Part 2: Player Profile – Andres Iniesta
The same devotion also led him to become a great asset for Spain while he was out on international duty. Even though he was struggling with fitness before South Africa 2010 due to “over exertion” for Barcelona, Iniesta followed all orders that were given to him by the medical staff of the club and the country. Time had come to serve the country and he started to work fabulously in order to gain his fitness back to help Spain on their historic triumph over all other countries in the world.
Iniesta got injured and couldn’t really be a part of the match in which the Spaniards suffered a loss to the Swiss side. It was the biggest upset of the FIFA World Cup 2010. The Barcelona midfielder was replaced during that game as Silva took his place in the squad and the Spanish side lost the match with a score of 1-0 - shattering the hearts of all Spanish fans across the globe. Later, Iniesta had to sit out for the next match which was against Honduras while the Spaniards were involved in a “must win” situation. It was the new Barcelona signing David Villa who was able to score two goals in the same game which helped his team win the well-deserved three points. Iniesta then made a return in the crucial match against Chile and even then, Spain had to win the match in case they wanted to qualify for the pre-quarterfinals of the tournament. It was the dynamic midfielder yet again who managed to make another outstanding performance as he was awarded with the “man-of-the-match” award. He also managed to score the winning goal of the match as the Spaniards won with a 2-1 score to qualify for the pre-quarter finals.
Iniesta then showed the world what his true worth was as he kept on performing fabulously well throughout the FIFA World Cup 2010 as he was able to provide his country with some “out of the world” moments. The Spanish side was paired with Portugal, which was considered to be the best defensive side of the tournament. However, it was David Villa who scored the goal after a lot of attempts from the Spaniards and that 1-0 victory helped them qualify for the quarter-final match against Paraguay. The South Americans gave Spain some time before the Spaniards won the match to qualify for the semi-final match which was against a “very impressive” but young, German side. Another outstanding performance by Andres Iniesta and company led the team to a 1-0 victory over the Germans. Powering the Spaniards managed to the final match against the Dutch.
The match was supposed to be a thriller and it certainly was. No team was able to score in the first 90 minutes and then it was the “reliable” performer who performed fabulously throughout the match until it came down to the 112th minute of “extra time.” Johnny Heitinga fouled the Spaniard and earned a red card which gave the Spanish side a one man advantage. Later, in the 116th minute, Fernando Torres put in a cross for Cesc Fabregas, who was able to find Iniesta on the right flank. Iniesta made no mistake and scored “another” vital goal of his career and lived up to his reputation of scoring goals under pressure.
He showed his “humility” by revealing his shirt after the historic strike and gave a tribute to his friend Dani Jarque, who had recently passed away. The touchy tribute was well awarded later on as the Spanish side won the FIFA World Cup 2010 and Andres Iniesta’s name was written in the annals of history, as he scored the winning goal for his country.
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