As Spain prepare to face Georgia in the Euro 2024 round of 16, memories will undoubtedly drift to the 7-1 thrashing they dished out to the same opponents last year in a match that helped the team gel at a time of turmoil for Spanish football.
On the eve of their Euro 2024 qualifier in Tbilisi, as Spain were licking their wounds from a 2-0 defeat by Scotland, manager Luis de la Fuente was batting away questions about the scandal surrounding then football federation boss Luis Rubiales.
De la Fuente had applauded Rubiales when he said he would not resign amid the controversy sparked by his unsolicited kiss of player Jenni Hermoso after her team's victory in the Women's World Cup a few weeks earlier.
De la Fuente, who had yet to win over sceptical fans and pundits after being limited to coaching Spain's underage squads for over a decade, apologised and said he had been under a great deal of psychological pressure.
He tried to dismiss the idea that the furore could be a distraction for his squad, while several key players read out a statement condemning Rubiales' actions and asking the media to "stick to football" ahead of the match in Tbilisi.
Instead of splitting the team apart, the pressure appeared to galvanize them.
Spain were 4-0 up at half-time against the stunned Georgians, with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal coming off the bench to seal a 7-1 win and become Spain's youngest-ever international and goalscorer.
It was the performance Spanish football needed after the Rubiales scandal and it was the moment when De la Fuente and the players just clicked.
It also marked the first time the coach deployed Yamal and Nico Williams together, confident something big could be brewing by deploying the youngsters up and down the wings.
Spain won the remainder of their games to qualify as group winners for Euro 2024, and have taken Germany by storm with a perfect run of three wins out of three in a tough Group B alongside Italy, Croatia and surprise package Albania.
Georgia's players may also look back at that 7-1 rout as a yardstick of how far they have come.
They have won the hearts of fans with a series of never-say-die performances in the group stage that included a stunning win over Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal on Wednesday.
They face a huge test in Cologne, however, and must find a way to deal with Spain's suffocating pressure and relentless pace, with Williams and Yamal darting up the wings.
Before they can even think about putting some pressure on the Spanish goal they will have to outfox a midfield where Rodri and Fabian Ruiz hold their ground and Pedri links the pieces together.
It may all be too much firepower for Georgia to handle but the underdogs will not go down without a fight.
Spain's perfect record so far in Euro 2024 makes them firm favourites to beat Georgia, but as the boring old football cliché goes, they are taking it game by game with only one thing in their heads right now: Georgia, whose giant-killing has shocked the football world.
"A month ago, we hardly had a chance, people and the press said. Now we're favourites. This changes quickly," said left-back Alejandro Grimaldo with a chuckle.
"Being favourites doesn't help us at all, we don't want that pressure. We've always said we came here to win the Euros and we still have that mentality but we know we have to proceed game-by-game, step-by-step, and for sure big happiness will come."
Spain inflicted 3-1 and 7-1 defeats on Georgia in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, but Willy Sagnol's team have improved since then and have been a revelation at the Euros.
Previous form against Georgia made no difference, Grimaldo stressed at a news conference ahead of Sunday's clash.
"What happened a few months before is in the past now. Football changes quickly. We know this is going to be a tough game. The team is focused and confident of playing a great game and reaching the quarter-finals," he said.
"It's all or nothing, you can't make a mistake. We need to go out from the first minute without errors...we're just focused on ourselves, and it's going well for us so far."
The three-time Euros winners strolled through the group stage as the only team with three straight wins, scoring five times and conceding none against Italy, Croatia and Albania.
Grimaldo is competing with Marc Cucurella for the left-back spot, only starting once so far in the Albania game with Spain's passage to the next round already secured.
"We're friends despite playing in the same position. We get on well. He's played two great games, and I played a great game against Albania," said Grimaldo, who tends to be more attack-minded than Cucurella, giving coach Luis de la Fuente attractive options depending on the opposition.
"We have the same aim. There's no rivalry. I think competition is healthy. The one who decides is the boss, not us."
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