BASEL: Spain captain Sergio Ramos missed two penalties but team mate Gerard Moreno came off the bench to grab a late equaliser and snatch a 1-1 draw away to Switzerland in the Nations League on Saturday.
The result relegated Switzerland and Spain lose top spot in Group A4 to Germany, who earned a 3-1 win over Ukraine and lead the standings with nine points.
Spain are second with eight and must win Tuesday's showdown at home to Joachim Loew's side in order to progress to the final four.
Ramos, who also became the most capped European player of all time, had scored all of his previous 25 penalties but was thwarted when Yann Sommer guessed the right way and repelled his spot kick in the 58th minute to preserve Switzerland's lead.
The hosts had taken the lead in the 23rd minute through a brilliant strike on the half volley from Remo Frueler and could have doubled their advantage in the second half when Haris Seferovic rounded keeper Unai Simon, but Ramos came to his side's rescue and got back to clear the shot off the line.
Spain then earned a second penalty in the 79th which led to Swiss defender Nico Elvedi being sent off for a second booking.
However, Ramos was again outwitted by Sommer, who could not be fooled by the defender's chipped 'Panenka' penalty and caught the ball. It's the first time Spain have missed two penalties in one match.
Substitute Moreno saved Ramos' blushes in the 89th minute, lashing home a cross from Sergio Reguilon as Spain finally found a way past Sommer after firing 20 shots at goal to Switzerland's seven.
"Football is like this, it's a marvellous sport but sometimes it's very unfair," said Spain coach Luis Enrique.
"We were lacking a bit of freshness but I think we played well even though we couldn't do the most difficult thing, which is to score. We deserved to win for our first half performance and for how we played in the second."
France eclipse holders
Portugal to reach final four
France handed defending Nations League champions Portugal a rare defeat on Saturday, winning 1-0 in Lisbon with N'Golo Kante's second-half strike to reach the competition's final four at the expense of the holders.
Anthony Martial missed three clear-cut first half chances for France before Kante scored only his second international goal in the 54th minute, and his first since 2016, to end Portugal's run of five successive clean sheets.
World champions France went top of Group A3 with 13 points from five games, three ahead of Portugal and with the better head-to-head record to give them an unassailable lead. It was only Portugal's second defeat since the 2018 World Cup.
Germany beat Ukraine 3-1
Germany striker Timo Werner scored in each half to help steer his side from behind to a 3-1 home win over Ukraine in the Nations League on Saturday as they topped the group with one round of games left to play.
Werner scored twice after Leroy Sane had cancelled out a surprise 12th minute lead for the visitors, who had four players, including top striker Andriy Yarmolenko, ruled out after testing positive for COVID-19 on the eve of the game.
The Germans, in the midst of an overhaul following their 2018 World Cup first round exit, are now top of Group A4 on nine points, one ahead of Spain who they visit on Tuesday. The top team qualify for the final four stage of the competition.
Ukraine, who hit the woodwork three times, are third on six points, with Switzerland bottom on three after a 1-1 draw with visitors Spain.
"We won a match against a good Ukrainian team, and overall, we can be satisfied," coach Joachim Loew said.
"We wanted also to warm up as a team (ahead of next year's European Championship) and I think we did that to a certain extent.
"We had the game under control in the first half and we had a lot of pace. In the second half we were maybe not as focused."
Sweden beat Croatia 2-1 to stave off relegation
Goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Marcus Danielsson snapped Sweden's four-game losing streak in the Nations League as they beat Croatia 2-1 in Stockholm.
Needing a win to avoid relegation from Group A3, the victory keeps Sweden's survival hopes alive as they head into their final group game against France in Paris on Wednesday, despite still being bottom of the group.
Sweden boss Janne Andersson had to watch the game from home following a positive test for COVID-19 and 20-year-old forward Kulusevksi was chosen to start up front with Marcus Berg. The win leaves Sweden bottom of the group on three points, with the Croatians third on goal difference. Agencies
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