Gavi's sublime Spain performance in Greece ends with a scare
The midfielder was taken off in the second half of the 1-0 win in Athens
Gavi made his third appearance for Spain in the 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Greece on Thursday. And, as in his first two appearances in the Final Four of the UEFA Nations League, he impressed. The young Barcelona midfielder gave a recital in building play and defending until he was forced off in the second half in Athens.
The Barça player had an incident with Andreas Bouchalakis that saw him retire to the dressing room early. The Greek player did not take Gavi's pressure well in the 60th minute and the teenager received two blows to the face. At first, he played on, but two minutes later he went down holding his face.
Spain's medical team checked him over on the pitch and appeared to give him the green light to continue. Luis Enrique, though, decided to be cautious and make a change. Gavi came off in the 65th minute, with Barça teammate Sergio Busquets taking his place.
Remember that Gavi had a jaw problem during preseason which forced him to play with a protective mask. In fact, in his official debut with Barça, on August 28 in the league game against Getafe, he wore protection on his face.
