MADRID — Spain cruised past Kosovo 3-1 on Wednesday in a World Cup qualifier that attracted more attention off the field because of Spain’s non-recognition of the visiting country.
The game in Seville was played in accordance to UEFA etiquette, with Kosovo’s national anthem played before the match. But on television, Spain’s national broadcaster disregarded normal protocol by not mentioning Kosovo as a country and using lowercase letters for “kos” in its graphics.
Spain does not recognize Kosovo’s 2008 independence from Serbia.
Ahead of the game, the Spanish federation had already upset Kosovo officials by referring to the country as a “territory.” The Kosovo federation warned it wouldn’t play the match unless Spain pledged to respect the Balkan country’s sovereignty.
But commentators on TV referred to the opponents as the “team from the Kosovo federation,” and used phrases like “players from the federation of Kosovo.”
It used “ESP” in uppercase letters for the hosts’ on-screen graphic in Spanish — as it had for both countries in previous qualifying games — but kept lowercase “kos” at all times for the visitors.
On the field, Dani Olmo opened the scoring for Spain in the 34th minute and Ferran Torres added to the lead in the 36th before Kosovo pulled one back through Besar Halimi’s long-range shot in the 70th after Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón lost possession while trying to play the ball far outside his area.
Gerard Moreno sealed Spain’s victory off a corner kick in the 75th.
Luis Enrique again made several changes to Spain’s lineup, with captain Sergio Ramos entering the match in the final minutes.
“La Roja” had opened its qualifying campaign with a disappointing home draw against Greece and a hard-fought win at Georgia.
The win left Spain at the top of Group B with seven points from three matches. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Sweden was second with six points and a game in hand.
Greece, which drew 1-1 with Georgia in the other group match on Wednesday, stayed in third place with two points, one more than Georgia
Kosovo, playing in its second World Cup qualifying campaign, is last in the group with no points. Its first game was a 3-0 home loss against Sweden.
Only the group winners qualify directly for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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