Spain ended 2017 unbeaten after a 3-3 draw in Russia in their latest friendly game, although coach Julen Lopetegui wasn’t happy with the result after his side threw the lead away twice. Jordi Alba headed them in front early on from a Marco Asensio centre, and Sergio Ramos added the second with a hotly disputed penalty after Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi ruled that Kuzyaez had handled when the ball hit his upper arm (shoulder?) in the penalty area. Strikes from Smolov and Alexei Miranchuk either side of half time made it all square for the World Cup hosts, but soon afterwards Ramos converted another controversial penalty after he and Busquets were both felled in the area. Smolov got his second of the night however with a shot past De Gea later on, and in the end both teams settled for a draw. (14.11.17)