SPAIN 2 - ENGLAND 3 | UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE

SPAIN hosted ENGLAND for their Group clash of the UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE. Important match for both as a Spanish win tonight would have put them directly into the final 4, while England needed to win to keep alive their chances & more importantly avoiding relegation to a lower Group.

The final result was Spain 2 - England 3 with the visitors doing the damage in the 1st half with all 3 goals. Spain put up a better performance in the 2º half scoring & creating chances but the English defended well & kept onto their earnt advantage from the 1ºst half.

Starting 11 teams:

SPAIN: David De Gea; Jonny, Nacho, Sergio Ramos, Marcos Alonso; Sergi Busquets, Saul, Thiago; Asensio, Rodrigo & Aspas.

ENGLAND:  Pickford; Trippier, Gomez, Maguire, Chilwell; Barkley, Dier, Winks; Sterling, Rashford & Harry Kane.

The 1ºst half was a shocker from Spain which was overpowered by the English counter-attacking system. Poor defending by all back four defending Spaniards, with Ramos & Nacho out of position & all slow. England pressured the Spaniards when they had the ball & forced mistakes which allowed them to take advantage of the spaces left unattended by Spain.

Harry Kane acted as the forward reference to get the ball & lay onto the speeding & attacking Sterling & Rashford to finish off the job. Plan worked perfectly for them as England was 0 - 3 by half time.

0 - 1 (16') Raheem Sterling
0 - 2 (29') Marcus Rashford
0 - 3 (38') Raheem Sterling

Much better 2º half from Spain with control of the game & creating numerous goal opportunities. Spanish Coach Luis Enrique made substitutes (Ceballos for Saul; Alcacer for Aspas & later Morata for Rodrigo) which gave Spain more vertical push forward & speed. 

The extra Spanish "aggressiveness"  & push gave their prizes when Paco Alcacer headed a goal to lift Spain & give them hopes of attempting a comeback.

1 - 3 (58') Paco Alcacer

The Spanish momentum continued & could have received a penalty when English Goalkeeper Pickford lost a ball to Rodrigo & fouled the Spanish forward before giving away a corner. The referee only saw a corner & denied Spain a penalty which could have really changed things.

From here onwards, barring an English occasion or two, Spanish attacked non-stop & bombed the English goal square, but were not able to finish off their opportunities, hitting the post etc. Spain finally managed a second goal late with a Ramos header in the last moment

2 - 3 (97') Sergio Ramos

England had defended well during the difficult last moments & managed to hold out the Spaniards to secure the victory & most importantly 3 points.

Great match, England played a top first 45 mins, while Spain showed "grit" & pride to at least pull back two goals. Spain will complain about the penalty not given but England takes the 3 points & gives Spain some things they need to rethink for future matches. Spain defensively was bad & is not fine tuned yet. 

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ENGLAND 1 SPAIN 2 | UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE RESULT

SPAIN has defeated ENGLAND tonight 1 - 2 at Wembley in their UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE match. Spain has not won England at Wembley since 1981 & tonights victory gives the "new" Spanish Football Team a confidence boost. 

New Spanish National Team Selector & Coach Luis Enrique started with the following 11:

De Gea; Carvajal, Nacho, Sergio Ramos, Marcos Alonso; Sergi Busquets, Saul, Thiago; Isco, Iago Aspas & Rodrigo Moreno.
The goalkeeper debate ended with De Gea keeping his place, while Aspas & Rodrigo surprised with their start. Correct choices by Luis Enrique as DE GEA was to be very important making 3 match saving actions & Rodrigo scoring the second & eventual winning goal.

Positive & encouraging match by Spain which dominated the 1º st half with possession Football & quick attacking incursions from the flanks. Dani Carvajal was very dangerous while midfielder SAUL was very active & causing all sorts of dangers. Said this England got ahead first in the 10th min through RASHFORD when defender Shaw made a clinical pass that broke the Spanish defense. 

The good news from Spain´s point of view was their quick reaction to the situation managing to equalize in the 12th min through SAUL. From this point onwards Spain took control putting England on the back foot & making them chase the ball. Valencia CF forward RODRIGO scored from an Isco free-kick in the 31st min that would turn out to be the winner.

England did have their moments through Rashford who was their most dangerous man, but Spanish goalkeeper DE GEA made 3 saves (hand, knee & leg) that kept out Rushford & avoided the few England equalizer attempts. 

Spain lost "gas" as the match went on in the 2º half & England pushed forward more looking for the equalizer. It nearly came but the offsides did not help & a disputed disallowed goal in the 96th min due to a foul on De Gea foiled England´s plans.

The moment of the night was the unintentional knock received by English defender Shaw by Dani Carvajal early in the 2º nd half that saw Shaw being attended 7 mins by the medical team & stretched off with neck brace & respiratory assistance. We believe it was precautionary & wish from here Shaw a speedy recovery.

In conclusion, good match & better start from Spain under new Coach Luis Enrique with his new players. There is still lots of work to do for Spain to better their play & secure the teams focus & concentration in the latter part of the matches where tonight they allowed the opponent to lift themselves & lose the grip of the match. England nearly managed to pull off the equalizer, thanks to their determination but also due to Spain's lack of ability to finish off the game with a third goal. 

Next match for Spain will be another UEFA Nations League Group game against Croatia.

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SPAIN DRAWS 2 - 2 WITH ENGLAND | INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY

Spain played tonight England at "Wembley Stadium" in an International Friendly. The final result as 2 - 2 draw with Spain managing the equalizer in the last minute. Not the best game from Spain with Coach Lopetegui giving a run to players who usually pass more time watching the regulars from the bench: Reina, Iñigo Martinez, Azpilicueta, Mata, Aduriz...

England was more aggressive & quicker, especially in the counter-attacks. The Spanish defence was sloppy & full of mistakes, with defender Iñigo Martinez not sharp at all tonight who apart did not "glue" with defensive partner Nacho. The Spanish midfield was lacking in concentration & gave away too many balls to the English players.

Both English goals:

• Lallana (penalty) 10th min
• Vardy 48th min 

both came from quick vertical attacks that caught the Spaniards sleeping. 

The positive piece tonight for Spain was their 2º half attitude. Far from lowering their heads substitutes Aspas & Isco ended up saving the night. While England defended solidly all night, two flashes of individual class broke through & equalized the encounter:

• Aspas 89th min
• Isco 95th min 

Two goals "out of the blue" that soften the blow and managed to put some shine into a very poor Spanish match performance.

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SPAIN 2 ENGLAND 0 | FRIENDLY INTERNATIONAL RESULT

Spain defeated England 2 - 0 in tonight's International Friendly game in the city of Alicante. Both teams were "undermanned" with some regular names missing, in the case of Spain, the likes of Sergio Ramos, Juan Fran & David Silva to name a few. 

Spain dominated the ball most of the game while England attempted to use their speed down the flanks with Sterling & company looking to catch the Spaniards off guard. However, the points of debate are still the ongoing ineffectiveness in front of goal for Spain. The numerous opportunities created do not equal the two only goals scored in the 2º half. 

Spanish Coach Del Bosque gave another chance to Diego Costa to prove himself & again the Chelsea forward put in a performance that justifies more being left out than in. All the goals came in the mid - late part of the 2º half with substitutes Cazorla & Nolito putting in the spark needed to shake things up around the forward line. In the last minute Spanish keeper Iker Casillas had to do a great save to keep England scoreless.

The negative aspect for Spain was the injury to Thiago & Sergi Busquets both which are not too serious as first expected.

The goal scorers tonight Mario Gasper 71st min with an impressive overhead kick & Santiago Cazorla in the 84th min

Next match - Friendly - for Spain next Tuesday in Belgium

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GUARDIOLA SET TO LEAVE FC BARCELONA ?

Hot rumour coming out of Spanish Sports media tonight is that FC BARCELONA Coach JOSEP GUARDIOLA will announce his departure at the end of the season. REPEAT, it is only a rumour, but a hot one at that hitting the "airwaves"

Pep Guardiola

The Coach wishes to communicate his decision to his players tomorrow & then will give a Press Conference to drop "the bomb". The man is mentally exhausted after 4 season at the maximum level of Football.


The other news is that Guardiola would love to Coach & Manage the ENGLAND FOOTBALL SQUAD & there could be a pre-agreement with the English FA, although I cannot verify this at all. This & another rumour that MANCHESTER CITY has made an offer to get the Spanish Coach over next season.

Stay tuned, the rumours will be verified or dismissed tomorrow mid-day.



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ENGLAND 1 SPAIN 0 | INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY RESULT

ENGLAND hosted the current FIFA World Champions SPAIN at Wembley for an International Friendly with the home side winning 1 - 0. Another defeat for Spain in a Friendly that is not to much of a drama but has lessons that should be noted as there are signs that call for attention & correction.

England remembered more a traditional Italian team ( Manager Capello ) which defended more that attacked, played aggressively & took its only opportunity to score, & from a fixed situation play. In a nutshell, well done & England should be congratulated for playing the way they know & within their capacity, very smart.

Frank lampard scores for England 

The first half was all Spain with their habitual touch Football that looked good but could not break the English defence. We saw an insistence by Spain with attempting to go through the centre which they would continue doing so the whole match. Perhaps a more use of the wings could be a solution as the opponents begin to figure out the Spanish ways.


The the "surprise" goal came from a fixed play that found the head of Bent that hit the post & landed in the path of FRANK LAMPARD who headed into the net peacefully the ball in the 49th min.

David Silva

The second half saw Spanish Coach Del Bosque make lots of changes with one, XAVI HERNANDEZ, that seems to indicate from past repetitions, that his absence breaks the equilibrium of the either team. David Silva was changed as well who was dangerous all first half for Mata.

David Villa

After the English goal Spain regained the control of the ball & attempted to find the equalizer as they poured on the attacking waves, while England concentrated on defending the result. Spain made more changes bringing on Torres & Cazorla  in an attempt to find a different flavour & perhaps surprise England.

Spain kept insisting on attacking via  the middle & kept smashing into the English defence with DAVID VILLA pulling a "rabbit out of the hat" that hit the post. Towards the end Fabregas missed an opprtunity & the match ended with the English victory.

The positive news for Spain was with their goalkeepr IKER CASILLAS who has equalled the International caps record of 126 games jointly held with Zubizarreta. Iker will surely go on the surpass this mark & make history as he has still lots of years ahead as the Spanish goalkeeper.


Lastly, just an observation. Do not understand why Spanish Coach Del Bosque keeps insisting with Fernando Torres. It is clear that Torres is not in his best form & that tall Fernando LLorente "option" is on the bench, an alternative more suitable (I believe) due to his aerial power that could break these "grid-lock" situations. Said this, sitting home in Spain was Valencia CF forward Roberto Soldado who looks closer to getting his chance as Torres keeps failing to impress.

Spain now flys to Costa Rica for their next International Friendly.

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FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 | 32 TEAMS | GROUP C

Original Source Blog : Sp Ftball Sprts /
Spanish Football Sports Blog continues today will its daily serving of FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 32 Nations team photos. On Wednesday Group A was posted & yesterday Group B which can be viewed below. Today Group C ( England, Algeria, Slovenia & USA) team photos get highlighted with tomorrow Group D.

GROUP C

ENGLAND

ALGERIA
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

SLOVENIA

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EUROPEAN U-21 CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009: SPAIN 0 ENGLAND 2

The SPANISH U-21 NATIONAL TEAM went down tonight 0-2 to
ENGLAND in its Group B match. This “virtually” puts the Spaniards
out of the EUROPEAN U-21 Finals being held in Sweden. The
ONLY chance left is if Spain goals Finland in its last Group game
& England defeats Germany in its match.

Spain was nervous & put up a conservative set up that lacked any
action along the wings. Once again Spain’s goalkeeper Asenjo kept
his side in the running until England players CAMPBELL & MILNER
scored twice to knock the wind out of the Spaniards. English player
Walcott was decisive tonight coming on in the 62nd min to beef up
the English attack with his pace.

(photo: Campbell scores/uefa.com)

Disappointing effort from Spain who now look to luck to even think
about the possibility of continuing in the tournament

SUMMARY:

Spain 0: Asenjo; Monreal, Torrejón, Javi García, Azpilicueta; Raúl
García, Mario Suárez (Pedro León, min. 80), Javi Martínez (Xisco,
min. 69), Jurado; Bojan (Capel, min. 57), Adrián López

England 2: Hart; Cranie, Richards, Onuoha, Gibbs; Cattermole,
Muamba, Noble; Milner (Gardner, min. 84), Agbonlahor
(Campbell, min. 39), Johnson (Walcott, min. 62)

Goals: 0-1, min. 67, Campbell; 0-2, min. 73, Milner

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INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY 2009: SPAIN 2 - ENGLAND 0

FIFA released its World ranking & SPAIN remains on top spot with
1.693pts with its opponent ENGLAND tonight in 8th place with 1.136pts.
The result of the International friendly game played tonight followed that
ranking with SPAIN defeating ENGLAND 2-0


















FC BARCELONA defender GERARD PIQUE (above) made his
debut & played an excellent match showing stabilty, concentration &
confidence. Promising future for Pique with the National side.
























The 1ºst half saw England go hard in to shut the spaces so Spain could´nt
touch the ball, but slowly that changed as Spain took control. They probably
have the best midfield in the World with a brilliant SENNA tonight who was
solid, XABI firm & moving the ball, XAVI HERNANDEZ who is sublime
& gave the free kick pass for the 2º goal & INIESTA who was outstanding
& perfect book example of play & vision. All four together are all art!

The midfield dominance was so strong & the passing so precise that the 1ºst
goal for Spain came in the 35th min thanks to DAVID VILLA, who achieved
a historic record being the first Spaniard to score six goals in six matches
straight for the Spanish National side, ie a goal in each of the last six games
played.


















The 2ºhalf saw both sides make numerous changes with England bringing
on Beckham, Lampard, Crouch & C.Cole, which added spice & created for
the team opportunities that nearly turned into a goal. However, Spain
has depth of talent on its bench & with Reina, Silva, Guiza & Fernando
Llorente getting a run that did not change the Spanish team look or playing
style.

It was precisely in the 83ºrd min when Xavi took a free kick & placed it
in the path of FERNANDO LLORENTE who headed his first ever goal
for Spain (in his 2º game) & Spain´s 2º goal for the match. From here
Spain controlled & took the game to its end for the victory.

Great game from Spain who deserved the win & demostrated beautiful
touch Football throughout the night, & England who could have scored
a consolation goal but were unlucky. They missed Rooney & Gerrard
both who may have made the game a lot more competative & closer than
what the scoreline finally suggests. Tweet

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