Spain v Portugal should be a fascinating game on Tuesday night.
Xabi Alonso has played beautifully in his three games.
It was Alonso’s long pass against Chile that released Torres on the left and caused the mistake by keeper Bravo, who cleared to David Villa, who hit the ball 35 yards into the empty net for 1-0. A spectacular goal by a striker who might make World Cup history.
The move for Spain’s second goal was a mistake by the left back, who lost the ball to Iniesta, who played a one-two with Torres and hit it left to David Villa. When the ball came square to Iniesta, his finish was supercool, a refrigerated sidefoot for 2-0.
Sub Rodrigo Millar came on at half-time and made 2-1 in 47 with a shot that deflected off the knee of Pique, wrong-footing Casillas.
In that move, Torres was accidentally clipped by the abrasive Estrada and sent off by Marco Rodriguez, the Mexican referee. Torres stayed down for a very long time, although he was not hurt, which was wholly reprehensible. Disgusting gamesmanship. I hated to see that from him. Disgraceful.
Fabregas came on for Torres and played very well, again.
At the moment I see Spain -Portugal as a 1-0 game.
As Lee Dixon pointed out, Portugal played 4-5-1 against Brazil to help them squeeze the supply to raiding full backs Maicon and Bastos.
Spain’s fullbacks are not in the same class. Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos is like an SPL version of Maicon. He doesn’t have the same skill or accuracy. Compared to Maicon, Sergio Ramos is a carthorse, a bull in a china shop. When he’s around, you fear for the crockery. Ramos is notable only for his size, enthusiasm and quick temper.
LUIS FABIANO had a nightmare in the 0-0 draw against Portugal on Friday.
But he is still a centre forward I like. He works in the box and takes all the knocks and kicks and rarely reacts. His cross from the right created the best chance of the game for Nilmar, whose shin-shot was going in until the diving Eduardo tipped it onto the crossbar.
I said Fabiano was “the guv’nor of the awkward ball”.
I was thinking of Steve Archibald, the Spurs striker who went to Barcelona. Spurs bought a midfield in 1978, and a forward line in 1980, and I liked the one season that Steve Archibald and Mark Falco had together. Archibald had a better first touch than Garth Crooks.If the ball bounced fiercely up at him, or went under his chin, or under his armpit, or hit him on the hip, he could usually do something with it. He was good at that. Archibald was one of the best at that.
I used to call Archie the guv’nor of the awkward ball because he could usually do something legitimate with horrible balls that did not arrive where he wanted them to arrive.
To me, Luis Fabiano is a bigger, meaner, more muscular version of Steve Archibald.
Of course I do not condone Fabiano’s left-wrist handball(or his right-bicep handball) while scoring that second goal against the Ivory Coast. Strikers sometimes handle a ball and often get away with it.
If the striker gets away with it, he thinks : That makes up for all the times defenders have fouled me off the ball, all the times they’ve handled, obstructed me, pulled my shirt, my arm, my shorts, all the times his foot caught my foot and I lost my balance and fell and the ref booked me for diving.I’m sure that’s how strikers think.
A pro footballer is somebody who plays to win and takes advantage of his opponent in any way he can. None of them is a saint.
Sometimes you see a really nice guy, like Kaka, who rarely fouls. Yes, Kaka put his shoulder gently into Keita’s chest. So what?
URUGUAY play SOUTH KOREA in Port Elizabeth today, twenty years after playing them in Udine on June 21, 1990.
The Koreans were not so good in those days. The score in that game was 1-0. The time of the goal was interesting: 90 minutes. Fonseca.