MALTA 0 SPAIN 2 | EURO 2020 GROUP F QUALIFIER

Tonight EURO 2020 qualifiers with a GROUP F match schedule between MALTA & SPAIN. Here is a brief summary of the main events, the goalscorers & the final result.

MALTA vs SPAIN

Spanish National Team Coach Luis Enrique had to fly back to Spain for a family emergency & his role was taken tonight by his second in charge ROBERTO MORENO. His choice of the starting 11 (above image) had 8 changes from the match against Norway last Saturday: Kepa, S Roberto, Hermoso, Gaya, Rodri, Saul, Canales & Bernat were the new names.

The first half was very clear, Malta was to defend putting up to 9 - 10 men in their area, while Spain had complete ball domination. Under this scenario good Football is very difficult to create & in fact the game was fairly boring. Spain attacked & bounced off the Maltese wall until the 31st min when ALVARO MORATA got onto a pass which he managed to slip past the goalkeeper Bonello for Malta & register Spain´s opening goal. That was basically it for the half. 

The 2ond half was more of the same. Spain dominating & Malta defending. A substitution which shaked things for Spain was the coming on of Jesus Navas who was dangerous along the right flank. From his pass came the second goal from Spain when ALVARO MORATA managed to header home his second for the night in the 73rd min.
Three more points for Spain which currently leads Group F unbeaten in two matches with 6 points. 

FINAL RESULT: MALTA 0 - SPAIN 2 

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SFS FLASHBACK 2012 | SERGIO RAMOS PENATY VS PORTUGAL EURO SEMIS

The year is coming soon to an end & its been another great Football year for Spanish Football, the highlight was winning again the European Nations Title ( Euro 2012 ). Looking back at that tournament there was an exceptional moment - out of the many - that stayed branded for many Football fans, the SERGIO RAMOS "panenka" penalty in the penalty-shoot out with Portugal in the semi-finals.

Why a 2012 moment?

1. Semi final of a Euro Championship
2. Ramos was under extreme pressure after missing a penalty in the Champions League semi final against Bayern Munich
3. It was a psychological blow to Portugal in the shoot out.
4. The nerves & the "balls" to do it.

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SEVEN SPANISH PLAYERS IN "KICKER" IDEAL EURO 2012 TEAM

European & German Football magazine "Kicker" has published their Ideal 11 Euro 2012 Team. Their are 7 Spanish Football players, 2 Portugues , 1 German & 1 Italian in the "Kicker" team. 

Spain Euro 2012 Champions

The Spanish names are Iker Casillas, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Andres Iniesta & Cesc Fabregas. The other names are Pepe & Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Sami Khedira (Germany) & Pirlo (Italia).

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EURO 2012 STATISTICS

Found this interesting info-diagram with some statistics about the EURO 2012 competition. Plenty of Spanish Football Players in representation, but it has a bit on all the teams & thus enters the realm of World Football interest for all fans.

Hope you enjoy!

Euro 2012 statistics

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SPANISH FOOTBALL | ANDRES INIESTA 2012 EURO MVP + EURO IDEAL TEAM

Perhaps it is the moment to finally give the next FIFA World Player Award to FC Barcelona & Spanish International player ANDRES INIESTA. Many feel - myself included - that Iniesta should have been given the 2010 Fifa World Player Award instead of Lionel Messi after his great FIFA World Cup performance with winning goal included.

The Spanish midfielder has been announced the 2012 Euro MVP player, that is, the "Most Valuable Player" of the European Nations Cup tournament: the Best. Andres Iniesta was MVP against Italy in the Group C opener, Ireland & in the final against Italy; that is 3 times MVP.

Andres Iniesta

If awards are a factor in the FIFA World Player calculation, then Iniesta shares the same amount as his team-mate Messi , except the European Golden Boot Award which goes to the Argentine with 51 goals in La Liga

Also UEFA & its team of experts has voted & released the list of 23 players that make up the Euro 2012 ideal team:
The names are:

- Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (ITA), Iker Casillas (SP) & Manuel Neuer (GER).
- Defenders: Gerard Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba (SP), Fabio Coentrao, Pepe (POR) & Philipp Lahm (GER).
- Midfielders: Daniele de Rossi, Andrea Pirlo (ITA), Steven Gerrard (ING), Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso (SP), Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil (GER).
- Forwards: Mario Balotelli (ITA), Cesc Fábregas (SP), Cristiano Ronaldo (POR), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE) & David Silva (SP).

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EURO 2012 FINAL | SPAIN 4 - ITALY 0 | SPAIN MAKES FOOTBALL HISTORY WINING EURO TITLE

SPAIN has made Football History after defending & winning ( retaining ) the 2012 EUROPEAN NATIONS CUP 4 - 0 against ITALY in the Final.Never before has a team (nation) won the "triple crown" : Euro 2008- Fifa World Cup 2010 & now Euro 2012. The below team pictured as the starting 11 has managed to shut many mouths - happily mine as well - throwing into the rubbish bin criticisms about internal disunity between Real Madrid & Barça players, the use of the "false forward" tactic, why Torres & that the team had lost its spark. 

Starting 11 vs Italy : Euro 2012 Final

The Italian team will feel upset about two unlucky events that obviously influenced in the result in some way. The early injury to defender Chiellini in the first half cahnged the tactical set-up & the muscle injury to Motta that forced him off when Italy had done their 3 substitutes already & thus left Italy down to 10 men most of the second half. But these unfortunate events are part of Football & takes nothing away from the fact that Spain are deserved & worthy winners as they clearly dominated the match & controlled things well when Italy played well. Spain may claim that a penalty to their favour was´nt called but now with the title this all seems irrelevant.

David Silva

Spain once again put in a repeat 11 as with Italy in the opener of the Group C game & with the now famous "false forward" in Cesc Fabregas. It was Cesc that made a fabulous run up to the line to find the head of DAVID SILVA in the 14th min for the opener.

Italy then attacked & gave Spain their hardest moments of hard work. It was 20 minutes of Italian pressure that thankfully for Spain had goalkeeper IKER CASILLAS who stopped everything & claimed without any doubt the "Best in the World Goalkeeper" status. Some even may claim, & rightly, the perhaps it is time that the FIFA World Player Award be given to a goalkeeper & Iker Casillas should be that player. 

Jordi Alba

Spain recomposed themselves & managed a psychological 40th min second goal when defender JORDI ALBA scored. The man has been a revelation & has claimed his place in European Football as possibly the best right-back at this moment. Spain finds a perfect substitute for many years to come after Capdevila left his spot.

The second half saw Italian make some changes with Di Natalie in for Cassano & Motta in for Monteolivo in an attempt to make a comeback. The big blow was the injury to Motta that forced him off & left Italy down to 10 men. It was basically all over at this point as Spain took over the ball totally & ran Italy into the ground. Spain brought on fresh feet in Pedro & FERNANDO TORRES who got the 3rd for Spain in the 84th min.
By the way, the heavily criticised Torres ( myself included as a critic ) wins the "Euro 2012 Top Goalscorer" over Barotteli with his 3 goals + assist of goal. Now that´s how one shuts the mouth of the critics...ouch!

Fernando Torres

Spanish Coach Del Bosque than gave JUAN MATA a run & in the 88th min Torres unselfishly passed to Mata in the goal square who scored the fourth goal.

Mata - Torres

Historical & a team of 23 players that now sit in the "Football Olympus" as National heroes. Unique as we may never see this again in our lifetime, although there is a high percentage that Spain & these players - with a new flow of players - may continue this glory run onto the FIFA Brazil 2014 World Cup. But that is far away for now & we must enjoy the here & now.

Lastly, as for Italy, they should go home with their heads high & proud. They have changed their Football philosophy from defending to wanting the ball & practising attacking Football. I have no doubt that they will be back soon to give teams a hard time &, why not, give Spain a run for their money again in the future.

Congratulations to the Spanish Football Team, thanks!

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EURO 2012 FINAL | SPAIN - ITALY POSSIBLE STARTING 11 LINE-UPS

SPAIN will attempt tonight to win back-to-back European Nations Cup titles & thus create History as the only National squad to win Euro (2008) - World Cup (2010) - Euro (2012). If they can manage to defeat the difficult & inform ITALY in tonight's FINAL this SPANISH FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAM will certainly go down as the "Greatest Football Team in History" overtaking the unbelievable 1970 Brazil team of Pele & company.


Before Spain can sit in the "Football Olympus" they have to beat Italy & this will be a difficult endeavour. Both sides already know each other as they opened Group C with a 1 - 1 draw result & Italy surprised Spain with their play & ball control. This Italian team has not followed their traditional "defensive" instinct & have played attacking Football with attacking initiative steered by a rejuvenated Pirlo.


Spain on the other hand have been lucky, nothing bad about it, but not as dominant as in the last Euro back in 2008. The Spain Football Team in this competition has sadly missed injured David Villa as it lacks goal fire power & has not been able to finish off their long ball dominating plays with goals. The team is less effective & they look tired with most of their players coming into the tournament with 80+ games from their efforts in their local competition. Said this, it will not be an excuse tonight,  a Final breaks all the "theories" & both sides will start with an even 50-50 chance of winning.

Spain-Italy:Possible starting line-ups:courtesy Sport.es

In terms of possible starting 11 line-ups, Italy is more predictable than Spain as the Italians have maintained their line-ups throughout the tournament. Spain on the other hand has been experimenting with the idea of starting or not with a Nº9 forward as a reference upfront. Out of their 5 games played Spain have started twice with a true forward ( Torres vs Ireland & Negredo vs Portugal).

Spanish Sports paper "Sport" has made up the above diagram with their speculated possible SPAIN - ITALY starting 11 line-ups for tonight's Euro 2012 Final. "Sport" has been speculating in all the Spanish Euro matches & has not got one right to date, so keep this in mind. The Spanish Sports paper speculates that Spain will start this time with a forward & have put down Fernando Torres.

I personally would not be surprised if Spanish Coach Del Bosque starts with the same team as against Italy in the Group C opener, that is,  without a forward & Cesc Fabregas as the now famously coined "false forward". This in my opinion would be a mistake as this tactic failed against Italy & Spain nearly lost. I think tonight may be the night for someone line Fernando Llorente & Pedro to give Italy more defensive chores than attacking opportunities. Said this, I understand that this set up gives Spain less ball control & perhaps this is precisely against the Spanish idea: keeping the ball away & out of the Italian feet until they can find the right moment to score.

Ending, in Football there are thousands of arm-chair Coaches, in Spain 45 million (myself included), & it is difficult to prognosticate. If Spain wins Coach Del Bosque will be a hero & genius, if Spain lose a villain who got it all wrong with his tactical set-ups. That´s Football!

What is a certainty, is that tonight's match & Final is not to be missed & promises to be highly emotional. May the better team win,  around 23.00 Spanish time we will know who will be the 2012 European Champion.

OFFICIAL SPAIN STARTING 11 vs ITALY ( 19.10 Sp hour) :Casillas; Arbeloa, Piqué, Ramos, Jordi Alba; Busquets, Alonso, Xavi; Iniesta, Silva & Cesc

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EURO 2012 FINAL | SPAIN - ITALY TEAM PHOTOS

Approximately around 21 days back SPAIN & ITALY played the opener of the Group C match of the EURO 2012 Championship. It finished in a 1 - 1 draw result & the starting line-up team photos of the game & of both countries are below.

Spain 2012

This Sunday both again will meet but this time in the Final in the city of Kiev to determine who will be the 2012 European Nations Champions.

Italy 2012

Will the starting line-ups again be as the above team photos? Will both countries repeat with the same men? Unknown at this stage, for now I hope fans will enjoy these two Team Photos.

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EURO 2012 SEMI-FINAL | SPAIN WINS PORTUGAL IN PENALTY SHOOT-OUT

A cliff hanger, the first semi-final of the EURO 2012 went into extra-time & ended going into a penalty shoot-out that SPAIN won 0 (4) - PORTUGAL 0 (2) & thus qualifies itself for the next Sunday Final were they will defend their European title won back in 2008. 

Negredo

Spain again surprised everyone with a Centre Forward that was not Torres, but ALVARO NEGREDO from the start. The tactic did not work which again highlights that the absence of David Villa has caused doubts as Coach Del Bosque alternates in a yes, no, yes no...story.

The battle turned out to be in the midfield not in the forward line as the game evolved into a body to body affair that frustrated both sides. Portugal was fantastic all first half with excellent pressure on the Spanish defensive line that halted their play making starting area. The result was little chances created for both sides, of which Spain had some opportunities but failed to convert as with Portugal but less.

Cristiano Ronaldo

CRISTIANO RONALDO was relatively neutralized the whole match as the action was happening away from his natural area in the forward line,  although he did have three to four free-kicks occasions that flew close to the goal & another clear opportunity which he failed to transform.

Iker Casillas

Spain looked fatigued & in the second half Portugal was also feeling the pinch as their early efforts of pressure football was being felt on their game. Spain took off Negredo - sign of another failed starting strategy - to put on Cesc Fabregas & go back to the "false forward" plan. To give Spain freshness , Navas came on for Silva & later Pedro for Xavi who was exhausted. Both moves paid off as Spain took over proceedings.

Ronaldo - Arbeloa

As the second half went on Spain grew & Portugal dropped in intensity & as time got close to the finish both risked less & accepted tacitly that extra-time was inevitable.

It was during extra-time that Spain played their best Football & Pedro had two to three chances that were missed & could have settled things there & then. Portugal counter-attacked but Spain defended well. As mentioned Spain was dominating & creating all the chances nearly scoring the winner.

Portugal held out admirably & things then went into the lottery draw called the penalty shoot-out. It was all up for grabs as it was the fittest mentally that would go through along with lady luck that would play her part.

Spain celebrate penalty victory over Portugal

Spain shot first & Xabi Alonso missed, Pepe scored for Portugal, Iniesta scored for Spain & then Casillas stopped Moutinho, Pique scored for Spain, Nani for Portugal, Ramos with a cold blooded Penanka penalty & then Alves missed. History repeated itself as in 2008 when Spain had the quarter-final shoot-out with Italy & CESC FABREGAS was the elected to score the winner, as tonight which he scored to give Spain the victory & qualify his Nation into the Euro 2012 final. The talk tonight will however be why CRISTIANO RONALDO did not take a penalty shot earlier instead of being elected fifth - which did not come. A mystery that will fill tomorrows papers.


To conclude, Spanish defender JORDI ALBA was a star tonight along with SERGIO RAMOS who is really coming "off age" on the World Football stage in this competition.

Now to watch tomorrows second semi-final between Germany & Italy & see who will join Spain in next Sundays Final.

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EURO 2012 | POSSIBLE SPAIN - PORTUGAL STARTING 11 LINE - UPS

Big day in European Football with the first semi-final of the 2012 Euro Championship scheduled tonight. World & current Euro Champs SPAIN play neighbours PORTUGAL which has grown in strength & form as they have progressed. The star player for Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo has also lifted a few gears & is clearly the main danger for the Spanish defense, but not the only.

Said all this, the SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM is no slouch side & are still the favorites with World Class players in every line of the field & with the Best midfield combination in the World. This thus raises the now habitual question, which will be the SPANISH TEAM starting 11 line-up against Portugal?

The honest answer is, who knows. Spanish National Team Coach Vicente Del Bosque has been hiding his cards lately with the use, or no use, of a Center Forward, that is Torres or Cesc, with the last being used as the now popular term the "false forward".

Spanish Sports daily "Sport" has created this interesting diagram were they speculate on what they believe will be the Spain starting 11 line-up against Portugal tonight. By looking at it, I presume that the journalists have taken the past line-ups into account & put their money on a relative safe bet. The diagram speculates that Spain will start with the same line-up as with Italy & France, without a true forward.

Possible Portugal-Spain starting 11 

As mentioned this is pure speculation & other local media are expressing the possibility of another possible line-up, in this case, the inclusion from the start of Pedro & forward Fernando Llorente. Not a bad idea if you think that Pedro is fresh & quick as he showed against France & Llorente can use his bulk size & heading power to disturb & make life difficult for the Portuguese Central Defenders.

Either way, top match ahead with a 50 - 50 chance for either team. Not to be missed!


OFFICIAL ( 19.10 Sp time ) Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Piqué, Jordi Alba; Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta, Silva y Negredo


The surprise Negredo!
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EURO 2012 | SPAIN PRACTICE PENALTIES

Less than 24 hours away from tomorrows first EURO 2012 semi-final between PORTUGAL - SPAIN. Plenty of respect between both sides & many weary of the "big" players - Cristiano Ronaldo, Iniesta, Nani, Silva etc - & how to counter-balance their possible dangers. 


Portugal won Spain 4 - 0 in Lisbon last time they met in an International friendly match, so the memory is still fresh. The other news murmur is what will be the starting line-up for Spain, will they start with a true forward or without. I bet that Spanish Football Team Coach Vicente Del Bosque will surprise & I don't discount at this moment Fernando Llorente starting.  

Spain training

The Spanish team practised today taking penalties. This is a clear indicator that the Spaniards do not disregard a possible extra-time & penalty shoot-out situation, similar to the Italy - England quarter-final. Whatever destiny may have installed for us all it is a game that is not to be missed & one of the big clashes to date in the Euro 2012 tournament.



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EURO 2012 | SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM PHOTO vs FRANCE

Found this SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM photo. Its a historical photo because its the Spanish Football Team starting 11 line-up that defeat France 2 - 0 for the first time in a official game yesterday in the quarter-final of the 2012 Euro. 

Spain starting 11 vs France (Euro 2012)

Top: Left to Right:
Casillas, Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos, Sergi Busquets & Gerard Pique.
Bottom: Left to Right:
David Silva, Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Cesc Fabregas & Jordi Alba

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EURO 2012 | SPAIN 2 FRANCE 0 INTO THE SEMI FINALS

SPAIN finally defeated FRANCE in an official game of Football 2 - 0 in the quarter-final of the 2012 EURO. The reigning European & World Champions move on to meet next Wednesday Portugal in the semi-final.

Cesc Fabregas

Spanish Football Team Coach Del Bosque repeated with the same starting line-up as with Italy, that is,  without a true forward. CESC FABRAGAS, winning the name of  "False Forward", again surprised everyone in the line-up. Frankly, the "Del Bosque" experiment is not to my personal liking but my arguments fail if Spain wins & I prefer the latter always to my personal opinion. 

Spain scores with Xabi

Without a true forward, Spain gains a man in the midfield & with France going in with a defensive drawing, Spain dominated the ball all the first half with 75% ball possession. The French, as other teams, ran after the ball as Spain wore them down little by little. The first goal came in the 19th min when Jordi Alba crossed the ball to an incoming XABI ALONSO who headed home the opening goal. 

Benzema - Sergio Ramos

The second half saw France attempt to find the equalizer & Coach Blanc put on Nasri ( surprisingly left out) Menez & Giroud. The plan had some effect as they put the Spanish defence under pressure & forced Casillas do another great save. 


Spain however reacted putting on Pedro & Fernando Torres ( finally a reference upfront) & that counter-balanced the French efforts. The Spanish ball possession had dropped to around 54% & with the changes that percentage again rose as Cazorla can on towards the end. 

Xabi Alonso

It was a Carzola pass to Pedro who was fouled in the goal square that brought on a penalty to Spain in the 91st min which XABI ALONSO scored for his second & thus securing the Spanish victory. Great way for Alonso to finish the night after gaining his 100th International Cap for Spain.

Now its Portugal in the semi-finals & I do hope that Del Bosque does forget about the "false forward" experiment. I think it has lost its novelty effect.
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EURO 2012 | SPAIN - FRANCE POSSIBLE STARTING 11 LINE-UPS

SPAIN has never beaten FRANCE in an official Football match. Tonight in the EURO 2012 quarter-final the SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM has another chance to break that record when the meet France. In fact, Spain must break this historical talking piece & win if they are not to pack their bags & fly back home tomorrow.

Possible starting line-ups Spain-France

The news locally, as always, is the  SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM starting 11 line-up against France tonight. The people at "Sportsyou" have made up the above diagram to speculate on what they believe will be the starting 11. Their "bet" is on the same 11 as with Croatia, but there is news coming out of Ukraine is that Spanish Football Team Coach Del Bosque  maybe considering putting on a more attacking line-up. FC Barcelona player PEDRO may surprise & start at the cost of leaving out one of the players that make up the "double-pivot" line-up (Busquets-Xabi), or perhaps leave out Silva or Torres for Pedro.  The idea is clear, more pressure up front & open the French defence with Pedro down the flanks, said differently, more fire-power.

Either way its the "business" part of the Euro 2012 & any mistake or bad calculations will send a team home. From Spain we wish the National Team luck tonight.

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SPAIN LEADS CURRENT EURO 2012 STATISTICS

SPAIN will meet FRANCE in one of the upcoming quarter-finals after the latter lost 2 - 0 to Sweden & finished second on the Group D table. Spain has never won France in an official match ( Yes in Friendly Internationals) which is an interesting statistic.

Spain Euro 2012

Staying with statistics, found these numbers on the SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM current performances to date in this EURO 2012 thanks to "AS":


GOALS SCORED:


Total scored & matches played
1. Spain 6 -3 
2. England 5- 3
3. Germany 5 -3 
4. Portugal 5- 3 
5. Russia 5 -3 


GOALS RECEIVED:
Total received & matches played
1. Spain 1 -3 
2. Germany 2- 3 
3. Italy 2 -3 
4. Poland 3 -3 
5. France 3 -3


SHOTS ON GOAL:
Total Shots & matches played
1. Spain 39 - 3
2. France 26 - 2* 
3. Italy 30 -3 
4. Portugal March 28- 3
5. Sweden 14 2*


PASSES:
Total passes %
1. Spain 82 %
2. Russia 75%
3. Netherlands 75%
4. Germany 74%
5. Italy 71%


POSSESSION OF THE BALL:
Percentage
1. Spain 62 percent
2. Netherlands 34%
3. Russia 34%
4. France 34%
5. Ukraine 30%


CORNERS:


1. Spain 26 
2. France 17 * 2 matches
3. Portugal 24
4. Holland 22
5. Russia 21

*These numbers don´t take into account tonight´s Group D games. 

As you can see SPAIN leads the numbers in all categories ( in attack & defence). However from now on "luck" will have a major role, perhaps more than pure numbers.

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EURO 2012 | CROATIA 0 - SPAIN 1 | SPAIN TOP SPOT OF GROUP C

SPAIN has finished on top of  Group C after narrowly defeating CROATIA 0 - 1 in a result that in itself eliminates Croatia & allows Italy through on second spot after the Italians won 2 - 0 Ireland.

The SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM will now play with the second placed of Group D that will be settled tomorrow & that could be either France or England.

Spain Football Team photo

The above photo is the starting line-up 11 Spanish Team which was a repeat of the Ireland match. 

Pique

The Croatian team started very  defensive ( 5 midfielders ) , marking key men like Iniesta & Xavi & physical during the first half of the match. Spain touched a lot & had chances but failed to convert the possesion into any real danger. The match turned "sticky" for Spain, frustrating as time went on & even dangerous during certain periods.

Spain resorted to some long range shots Xabi, Ramos & Pique in an attempt to override the Croatian defensive wall that was solid & uncomfortable.

Casillas

Things complicated itself for both sides. In the other Group game Italy was ahead & with a draw between Croatia & Spain the latter was through, but a goal by Croatia would eliminate the current World & European Champions.

There was also some risky actions by Spanish players that could have been costly. Sergio Ramos may have committed a penalty on Mandzokic late first half that was not called. In the second half IKER CASILLAS made two vital saves that reaffirms why his nick-name in Spanish is "El Santo" - The Saint. The Spanish goalie stopped a certain Rakitic header & another shot that if not halted would have put Croatia ahead & sent Spain home.

This time Spain can claim to have had the luck of the Champions. It was that close!

Iniesta & Navas celebrate

Croatia moved their pieces & put on more forwards sacrificing defensive players. Spain put on Jesus Navas for Torres to break the Croatian defence & later Cesc for Silva to put on the field some fresh ideas.

It was an even affair & dangerous - for both sides - as time was running out. A goal by Croatia would knock out Spain as they would not have the time to react. Then in the 87th min a Cesc pass found Iniesta who controlled & passed to Navas who was alone to score the winner & secure the Q/Final birth for Spain & Group C top spot.

Spain won, but it was truly suffered & on-edge Football. One can say it was the type of "dirty" match that all aspiring Champions must go through. Perhaps this was Spain´s dirty match in this 2012 Euro Championships. The other lesson is that from here onwards its the "business end" & rivals will only get stronger & better. In fact every game from now on is a final.

Unlucky for Croatia which may have deserved more, more than Italy perhaps, but Football is an uncaring & heartless game at times.

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SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM | 5 PLAYERS ON YELLOW CARDS

The SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM plays another important match tomorrow against CROATIA in the last Group C match. A win will give Spain top spot & a draw will also qualify them, however a loss could be a disaster. This last scenario is a real possibility as the Croatian National team has shown already that they do have the potential to go a long way in this tournament, Spain should however get through, but Football is Football. Obviously a match not to be missed.

Yellow card to Torres

The interesting observation is the possible side-effects of tomorrows tough encounter. Spain has 5 players already with yellow cards. They are Jordi Alba, Arbeloa, Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso & Javi Martínez, a yellow card to any of these players will mean they will miss the Quarter Final if Spain goes through.

If Spain manages to qualify themselves for the Q/Finals & in turn win to go into the semi-finals, all yellow card players will begin a clean sheet. The objective is to get to semi-finals without seeing a yellow card. Both aims in themselves will be a challenge.
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SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM | STEADY AS SHE GOES - PLEASE

It is amazing how perspectives & attitudes can change in days. The SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM was under a dark cloud after drawing 1-1 against Italy in their Group C opener & harshly criticised ( myself included ) for the strategic "experiment" of a "false forward" by Coach Del Bosque.


After the Spanish Football Teams second Group match against Ireland & with a  4- 0 victory, SPAIN returns as odds on favourites around the betting houses & the World Sports media claiming that they are on other level. So what happened? 

Spain Football Team Euro 2012

They won. Winning is the only common dominator for putting your face full of sh*t if you loss or in lifting the team to the Football Olympus if they win.  This is natural, part of all Sport, the way media excites the fans to buy content & generate TV space & something to talk about. What could be a worry at "Camp Spain" is the "sense of believing all the hype" so early into the competition with still a dangerous Croatia ahead to secure the Group qualification. A bad match here, or worst still, a loss could spell a possible elimination by Spain that will bring back all the black clouds & sentence the team. 


Although we can have faith that Coach, technical staff & players as sufficiently experienced to "keep their feet on the ground", the outside noise is inflated & perhaps exaggerated:
"I have no doubt about Spain" (Albertini: Italy)


"If the Spanish Football team has the ball, they are practically unbeatable" (Martin Peton: Spanish Football Commentator)


"The play of the Spanish Football team does not belong to this World" (Richard Dunne: Irish International)


".. everything points for a repeat the the 2008 Final" (Jose Mourinho)

Just four comments picked out of many practically already giving the Spanish team the Euro title. 


Need to shield from these accolades & keep the mind focused on the job ahead. Let´s not forget - & I say this will all my respects - Spain won against Ireland, one of the less stronger squads in the competition. Again lets not forget as well, that the sub- World Champions Holland has been knocked out of the competition. Lastly, lets not forget either, that to win a tournament of this dimension "luck" always plays a vital role & luck has no colours.

Let´s all try & bring down the euphoria & just enjoy the Football Spain turns on when in the groove. I agree, when they turn-on the magic it is mind-boggling & out of space. But, they too can have a bad day & that day could occur in the next game or any of the upcoming matches if they manage to pass the next.  

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SPAIN 4 IRELAND 0 | EURO 2012 GROUP C RESULT

The magic word is WIN. With a final 4 - 0 result & victory over IRELAND the SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM washed clear from everyones mind the "cold" start against Italy last Sunday. Now the defending European Champions sit on top of Group C along with Croatia with shared points & they are scheduled to meet next Monday.

The Spanish Coach Del Bosque decided to skip "experiments" this time & started with a true forward upfront as a clear reference in the name of FERNANDO TORRES. This would prove to be important in the final result & proved that the "false forward" idea against Italy was an error in strategy. But with this win tonight all that is now Football History.

Fernando Torres

The Irish started strong the first couple of minutes but were totally halted when a 4th min "cracker" from FERNANDO TORRES found the back of the net & put Spain in-front. The Chelsea FC forward took a heavy load off his shoulders as this goal was the remedy he needed to shield the criticism & lift his confidence.

From this point Spain dominated, totally, with Silva & Iniesta on riot, along with Xavi as the baton man of the band. The flanks worked tonight with Alba & Arbeloa mobile & causing danger & Xabi Alonso with partner in crime Busquets solid. It was good to see Gerard Pique "forget" his "Waka Waka" ( bad joke from me ) & watch the man play some excellent Football tonight. This and the whole Spanish Football Team,  as they were playing touch ball & causing many chances.

So much were the opportunities that Torres failed a few & showed his confidence level is on the rise but not optimum, while at the same time the Irish denfenders & goalkeeper worked hard to keep the Spaniards out.

Silva

The second half saw Spain lift a gear or two & simply own the ball for most of the half. Playing this way, the Irish ran & ran & the spaces appeared. In one of those spaces - small at that - Silva found a rebound ball off the Irish goalie & did his "cool as a cucumber" piece  dribbling on a coin to find the angle & score in the 49th min. Magic!

The third goal came in the 70 th min when FERNANDO TORRES broke the Irish defensive line & in a one on one with the Irish goalkeeper slammed his second for the night to further lift his confidence levels, this is the real good news.

Cesc Fabregas

With the match totally under control & Spain owing the ball, Coach Del Bosque took off Xabi Alonso & Iniesta to give a run to Cazorla & CESC FABREGAS. The later scored an excellent control piece in the 83rd min to shut all the doors & put Spain on top of the Group C table.

While Spanish improved markedly & found itself as a team exhibiting its trademark style, I would like to just add that the opponents was Ireland, with all the maximum respect that they deserve. Spain still has a way to go,  starting with Croatia next Monday with a victory result a must. A loss against Croatia or a 0 - 0 draw may send Spain home depending on the result achieved by Italy. The message here is "cautious optimism".

Said this, good game from Spain tonight & things are now looking more positive & vibrating good sensations. This victory should ease & lift the pressure of the Spanish players & help concentrate the mind on what's ahead. The only negative point that perhaps the Spanish Football Team may need to work on is the final finish opportunities, they needed to be nailed. If Spain continues on the road to the Euro Final every National Team on the way won´t be so benevolent with missed chances.

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EURO 2012 | SPAIN - IRELAND | POSSIBLE STARTING 11 LINE-UP

The SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM is back in action tonight with its second EURO 2012 Group C match against the Republic of Ireland. Important game as a win will help settle the defending European Champions after starting "cold" ( & lucky some add ) with a 1 - 1 draw against Italy last Sunday.

Also the Spanish National Coach Vicente Del Bosque received a barrage of criticism for his starting 11 against Italy, & in particular for not starting with a true forward up-front as a main reference. Coincidently the "experiment" was "saved" thanks to the Cesc Fabregas with his goal-equalizer, the player put on to act as the "false forward".

Most are expecting that Del Bosque has learnt the lesson & will not adventure into new untried territories against Ireland. Having said this, the question arises who will be the chosen Spanish Forward: Torres, Llorente or Negredo. This is assuming that Del Bosque will put a forward, as the man has not ruled the "Italian idea" out, as amazing this may sound to his critics.

Spanish Sports & Barcelona based daily "Sport" publishes their hypothetical Spanish Team ( & Irish ) starting 11 & they bet on Fernando Torres as a starter & they also bet on Pedro in for Silva. This last prediction is hard to accept as it means Silva will be left out & the latter is currently in fine form. But anything is possible.

Courtesy :MARC CREUS/CARLES JAVIERRE

 
As I always say pre-match & with starting 11 line-ups splashed around media, they are speculations & are definitely not the 100% confirmed teams. The confirm will usually arrive an hour or so before the match. 

Until then, stay tuned.


LATEST : 19.51 OFFICIAL SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM starting 11 line-up vs Ireland:
Casillas, Arbeloa, Piqué, Ramos, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Silva, Iniesta y Fernando Torres

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