Spain fringe players state case with Serbia win, Germany thumped

Spain warmed up for a defence of their European title with a 2-0 friendly win over Serbia in St Gallen yesterday but Germany slumped to an error-plagued 5-3 defeat to Switzerland, a worrying setback just two weeks out from the championship where they will be among the favourites.

At the Ullevaal Stadium, Roy Hodgson made a winning start to his reign as England manager after an Ashley Young goal gave his side a 1-0 victory over Norway.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque fielded some of his fringe players and that left the door open for the likes of Atletico Madrid’s Adrian Lopez to state his case.

He didn’t disappoint, heading the world champions into a 64th-minute lead.

This was the best possible way for Adrian, who came on as a second-half substitute, to mark his first ever appearance in the national shirt.

Adrian was instrumental as well in Spain’s second goal 10 minutes later when he earned a penalty after being felled by Serbia captain Branislav Ivanovic, with the spot-kick converted by Santi Cazorla.

The upset to Switzerland illustrated just how much Germany coach Joachim Loew relies on Bayern Munich expertise after eight of the club’s players were left out to rest following their Champions League final defeat to Chelsea.

It was a first win for Switzerland – who failed to qualify for Euro 2012 – over Germany since 1956.

Goalkeeper Ter Stegen had a debut to forget with Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok grabbing a hat-trick.

He hit the target twice in the space of three first-half minutes before central defender Mats Hummels pulled one back for Germany on the stroke of half-time.

Derdiyok made it 3-1 on the 50-minute mark with Andre Schuerrle reducing the deficit 14 minutes later.

Andre Lichtsteiner made it 4-2 before Marco Reus hit back for the Germans after 72 minutes.

Admir Mehmedi made it 5-3 for the home side just four minutes later as the goals continued to flow and it could have been six for the Swiss had Gelson Fernandes’s 88th-minute header not come back off the post.

Hodgson, who only took over as the successor to Fabio Capello earlier this month, saw his experimental England side record their first win over Norway for 32 years in a largely lacklustre encounter.

With only four or five of yesterday’s starting England XI likely to feature in their opening Euro 2012 Group D game against France on June 11, Hodgson was given the opportunity to run the rule over several fringe members of his squad.

However, despite an encouraging opening spell from striker Andy Carroll and another goal-scoring contribution from Young, there were few major English success stories in a low-key contest.

England had got off to a flying start with Young firing the visitors ahead after only nine minutes following a swift break upfield.

Carroll won the first of several aerial battles of the opening period and released the Manchester United midfielder into space.

Young still had plenty to do but twisted and turned away from the covering Norwegian defence and shot low into the bottom corner past Rune Almenning Jarstein.

At Lansdowne Road, Shane Long gave Ireland the perfect Euro 2012 send-off as his late goal sealed a 1-0 win over Bosnia.

West Bromwich Albion striker Long ensured Ireland’s confidence will be high when they head to a training camp in Italy and a final friendly in Hungary after he came off the bench to bag the winner with 12 minutes remaining.

Elsewhere, French-born Da-mien Perquis scored his first goal for Poland as the beefed-up Euro Championship hosts beat Slovakia 1-0 in Klagenfurt.

Perquis blasted a header past Slovakia keeper Dusan Pernis in the 30th minute.

Summaries

Brazil 3
Hulk 8, 40; Zimling 13 og;
Denmark 1
Bendtner 71;

Czech Rep. 2
Baros 17 pen; Lafata 90;
Israel 1
Shechter 45;

Greece 1
Torosidis 8;
Slovenia 1
Kurtic 87;
Red card: Kone (G) 90.

Holland 1
Van Persie 45;
Bulgaria 2
Popov 50 pen; Micanski 90;

Ireland 1
Long 78;
Bosnia 0

Norway 0
England 1
Young 9;

Poland 1
Perquis 30;
Slovakia 0

Portugal 0
Macedonia 0

Spain 2
Adrian 64; Cazorla 74 pen;
Serbia 0

Switzerland 5
Derdiyok 21,23,50; Lichtsteiner 67; Mehmedi 76;
Germany 3
Hummels 45; Schurrle 64; Reus 72;

Turkey 2
Yilmaz 21, 54;
Finland 3
Eremenko 19; Pukki 73; Hetemaj 90;

Today’s friendlies
USA vs Scotland - 02.00
France vs Iceland - 21.00