WORLD CUP: SPAIN 1 PORTUGAL 0:SPAIN'S RECORD in the World Cup can feel like a national embarrassment given they have never reached a semi-final but for this esteemed old football nation, everything is finally clicking into place. They have got that improbable defeat by Switzerland out of their system and can look forward to a quarter-final against Paraguay after seeing off Portugal in the Iberian derby last night thanks to another demonstration of David Villa's sophistication inside the penalty area.
Villa’s fourth goal of the tournament arrived 63 minutes into an evening during which Portugal did not show enough wit and adventure to make it the classic that many had hoped for .
Carlos Queiroz’s side were short of attacking ideas and Cristiano Ronaldo will reflect on a poor tournament, regardless of the man-of-the-match awards in the group stage.
There was also an element of malice in defeat, with Ricardo Costa earning a red card in the final exchanges for a flailing elbow into the face of Spain’s Joan Capdevila.
Perhaps it is a shame that the two sides met relatively early and the World Cup must lose some of its category-A footballers.
Spain versus Portugal is not just an ordinary match; it is a coming together of some of the world’s more implausibly gifted footballers. Yes, there were empty seats, but not as many as has been the norm. It was a pantheon of today’s greats and the losers will be missed.
There were times, however, when the football was cagier than might have been anticipated, certainly when thinking back to the exhilarating drama served up when these sides met in Euro 2004 and conjured up one of the more bewitching 90 minutes of modern tournament football.
The allegation back then was that Spain’s moderate record in major competitions smacked of a side who did not have the mental capacity to translate their talent into achievement.
Winning Euro 2008 has dispelled a great deal of that argument and two years to the night since Fernando Torres’s goal vanquished Germany in Vienna, they began this match in assertive fashion.
Their tactic was a familiar one: maintaining possession, using the ball quickly and accurately, trying to find the killer pass for Torres or Villa.
Portugal, however, were not obliging opponents. Queiroz’s expertise lies in defensive shape and organisation and his team came into this match with 20 clean sheets from their previous 25 games and as one of only two sides – Uruguay being the other – who had not conceded a goal in the group stages. Ricardo Carvalho has had a splendid tournament whereas Fabio Coentrao has probably been the most impressive left-back on view in South Africa.
In the first half Spain’s better efforts were both due to individual moments rather than that lacerating passing style. Only a minute had elapsed when Torres, looking determined to make up for a mundane start to the competition, cut inside two opponents and whipped a diagonal shot that would have found the top corner were it not for Eduardo’s sprawling dive.
Villa, from an even tighter angle, was soon forcing Eduardo into another dive across the rain-sodden goalmouth. But, after a hesitant start, Queiroz’s men then gathered momentum. Ronaldo had a couple of free-kicks straight at Iker Casillas but their best effort was a 20-yard shot from Tiago that the goalkeeper could only palm into the air before punching from under his crossbar despite the close proximity of Hugo Almeida.
The first hour, however, was a disappointment. For long spells Ronaldo was on the periphery of the match, throwing out his arms in exasperation. Torres also faded away to the edges, culminating in his withdrawal after 59 minutes and the striker making his way to the touchline with a facial expression bordering on disgust.
The decision of Vicente del Bosque was greeted with whistles from the Spanish fans, but Torres had faded after an encouraging start and his form has generally been poor. That said, he must wish he had been given a chance as inviting as the header that fell to his replacement, Fernando Llorente, a couple of minutes later.
Llorente’s effort was aimed straight at Eduardo but the warning signs were there. Within two minutes Andres Iniesta flicked the ball into Xavi’s path and this conjuror of a footballer turned it into the path of Villa with the deftest of back heels. Villa’s first effort was saved, but the rebound was clipped over the prone ’keeper into the open net via the crossbar.
GuardianService
