FIFA World Cup 2010: Spain - Road to the Final; Barcelona’s Newly Acquired David Villa Spain’s Hero
Spain were regarded as Europe's best hope for a victory at the FIFA World Cup being held in South Africa, and they have lived up to their pre-tournament reputation as favourites by making their way to the final of the competition for the first time in their history.
The tournament started off with a shock defeat for the Spanish side, as they lost out to the Swiss 1-0 in their opening fixture. The game was decided by a solitary goal and the Spanish midfield and strikers could find no way past a resolute Swiss defence. The game was, arguably, the biggest shock of the tournament in the group stages, as the European champions were left embarrassed.
There is a confidence about this Spanish team though, which helped them stay calm and not panic as they looked towards their next game. Honduras proved to be no match for the quality of football displayed by Spain, and so La Furia Roja marched to a very comfortable 2-0 victory, with David Villa scoring both the goals. This would be the first of many times that David Villa would come to the rescue of Spain when they needed it most.
The last game against Chile was crucial, as anything less than a victory could have meant either elimination or the daunting prospect of playing Brazil in the next round. As it happened, a rather harsh red card decision by the referee decided the match in favour of Spain 2-1. David Villa netted once more, along with Iniesta, to put Spain through for a Round of 16 game against another strong European team in Portugal.
The game against Portugal was expected to be a strong contest between two sides which play good football, but instead it was Spain's attack versus Portugal's defence in what was a very dry match. The game was decided by one goal (by David Villa), as Spain progressed to the quarterfinals.
The quarterfinal match against Paraguay proved to be exactly like the last round match against Portugal, with Paraguay putting up a fight in the first half but eventually losing out to a goal from Villa. Both sides missed penalties, but Paraguay in particular would have been disappointed, as they had a very good chance to put themselves ahead; instead, they managed to concede a late goal and get eliminated from the tournament. The match was another lucky victory for the Spanish, who struggled to create many chances in front of the goal and were lucky to escape what would have been another embarrassing defeat.
The semifinal against Germany was yet another slow, boring game. The match had very little in terms of goal action, as neither side looked like scoring from open-play. It was a corner that ultimately decided the fate of the match, as the Germans crashed out 1-0 after a powerful header by Barcelona Captain Carles Puyol. Spain had yet another crucial decision go their way, as what appeared to be a clear penalty in the first half for the Germans was waved away by the referee, and so Spain managed to grab a winner later on to secure their place in the final.
The final against Netherlands could prove to be very interesting, as Spain have not yet played a team that is as well-organized but still dangerous as the Dutch. Although Spain go into the match as favourites, if they don't create more chances, their luck might run out, since the Dutch won't be as forgiving as the Paraguayans or the Germans. The match is likely to be a tight affair, but it is nice to see that no matter which way it goes, the World Cup will have a new winner. The Dutch deserve it a little more perhaps, based on how they played, but Spain will back its players to shine and take the trophy home.
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