On Friday, the second day of the November international break, there were a few Tottenham Hotspur players in action. Pedro Porro was one of those players, as his Spain side travelled to Northern Europe to face Denmark for match day five of the current UEFA nations league campaign.
For the third game in a row, manager Luis De La Fuente started Porro at right-back, as part of a flat back four. A little over a year ago, the idea of Porro consistently starting in a back four for Spain must have felt like a pipe dream, yet here we are.
It was a bright start to the game from Porro, who had made a clearance and two tackles in the first ten minutes of the game, as well as winning both of his ground duels, as Spain looked to dominate possession and territory against their Danish counterparts.
Good night at the office for Pedro Porro and his Spain side
Not long after, they would have their goal, thanks to stand in captain Mikel Oyazarabal, who was playing ahead of Porro on the right hand side, in the absence of Lamine Yamal. That goal was enough to give Spain a 1-0 goal lead heading into the half time interval.
Just before the hour mark, Ayoze Perez scored to double the visitors lead, and give them a healthy advantage in the game. Substitute Gustav Isaksen would find the back of the net six minutes from the end of normal time to give the hosts a lifeline, but they could not build on that goal and it proved to just be a consolation in the end.
Although that aforementioned goal prevented a clean sheet, it was still a very impressive performance from Porro. The Spurs right-back recorded; four clearances, two interceptions, five tackles, 79 touches, two chances created, one big chance created, and 8/10 accurate long balls, as De La Fuente trusted him to play the entire 90 minutes.
The 25-year old would be the first to admit that his standards have slipped of late, so hopefully this proves to be the kickstart his season needs moving forward.
This win means Spain have topped the group with a game to spare, with 15 points from five games, six points above their hosts on the night. This means that, with their qualification to the knockout stages of the nations league, their quarter-final tie, to be played in March, will be played against a group runner up, rather than a group winner.