Spain clinched their place at Euro 2024 with a 1-0 victory over Norway on Sunday, simultaneously aiding Scotland’s qualification hopes in Group A.

Young midfielder Gavi found the back of the net early in the second half, securing Spain’s position at the tournament in Germany next summer with two games to spare.

For Norway, this means that they can now only potentially qualify through play-offs, needing to maintain third place while hoping that Serbia qualifies from Group G to be eligible.

Spain expertly contained Norway’s star striker Erling Haaland, frustrating the Norwegian side throughout the match.

Currently, Norway lags five points behind Spain and Scotland, who are jointly at the top of the group, with just one match remaining.

Spain’s manager, Luis de la Fuente, made some key lineup changes, including starting Fran Garcia in place of the injured Alejandro Balde at left-back and introducing Ansu Fati and Fabian Ruiz into the team.

Spain dominated the first half, with Dani Carvajal missing a close-range shot just wide of the near post.

Spain initially thought they had taken the lead when Stefan Strandberg deflected the ball towards his own net, and Alvaro Morata hammered it home from close range.

However, the goal was disallowed for an offside against Morata.

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In the 49th minute, Gavi managed to score for Spain after a chaotic scramble in Norway’s area, capitalizing on a deflection from Mikel Oyarzabal’s shot into his path.

This marked the 19-year-old Barcelona midfielder’s fifth goal for his country in 25 appearances.

Although Norway’s Martin Odegaard had a chance at the other end, Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simon made a comfortable save from Antonio Nusa.

While Spain attempted to secure a second goal in the final stages, Morata’s shot was cleared off the line, but he was ruled offside.

Norway had a hard time threatening Spain during the eight minutes of added time, appearing to accept their fate as Spain celebrated their qualification at the final whistle.

Spain’s qualification journey had a rocky start with an early defeat by Scotland, which raised questions about the coach’s appointment.

However, their victory in the Nations League in June and their straightforward qualification for Euro 2024 have silenced critics.