Fabian Ruiz isn't the biggest name in the Spanish squad. For most who don't regularly watch Serie A (where he had been champion with Napoli last season) or Ligue 1 (which he won with PSG this season), he was an underwhelming choice even. Spain's #8, so gloriously worn by Xavi Hernandez was now... Fabian Ruiz? Really?
Ruiz receives the ball on the D, but it's a little in front of him. He extends his left leg to trap it and is immediately closed down by one of the greatest central midfielders of this generation: Luka Modric. That's that, then you thought, as did Modric. He'll keep ball there, move it on to the left and Spain will recycle possession. As they always do.
You, and Modric, should have known that something was off about this Spanish team, though. In Yamal and Nico Williams they had young wingers who doubled up as counter-attacking monsters. In Ruiz and Pedri they had two box-to-box midfielders comfortable with running all day. And that's how they were playing. In fact, for the first time since 2008, the Spanish national team would end a game with less possession than their opponents. For the first time in 136 games. And Ruiz was key to this gameplan.
With Modric expecting him to either hold or go left, he commits to the challenge fully. That's all Ruiz needs. A quick dragback behind his legs and he's sent Modric to the wrong fire. By now, the all-action Brozovic has raced back to cover his long-time colleague and he zips in to nip Ruiz's dribble in the bud. A right leg that had been cocked to shoot calmly cuts the ball back to the left and suddenly there's just enough space for Ruiz inside the Croatian box. Left, right, left... and Ruiz is free.
At 6'2" Ruiz isn't the template for Spanish midfielders that we've been used to for a generation and more. He covers ground with all the alacrity his physicality promises, he slams into tackles, and he can run all day... but he also has a deftness and vision to him that's peak Spanish midfielder. The latter was in clear view when just three minutes earlier he played a gorgeous through ball for captain Alvaro Morata to run onto and score the opener. The former? Modric and Brozovic learned about that the hard way...
This is a midfielder who, when in the mood and allowed to by his coach, can do everything. Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente certainly allows him too, and after the match went on a mini rant about how underappreciated his midfielder was: "If his name wasn't Fabian, you would be talking about him non-stop. He has everything and has known how to do everything well at all times."
Even though he's free of Brozovic, there's barely a moment to breathe in the Croatian box. In front of him stands big Josip Sutalo but Ruiz already knows what he's about to do. The moment he shrugs past Brozovic he's set, and with minimal backlift calmly hits the ball in between Sutalo's legs and into the far bottom corner. Dominik Livakovic has no chance.
The footwork. The finish.
Brilliant from Fabián Ruiz ��#EUROGOTT | @AlipayPlus pic.twitter.com/hgBA4RhHle
- UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 15, 2024
Four touches of the ball, two challenges ignored, a nutmeg... and Fabian Ruiz had scored one of the great Euros goals.
After the match, Ruiz would brush it off (perhaps another reason for his underrated-ness): "[For my goal], Pedri gave me a great pass. When I controlled it, Luka covered me, and when I tried to shoot with my right, Brozovic came so I had to go left. I saw a gap between the legs and luckily it went in." For too long now Fabian Ruiz has gone under the radar. If Spain have their way in this tournament, that won't last much longer.
For the sheer magic of his dribble and goal, then, Ruiz takes our moment of the day from day 2 of Euro 2024.