Northern Ireland beat a pretty strong Spain U21 team 2-1 on Tuesday night, and it’s obviously caught the attention of the Spanish media.
Rather than there being a great deal of criticism for the young Spanish side, with included several players with a lot of La Liga experience, instead the focus is on praise for the travelling team, and one man especially.
Celtic youngster Conor Hazard is highlighted by several Spanish newspapers on Wednesday, and his performance in goal is given as the major reason Spain lost the match.
Marca, perhaps the best known Spanish sport newspaper, reports the Celtic stopper was the ‘true winner of the night without any doubt’. They believe Spain just came up against an opponent that, on the night, they simply couldn’t brush aside despite all their efforts.
AS, another Spanish sport publication, say Hazard was the ‘great hero’ of the match, and the Celtic player is again credited with being the man who frustrated Spain’s talented attackers.
It’s certainly a boost for the 20 year old goalkeeper, and the praise will go down well with Brendan Rodgers and the coaching team at Celtic Park.
