Spain beat Montenegro to qualify for Euro 2017

Summer may be all but over for everybody else, but life is still bright and sunny for Spain's women's football team. There is no such thing as a rainy day for them. Spain won, or rather thrashed Montenegro. On top of that, they made history. Vero Boquete, Sonia Bermudez and co. sealed mathematical qualification, and top spot in their group, for the European Championship in the Netherlands. This afternoon, it definitely felt like summer in Las Rozas (Madrid).

However, it is also true that Montenegro put up very little resistance at any point in the game. Spain were simply unstoppable and needed just 20 minutes to put the game to bed. Vero broke the deadlock when she headed home Leila Ouahabi's cross from the wing. That opened the floodgates to goals of all shapes and sizes, the best of which was the sixth of the game. Vero ran from deep and played the ball back for Sonia Bermudez who fired a powerful shot straight into the back of the net. Spain went in 8-0 up at half-time courtesy of another two goals - one a sublime free-kick - from Bermudez on her return to international duty, a further two strikes from Vero, and goals from Marta Corredera and Amanda Sampedro.

It was more of the same after the break. Montenegro simply had no answer for the Spanish onslaught. The Montenegrins have lost every one of their qualifying matches, the last one a 9-0 drubbing at the hands of Ireland. Meanwhile, Spain continued with the job at hand. Mapi Leon and Barbara Torres both made their senior debuts as Vero, Sonia Bermudez (twice), Vicky Losada and Alexia Putellas rounded out the scoring.

Spain crushed their opponents, but the game provided very little aside from goals. Spain did enough to seal their seventh consecutive win, qualify top of their group, entertain the almost 1,000 fans who gathered in Las Rozas, as well as show that there are plenty of goals in this team, irrespective of who takes to the pitch. Montenegro struggled to get out of their own half. Spain now face Finland next Tuesday at 19:00 at the Butarque stadium in their final qualifying match. By then, it will be 20th September, temperatures will have cooled down and there may even be clouds, but it will still feel like summer to this group of players.