Switzerland v Spain Switzerland wins over Spain 1-0
Early tournament favourite Spain received a shock Wednesday when heavy underdog Switzerland beat them 1-0 on a goal from midfielder Gelson Fernandes in the 52nd minute. Switzerland’s victory is easily the biggest upset of the Cup thus far, as Switzerland had looked very weak and Spain had looked almost unbeatable.
Fernandes scored the game’s lone goal off of a scramble in front of the Spanish net. Spain’s goalkeeper Iker Casillas came out to aggressively counter a Swiss attack, leaving the goal wide open. Spain’s defense was not able to retrieve the ball, leaving Fernandes to kick it into the gaping net. From there, no more goals were scored. Spain’s dejected side left the pitch immediately after the match.
Switzerland played a very defensive style that has become the hallmark of the 2010 World Cup, often having six defenders lining the front of the box. Spain’s attackers seemed unwilling to try and break through, instead firing from the outside. Despite flashes of brilliance from Spain, it was the solid back line of the Swiss that managed to neutralize the superior skill of the Spanish attack. The Swiss also showed enough discipline when they needed to, taking four yellow cards but avoiding a critical red card.
On offense though, Switzerland provided much more than almost anybody had expected. The Swiss attack was considered one of the weaker ones in the field this year, but they had several opportunities, including a miss by midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta over the net, and a near miss in the second half by striker Eren Derdiyok.
Spain controlled most of the possession throughout the game and outshot Switzerland 23-7, coming close to scoring on multiple occasions. Jesus Navas barely missed the outside of the post in the 78th minute, past the diving Swiss goalkeeper. Spain’s last best chance came on a dangerous free kick by Xavi Hernandez in penalty time, but it was cleared away from the front of the net by Diego Benaglio.
Spain roars into match, then limps out
Spain came into the World Cup with huge expectations, having rolled through all 10 qualifiers and their three friendly preparatory matches before the Cup. No other European team managed to do so in the 53 team continent.
If there was a c***k in Spain’s armour, it was its occasional inconsistency, such as when they suffered a loss the United States in the 2009 Confederations Cup. That loss though was their only loss in 38 games, and huge expectations were put on Spain to overcome years of World Cup futility and either win a Cup or at least make the finals, which the Spaniards have never successfully accomplished.
Switzerland on the other land looked shaky coming into Wednesday’s match, coming in ranked at no. 24 in the FIFA world rankings. They lost three games in a row in international friendly matches before the Cup, falling to Norway, Costa Rica and Uruguay before finally finding their form to tie Italy in their last match. With this victory though, all pre-tournament jitters will be erased.
Group Future
With this defeat, Group H’s future is now uncertain. Chile currently sits atop the group with three points, having beaten Honduras. Spain can still advance, but will need to bank on a victory against a weaker Honduras side and at least a draw against Chile. Fortunately for Spain, the Chilean squad plays almost the exact opposite style of the defensively-minded Swiss, choosing to overload the attack as much as possible.
For Switzerland, a victory over Honduras is their best bet for securing their berth into the second round. They are hoping to replicate their feat in 2006, in which they did not surrender a single goal during the World Cup (they were eliminated through penalty kicks.)
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