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Spain defender Cesar Azpilicueta is happy to have had the last laugh in his World Cup qualifying battle with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and has shrugged off a brutal shoulder barge from the veteran Sweden striker.
The Chelsea defender locked horns with the AC Milan forward during a clash in Seville on Sunday that saw La Roja book their place at next year’s tournament in Qatar.
A late effort from Alvaro Morata was enough to secure a 1-0 win and see Luis Enrique’s side top Group B ahead of their opponents, who now drop into the play-offs.
What happened with Azpilicueta and Ibrahimovic?
Ibrahimovic, who has returned to the Sweden fold at 40 years of age, allowed his emotions to get the better of him as he clattered into Azpilicueta when lining up for a corner.
He was going in search of a stoppage-time leveller, with the visitors aware automatic qualification for Qatar 2022 was slipping through their grasp.
Ibrahimovic was booked for his antics, but that punishment could have been worse as VAR decided not to review the incident and call for a red card.
How did Azpilicueta respond?
The Chelsea captain hit the deck and looked to be in some pain, but he picked himself up and helped Spain to see out the closing stages of a vital victory.
Azpilicueta is not looking to pick another fight with Ibrahimovic after getting the better of the Swedish icon and posted on social media when reviewing the incident: “Everything is good here”.