Friendly international

Spain 2 - Perú 1

Spain: Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Puyol, Marchena, Capdevila; Iniesta (Cazorla 61'), Xabi Alonso (Marcos Senna 46'), Xavi (Cesc Fábregas 46'), David Silva (Sergio García 84'); David Villa (De la Red 57'), Fernando Torres (Güiza 46'). 4-4-2.
Perú: Butrón; Salas, Rodríguez, Vilchez, Hernández; Solano (Cevasco 91'), Torres, Cruzado (Mariño 46'), Hidalgo (Neyra 73'); Guerrero, Chávez (Rengifo 66'). 4-4-2.

Goals:
1-0. 37. David Villa. Picked up Xavi through ball and beat keeper with angled shot.
1-1. 74. Regifo. Headed ball back over Casillas after Marchena hooked clear.
2-1. 93. Capdevila. First time volley into roof of net from Fábregas cross.

Spain beat Perú 2-1 in their first warm up game for Euro 2008. Luis Aragonés put out a line up similar to the one he is expected to start with against Russia, with Villa and Torres up front rather than his more habitual 4-1-4-1 formation. And they began well, Iniesta having a shot blocked on the line by a defender, Silva having another effort deflected wide, and Butrón almost letting a long shot from Xavi in to the net, the ball slipping through his hands and coming back off the post along the face of the goal. It was only a matter of time, and Villa finally opened the scoring after picking up a precision pass from Xavi to beat the keeper from a wide angle.

The coach made three changes at the break but stuck to his formation, and Villa went close again within a couple of minutes of the restart. The South Americans were missing some key players for disciplinary reasons after a post-match party went out of hand, and they didn't trouble Casillas until ten minutes in to the second half, when the keeper had to save from Guerrero and Chávez.

De la Red and Cazorla came on for their first caps, and Güiza should have done better with a free header from Cazorla's cross soon afterwards. A few minutes later though Perú were level, Regifo taking advantage of a poor clearance by Marchena to send a looping header back over the top of Casillas and in to the net, the first goal that Spain had let in at home since Gravgaard scored for Denmark some 655 minutes ago, a new record for "la selección".

Spain wanted a victory though, and Cazorla brought a good save out of Butrón before Güiza fired another shot straight at the keeper when free in front of goal. Sergio García came on to make it three debutants on the day, but a draw seemed on the cards until the third minute of injury time, when Capdevila volleyed home a Fábregas cross to win the match. It was only a friendly, but even so it was good for the morale with the opening game in Euro 2008 now only ten days away.