HOLLAND 2 SPAIN 0 | INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY MATCH RESULT

The Spain National Football Team continues to drown in doubts as they lost 2 - 0 in Amsterdam to Holland in tonights International Friendly match. The media built it as the "revenge" game for Spain after losing in the last World Cup in a disastrous fashion. However, the truth is that Spanish Coach Del Bosque started with a B-side:

De Gea; Carvajal, Albiol, Pique, Bernat: Mario Suarez, Cazorla, Fabregas, Isco; Pedro & Juanmi. Later on: Vitolo, Silva, San Jose, Ramos, Morata & Iniesta.

And so did Holland, so this for an excuse is not acceptable.

Again, Spain trips with the some stone, lack of GOAL. But tonight was added new "stones" on the path: defensive mistakes - bad aerial work - & a lack of knowledge of what Football is to be played. Said differently, lack of ideas, creativity & at times lack of intensity. 

The Dutch goals came in a space of three minutes, with a header from De Vrij in the 12th min & the second in the 15th min through Klaasen. Spain had chances, plenty, but failed to convert their opportunities upfront, at times missing the unexplained. 

Spanish Coach Del Bosque had to bring on some of the veterans in the second half to "put right" the Football in the Spanish game, but it was too late the doubts had firmly settled in. 

Impressive performance from young Dutch 21 year old winger Depay who showed class & promise, a positive aspect in tonights game.

Conclusion, deserved win for Holland who played their game - & better - while Spain comes home with more doubts, Coach Del Bosque questioned & will come under fire.

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SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM LIST 24 PLAYERS FOR UKRAINE - HOLLAND GAMES

Spanish Football Team Selector & Coach Vicente Del Bosque has handed in this afternoon the list of 24 players that make up the Spanish National Football Team squad for upcoming two International matches. Spain plays next Friday 27th of March Ukraine in Seville in the Euro 2016 Group game, while on Tuesday the 31st of March they travel to Amsterdam to play Holland in an International Friendly.  

Plenty of "new faces" with the novelties being goalie Asenjo, Mario Suarez, San Jose, Vitolo & Morata. Coach Del Bosque has been conditioned by injuries to other regular players like Thiago, Javi Martínez, Bruno & Camacho.

Here is the full list of 24 players:

Goalkeepers: Casillas, De Gea & Asenjo

Defenders: Carvajal, Juanfran, Pique, Bartra, Ramos, Albiol, Jordi Alba & Bernat.

Midfielders: Iniesta, Mario Suarez, Busquets, San Jose, Vitolo, Koke, Cazorla, Silva, Cesc & Isco.

Forwards: Diego Costa, Pedro & Morata.

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SPAIN 1 - HOLLAND 5 | WORLD CUP 2014 GROUP B RESULT

Not even in the Spain Football Team (or ours) worst nightmare would have they have thought that their opening FIFA World Cup 2014 Group B match against Holland would end in a 1 - 5 defeat. A devastating blow to Spain which had a horrific 2º half with unusual defensive mistakes & mental lapses that cumulated in a moral deterioration that will hurt & leave deep scares.

If Holland thought this to be a revenge match after losing the 2010 World Cup Final to Spain, the end result could not have been sweeter. A perfect start for them as this will certainly lift their spirits for the competition journey ahead. 

Some elements that were clear & illustrated by Spain tonight will need to be urgently solved. A blatant ineffectiveness in front of goal & lack of physical stamina that will put a question mark on some of the more veterans,  especially in the midfield like Xavi Hernandez. Spain has incorporated Diego Costa - who started - as a "solution" up front but the player still needs to understand the "Spanish National Team" way of play & is still "timid" with his new role. 

The first half was dominated by Spain which controlled the match & looked confident. The goal opportunities timidly arrived & in the 27th min XABI ALONSO put Spain ahead from the penalty spot after Diego Costa was fouled in the area. Minutes later David Silva had a golden chance but failed to convert & this later was paid dearly as Spain could not "knock out" the rival. Holland reacted in the 43rd min when VAN PERSIE brilliantly headed the equalizer after the Spanish defensive were caught "sleeping". A psychological goal that was to herald the tremendous 2º half the Dutch were to exhibit.

The second half was a nightmare & it was humiliating for Spain which dropped their heads as the goals went in. The steamy conditions drew the energy out from the players & the midfielders which could not recover spaces & left their defending team-mates under siege. The Dutch were physically superior & closed spaces to suffocate the Spaniards leading to mistakes. Errors which the Dutch capitalised on with their second goal coming in the 52nd min from ROBBEN. However it was the third in the 64th min by Vrij (possible foul on Casillas) that "killed" of a possible comeback attempt for Spain. Unlike Spain, the Dutch are effective with their goal opportunities & convert.

The disaster continued when Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas fumbled a back pass which allowed VAN PERSIE to pounce & score the fourth in the 73rd min. The nightmare continued when ROBBEN scored the Dutch 5th goal in the 81st min, which could had been more had not Casillas made some important saves. 

The Spanish midfield was broken in the  2º half & non-existent as Xavi Hernandez along with Busquets were physically nailed. Spanish Coach Del Bosque made changes bring on Torres & Pedro but it was too late & they too sinned not taking & converting their goal chances.

Holland are deserved winners which went in the this match with a clear "game plan" that worked marvellously for them. Spain will need to reflect on this encounter & solve a few important issues & areas. Remember that Spain also lost their first game back in 2010 & later went on to win the World Cup. However the result tonight was so humiliating that I wonder if the "Champs" can recover & comeback considering that their next game is against Chile & will be a final win or die situation.

Lastly, the man & player which leaves most wounded tonight is Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas. With Real Madrid he is the second keeper to Diego Lopez & while defended by all his supporters, team-mates & media all season demonstrated his 2 principal weakness as a goalkeeper: the aerial play & his foot work. Both were badly executed & both gave Dutch goals. Will Iker Casillas be able to psychologically recover from tonight's blow? Will Spain be able to shake off this disaster? It will all be answered against Chile, a win lifting the moral & a loss leading Spanish officials to find the return home flight tickets.

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POSSIBLE STARTING LINE-UPS SPAIN - HOLLAND | WORLD CUP 2014

The FIFA World Cup in Brazil kicked off last night with Brazil winning Croatia in controversial fashion. Tonight the defending World Champions Spain play Holland in their Group B opener. A repeat of the 2010 Final with Holland having 6 still in the team from last time. A very defensive Holland is expected with up to 5 defenders to halt Spain with perhaps the added "touch" of some physical Football. All is fair in love & "football"...

While Dutch Selector Van Gaal is pretty much open about his intentions, his counterpart Vicent del Bosque is keeping some cards up his sleeve. The SPANISH FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAM starting XI line-up looks settled except for the forward. The question remains will Spain start with a pure centre-forward or a false centre-forward. Three names are up for one possible position: Torres, Diego Costa or Cesc Fabregas. 

I will speculate on what I think could be the starting line-up for Spain against Holland tonight:

Casillas, Azpilicueta, Pique, Ramos, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta, Silva & Diego Costa. 

However, as said it is my speculation, as Torres or Cesc could take the place of Costa.

For Holland their starting XI line-up looks fairly clear:

Cillessen Janmaat, Vlaar, De Vrij, Martins Indi, Blind; De Guzman, Sneijder, De Jong, Robben, Van Persie.

Everything indicates that Holland will place a 5-3-2 system, if so, ultra defensive.

Good luck to Spain!

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SPAIN WINS 3 - 2 HOLLAND FOR SEMI FINALS | EURO U-19

Spain has qualified itself at the Top of the Group for a semi finals berth in the U-19 European Championships being held in Lithuania. The 2 - 3 victory over Holland puts the Spanish U-19 Football Team into their fourth consecutive U-19 Euro semi-final where they will meet France next Monday.

Spain made an excellent comeback to turn things around in the latter part of the second half. It was their worst match in the tournament with a particularly bad first half. However, the boys managed to turn things around as Holland dropped notably in play & form with three straight goals from Spanish players Sandro ( 68th min ) , Vadillo ( 81st min ) & Fede Vico ( 83rd min ). 

Match details:

HOLLAND 2 : Van der Hart; Tete, Gravenberch, Kongolo, Woudenberg; Leemans, Ayoub; Basacikoglu, Vloet, Mahi (Chacon 73'); & Achahbar.

SPAIN 3 : Rubén Blanco; Jaime (Fede Vico 38'), Julio, Borja López, Duarte; José Rodríguez (Lucas 75'), Íñiguez; Vadillo, Moi Gómez (Adama 67'), Gayá; & Sandro.

GOALS: 1-0 Leemans min. 36; 1-1 Sandro min. 68; 1-2 Vadillo min. 81; 1-3 Fede Vico min. 83; 2-3 Achahbar, de penalty min. 91.
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EUROPEAN U 21 2010 | CANALES GUIDES SPAIN TO A 2 - 1 WIN OVER HOLLAND

The endeavour is a difficult one. Attempt to finish second in its Group (4) & hope that they – the SPANISH U 21 NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM – are amongst the 4 Best 2ºnd placed teams to go into the elimination phase against the Group winners for the London Olympic Games.

First step conquered tonight as SPAIN defeated group leaders HOLLAND 2-1 with a grand performance from Real Madrid youngster SERGIO CANALES who served from midfield & scored first in the 25th min to put Spain ahead. The Dutch team who are leaders for a reason equalized 5 minutes later via DOST who was quick when the ball came off the post. However, this match was a Final for Spain & they managed to get ahead again in the 53ºrd min via CAPEL.

Spain could have scored another but Bojan missed a penalty opportunity.

Spain now has another “Final” against Poland on the 7th Sept in a must win clash to keep their hopes alive.

Brief match summary:

Spain 2: De Gea; Azpilicueta, Botía, Domínguez, Canella; Mata, Javi Martínez, Rubén Pérez (Thiago min.45), Capel (Nsue min.86); Canales (Ander Herrera min.65) & Bojan.

Holland 1: Zoet; Blind (min.66), Viergever, Marcellis, van Aanholt; Toornstra (Roorda min.70), Gorter, Cabral, Bas Dost; Luuk de Jong & Goossens (Nuytinck min.80).

Goals: 1-0. min.25, Canales. 1-1. min.30, Dost. 2-1. min.53, Capel. Tweet

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SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM | ANDRES INIESTA SHOWS HIS "WAR WOUNDS" FROM THE FIFA WORLD CUP FINAL

Spanish Football International player, man of the match & winning goalscorer for the Spanish Football Team against Holland in the 2010 World cup Final, ANDRES INIESTA, shows journalist on the plane back to Spain his "war wounds". The Dutch team handed out kicks, fouls & rough tactics instead of playing Football...ANDRES INIESTA has the proof of it all on his legs as this videos shows clearly:

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2010 FIFA WORLD CUP FINAL | SPAIN STARTING LINEUP AGAINST HOLLAND

The Spanish Football Team starting 11 line up against Holland in the 2010 World Cup Final has been confirmed. It is the same starting 11 as against Germany in the semi-final:

Casillas, Ramos, Pique, Puyol, Capdevila, Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Xavi Hernandez, Iniesta, Pedro & David Villa.

One will expect Fernando Torres to get a run in the latter part of the 2º half when the Dutch defence is a bit more tired so he can attack them.

Good luck Spain! May the better team win. Tweet

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SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM LINE UP 11 AGAINST HOLLAND, MAYBE!

Source: Sp Football Sprts Blog /

With less than 24 hours away from the biggest game in Spanish Football History – the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final against Holland – the media observers following the SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM have began their habitual round of speculation & rumour in an attempt to predict the SPAIN WORLD CUP TEAM starting 11 line up for tomorrow.

The very, very latest news – or better said rumour – comes after Spain celebrated their last official training session tonight in the “Soccer City” ground, the stage for tomorrows final. The “wagging tongues” say that 10 players will repeat, the so called 10 untouchables, with just one position in play for 3 players. PEDRO held that position in the semi-final match against Germany & there is “talk” that either FERNANDO TORRES with regain his place or CESC FABREGAS will come in. Said this, no one predicted Pedro for the semi-final & thus an "outsider" like DAVID SILVA is the “dark horse” for many punters. But only 11 can play so I will place my bets on the following names to make up what I think (repeat I think) will be the SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM STARTING 11 LINE UP AGAINST HOLLAND for the final:

Casillas, Ramos, Pique, Puyol, Capdevila, Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas (or Fernando Torres) & David Villa.

This is pure “crystal ball” stuff as Coach Del Bosque has said anything at all tonight & has not even hinted with his choice 11. Either way, good luck to Spain! Tweet

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FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 | 32 TEAMS | GROUP E

Source: Sp Ftball Sprts /
Our daily review of the FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 Groups & team photos continues today with GROUP E. Tomorrow Group F will be featured, with the earlier Groups already posted here on Spanish Football Sports.

GROUP E

CAMAROON

DENMARK
HOLLAND

JAPAN

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U-21 EURO GROUP QUALIFIER: HOLLAND 2 - SPAIN 1

The Spanish U-21 National Football Team suffered a set back in its
objective of taking the top table spot, & thus the direct qualification
for the European U-21 Championships of 2011, when they lost 2-1 to
Holland in their Group 4 match at Rotterdam.

The Dutch played well & did what they had to do in a satisfactory
manner; however Spain was extremely unlucky as they hit the Dutch
goal post 4 times during the game. Spain will now have to ensure
maximum concentration & win their following games as the U-21
Euro & London Olympics participation are both under the threat of
being missed out on.

Some Details:

2 - Holland: Krul; Janmaat, Bruma, Pieters, Van Eijden; Anita
(Strootman, m.83), Fer, Falkenburg; Wijnaldum, De Jong (Dost, m.83)
& John.

1 - Spain: Asenjo; Azpilicueta, Botía, Laguardia, Canella (Fran
Mérida, m.83); Javi Martínez, Jordi Alba (Míchel, m.52); Ander
Herrera (Omar, m.74), Parejo, Capel; & Adrián.

Goals: 1-0, m.14: Falkenburg; 2-0: 63' Wijnaldum; 2-1: 79' Azpilicueta

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