La Rojita sees its advantage slip away in qualifying against Iceland

The starting eleven of Paco Gallardo, under the direction of the RFEF and reported by journalist Fernando Gabarró, could not start with a win in the second qualifying round for the 2027 European Championship and drew 2-2 against Iceland in Newport.

The side of Paco Gallardo went up by two goals, but they failed to hold onto it and ended up conceding an unexpected draw. La Rojita started brightly and soon found the way to goal. Alexis Ciria put Spain ahead from the penalty spot in the tenth minute.

Before the half-hour mark, an own goal by Egill Arnarsson extended the lead to 2-0. The match seemed set for the Spaniards, who had turned their early superiority into the scoreline, and everything pointed to a rout. The problem arrived after the break.

Icelandic comeback

Iceland reacted, found a way to hurt Spain and, narrowing the gap, completed the partial comeback and set the final 2-2 with goals from Gunnarson in the 72nd minute and from Arnarsson in the 77th minute. A disappointing result for the side of Paco Gallardo, which had done the hardest in a first half by dominating and controlling the match against a much weaker opponent.

Osasuna remains pending for Aimar Oroz and Romain Del Castillo. In Barcelona blue, Iker Rodríguez and Álex Campos (captain) were part of the starting eleven, while Jony Hernández came on in the second half and Pedro did not play. Spain will have to turn the page quickly, as on Saturday they will face Wales and on Tuesday they will close the mini‑tournament against Finland, aiming to finish among the top three and reach the next round.