A game which saw the Spanish ease through to the last four without reaching second gear against an extremely poor french side. Two goals from ex-Liverpool player Xabi Alonso saw Spain set up a mouthwatering tie with Portugal in Donetsk.
The game was hyped up immensely by an expectant media for a ‘thriller’ tie but it was quite the opposite. The Spanish dominated the French all over the park from the first whistle and quite frankly made it very routine for Spain. I was expecting a backlash from Les Bleus after …
A far from convincing Spanish performance saw them snatch a late winner to go on an win Group C. It took a late Jesus Navas tap in to win the game for a severely under par Spain who on the night were fortunate to take all three points. The Croatian defenders were convinced that Fabregas’ lob to Iniesta was offside which was incorrect. Croatia were undone by a piece of Barcelona brilliance late on and it was Croatia who fell short. The Spanish have set up a tie with either …
One team came and one team left the Euro 2012 party in Gdansk yesterday. A thumping result for the Spanish which sees them go level on points with Croatia at the top of the group after their draw with Italy.
Del Bosque opted to use Torres as the only recognised striker against the Irish and the stage was set for him and boy did he deliver. It took him three minutes to break his Euro duct in this competition. Richard Dunne blocked Silva’s initial effort and Torres nicked the ball of …
FORMER Arsenal man, Cesc Fabregas, steered home an impressive passing sequence from Spain to cancel out an earlier strike by Antonio Di Natale, as the two favourites of Group C went head-to-head.
Only three minutes prior, 34 year old Di Natale, who had himself only just come on, found space between the Spanish centre-backs and bent shot around an advancing Iker Casillas.
Torres, Llorente and Negredo all watched from the bench as Spanish boss Vicente del Bosque opted for a strikerless, 4-6-0 formation. Meanwhile, Italy opted for a 3-5-2 using a …
No striker? That’s right Spain started with no strikers as they adopted six midfielders which has worked very successfully for Barcelona. Italy on the other hand opted for two defenders with De Rossi as sweeper so this game could have gone either way. It panned out to be a very mediocre game of football without the flare everyone expected.
Fatigue was what seemed to be holding the Spaniards back as their play appeared very lethargic with no real penetration or purpose in their play. The first real chance came from an …
We have already had two very excting games in Euro 2012, with arguably the 4 worst teams or the easiest group in the tournament, however you have to give it to the Russians, they played perfectly, defended well and quickly broke on the counter and they were fast and Arshavin looked class, however this blog is about the Spanish, us Spanish kick off the tournament in just 24 hours time against the Italians, it is good we have the Italians first because we can get them out of the way, …
With football kits under more scrutiny than ever by leading experts I thought I’d show you the Spanish national kit for the Euros in Poland and Ukraine.
As you can see from the image above, the kit is of sleek design with the traditional colours of Red and Yellow. Created by Adidas they have used various cutting edge technologies to give the squad the best chance at the competition. The kit offers clima cool to keep the players cool on the pitch.
I do however dislike the number on the front of the shirt. I much …
Spain 1-0 Holland
Iniesta 116’
Attendance – 84, 490
Howard Webb leads out the two teams
An Andres Iniesta strike deep into the second period of extra-time sealed a historic World Cup triumph for Spain over a boisterous Holland side. In a disappointing stop-start final, the defining moment sparked mass celebrations from the Spanish, as they finally exploded on the world stage.
In what was amazingly, the first meeting between the two teams, it was Spain who came out on top, and deservedly so. The Dutch employed a tight, aggressive approach and persistently obstructed their …
Spain 1-0 Germany
Puyol 73’
Attendance – 60, 960
Spain won their third straight game 1-0 as they reached their first ever World Cup final, where Holland stand in their way. An intriguing match-up saw the Spanish control possession once more, yet for all their delicate interchanges, it was a towering header from an orthodox corner by centre-back Carlos Puyol that sealed their victory.
The right team won on the night, as Germany failed to continue their counter-attacking style of play displayed so impressively in previous matches. Spain were still short of their best, …
Venue – Durban
Date – Wednesday July 7th
Kick-Off – 19:30
Spain and Germany will renew their rivalry on Wednesday evening in what promises to be a thrilling encounter. The Germans, still reeling about their 1-0 reverse against the Spaniards in Vienna two years ago, as Spain were crowned European Champions, will be determined to inflict revenge this time around.
Both sides have come unstuck en route to the semi-final, with Switzerland shocking Spain in their opening group match and Serbia defeating a 10-man German side in their Group D clash. Since these setbacks, …
Euro 2012 Home & Away Shirts