December 26 - Combined Yugoslav team (Savo Milosevic and Goran Djorovic were the only national team players that played with this team) completed its tour in Spain.
Yugoslav selection after the leading of 2:0 in the first half (shooters Petkovic and Pazin) played a tie match with team of Canaries isles. In the second match in Barcelona, in front of about 45.000 supporters, our team was defeated by team of Catalonia with a result of 0:1.
Besides a tie draw and defeat, the tour in Spain is according to estimation of Vujadin Boskov a full shot, since it helped him get the real picture of the players who would have to prove themselves for their place in the national team which would participate at the European Championship next year.
Boskov praised most a goalkeeper of Spanish Las Palmas, Zeljko Cicovic.
"We got a goalkeeper for national team, and that's the most important part of Spanish tour. Zeljko Cicovic kept the goal in match versus Catalonia marvelously, as well as he has shown big quality, but it's still too early to talk about high class."
Boskov especially pointed out to the young center of Belgrade Partizan Mateja Kezman.
Mateja Kezman
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"Kezman is great player, he did his best in all 90 minutes of the match versus Catalonia. He impressed me most, besides Cicovic. I saw for the first time the center player who played defense role besides his own one. I was forced several times to tell him not to get back to our half of the playground."
Boskov stressed that all the players who participated in Spanish tour deserve to be praised and that it's still too early to write off any of the candidates. Combined teams will get their chances till April next year, and in April and May players who will go to EURO 2000 will play the matches, uncovered Boskov his plans.