ITALY 1-1 SPAIN
Aritz Aduriz becomes Spain's third-oldest ever goalscorer
The Athletic Club ace netted La Roja's equaliser against Italy, and spoke of his delight at making a scoring return to the team.
Aritz Aduriz became Spain's third-oldest ever goalscorer in La Roja's 1-1 draw away to Italy on Thursday night, the Athletic Club striker hitting his side's leveller shortly after Lorenzo Insigne's opener for the hosts.
At the age of 35 years and 42 days, Aduriz is only outdone by José María Peña, who found the net in 1930 at 35 years and 225 days old, and Alfredo Di Stéfano, with the Real Madrid legend on target for Spain in 1961 at 35 years and 142 days.
Speaking after the final whistle, Aduriz gave his thoughts on his return to the international fold - six years after winning his only previous cap:
Match assessment: "It wasn't an easy game at all. They [Italy] have a clear idea of what they're about. It's very tough to create chances against them. We found it hard to carve out clear openings, but in the end we managed to come away with a draw."
Playing with Álvaro Morata: "It's easy to build an understanding with players like him, of his quality. In the second half we improved; in the first half we didn't press them well and they were able to play it out too easily. In the second half we got closer to them. We can feel satisfied enough with the draw."
His return to the Spain side: "I'm really happy to be back involved with the national team. It's a shame that we couldn't come here and win, but I'm happy."