Spain Slips into Quarterfinals
In a match between rival neighboring countries, Spain defeated Portugal 1-0 to advance to the quarterfinals with star striker David Villa scoring the solitary goal against a resolute Portuguese defense.
Spain now appears to have fully recovered from the shock 1-0 loss in their opening game against Switzerland that questioned their status as favourites to win the World Cup.
The team will play Paraguay on Saturday in the quarterfinal, hoping to advance to play either Argentina or Germany.
Portugal had yet to concede a goal in the World Cup before the match against Spain. They knew the Spaniards were tough and they fought off their attacks well into the second half. But at the 63rd minute David Villa broke through and scored off his own rebound. “It was one of my best goals because it got us through to the next round,” the enthusiastic striker said.
Villa’s fourth goal of the tournament was a right-footed shot that hit the crossbar and bounced into the net. The chance came as a result of his own left-footed shot microseconds earlier—off a gorgeous heel pass from Xavi Hernanez inside the penalty box. That shot was saved by Portugal’s keeper, Eduardo, but the rebound fell to Villa who converted clinically. The Portuguese keeper was devastated. “To lose by one goal in a championship hurts really bad,” said Eduardo.
La Fura Roja played better as a team in the last-16 game against Portugal. Fernando Torres and Villa immediately targeted Portugal’s defensive weak point, the struggling right back, Ricardo Costa. (Costa was sent off late in the game after a sly elbow to the head of Joan Cadevilla, but by then Portugal’s fate had already been sealed.) The two strikers had Eduardo working hard to keep Portugal in the game, forcing three difficult saves in the first seven minutes and setting the tone for the match.
“His performance was brilliant” Portuguese Coach Carolos Queiroz said of Eduardo. “He saved and kept the team fighting for the result.” Portugal was unable to deliver these results at the other end though, and it was inevitable that one day Eduardo’s clean-sheet record at the World Cup would be wiped away.
Spain moves upfield with an intricate passing system through the centre, but in this game, was forced to take long-range shots when Portugal’s defense shut them out. Of their passing Queiroz said, "Spain were much more effective moving the ball around. We were looking for chances on the counter-attack. We had our chances—we just didn't score."
Christiano Ronaldo was a disappointment, as he’s been all tournament really. He touched the ball 34 times, just 11 times in the second half, a number far below his average of 51 over the first group match games. He tried twice with free kicks from long range, almost scoring on one effort, but Gerard Pique stopped it. Ronaldo is the highest paid player in the world and has only scored once this tournament during the 7-0 win over North Korea. But then again, who didn’t score in that game.
Torres had raised doubts amongst players and Coach Vincent Del Bosque about his erratic unreliable performances. He has been recovering from knee surgery since last April and playing catch up as best he can but his knee is still bothering him. His lack of form could be a problem in the next match. Torres was sent to the bench just before the hour mark and Fernando Llorente took over for him.
Although the forwards played well, we can't neglect to mention Sergio Busquets who had a great game, completing 97 of 102 passes yesterday, that’s a 95.1 percent average, which is excellent even by Spain's standards. Spain is known for their passing accuracy, which has been 88.6 percent this World Cup. They have the fourth highest percentage in a World Cup match since 1966.
Spain was anointed World Cup favorites after winning the Euro 2008 and going 49 games with only one loss, but lost to Switzerland in their opening match, raising questions about this squad. Villa responded to those questions and has played a huge part in the resuscitation of Spain by scoring three goals in their group matches against Honduras and Chile, allowing the Spaniards to top their group by dispatching Honduras and a 10-man Chilean.
Topping their group meant Spain avoided playing Brazil until the World Cup Final—assuming they both get there—and Paraguay shouldn’t pose a threat to their chances at the semi finals. Argentina, however, might have something to say about it in the semi-final stage.
This is the third time Spain has reached the quarterfinals in the past five World Cups.
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