News · From the live show
Spain make history with 42 games unbeaten, matching Brazil's record
42 games without defeat, Brazil's record equalled and six world champions faced along the way
Rubén Uría breaks down the 42-match unbeaten run that sees Spain draw level with Brazil
Rubén Uría admits he was wrong: he believed the Spain of Luis Aragonés and Del Bosque could never be repeated, and now ranks this side among the best in history after it equalled Brazil's unbeaten record.
Before turning to Atlético, Rubén Uría devotes the opening minutes of the show to the Spain national team after their 2-1 win in Croatia. He confesses that he always thought the Spain of Luis Aragonés and Vicente del Bosque would never be repeated and that he would never see a team play as well or better. Now, he says, he has to start thinking he was wrong.
For Uría, this Spain side is one of the greatest national teams of all time, on a par with the Dutch 'Clockwork Orange' or Brazil. He points out that in Croatia they did not play out-of-this-world football, but they knew how to suffer, turn the game around in a hostile setting and win it with superb goals.
The numbers back up the enthusiasm: Spain equal the record set by Brazil, who went 42 matches unbeaten between 1993 and 1997. That amounts to 33 wins and 9 draws in three and a half years, and not against minor opposition: in that time they have faced six world champions, Germany, Argentina, France, Uruguay, Italy and England. Uría adds that Spain have won three of the last five European Championships and two of the last five World Cups, and he signs off by highlighting Mikel Merino's stunning goals and Luis de la Fuente's satisfaction.