SPAIN drew 2 - 2 with MOROCCO in their last match of Group B to qualify for the next phase of the FIFA World Cup Championship. Spain was sitting in 2º position which would have matched them up against Uruguay, but a last minute penalty to Iran in the other Group game was scored to give a 1 - 1 result to Portugal which then relegated them to the 2º position. All this dramatic events, including a last moment goal to Spain given by the "VAR", altered things in such a way that Spain will face Russia next Sunday being Group B top spot holder.
While most observers are still digesting the last minute changes, what is unanimous is that Spain played their worst match of the World Cup. The team has serious defensive problems & their is a lack of goal power upfront. Added to this some "scared cows" are looking slow along with goalkeeper De Gea which is lacking confidence. Spain is vulnerable to counter-attacks & in goal square headers which is putting in doubt what was previously considered the best pair of Central Defenders in World Football: Pique & Ramos.
In fact the Moroccan first goal came early in the 4th min when Boutaïb took advantage of a disastrous misunderstanding between Iniesta & Ramos. There was more defensive mistakes to come, like a near goal from a throw in that Pique shallowed, passing mistakes from midfielders give the ball to Moroccan attackers, Amrabat hitting the bar & the header second goal from Morocco in the 80th min from En-Nesyri.
Spain was losing most of the second half & was desperate with their Football, something not ascendiente & certainly not confidence building at all for the team. Luckly, ISCO was on fire as he has been all three matches to create opportunities & score. His was the 18th min equalizer to calm things & redeem earlier mistakes.
The other piece of lucky was the 90th min goal by substitute ASPAS who scored but was initially disallowed. While Spain faced defeat, the VAR intervened to give the Aspas goal & allow Spain to draw the encounter in the very last moment.
Another area of hot campo is the reaction or lack of reaction by Spanish Coach Fernando Hierro to move the bench when things are going badly. The changes need to be made sooner, however Hierro seems to be "frozen" without ideas on how to redirect the situations. Here again luck has played it part & has diluted the negative impact of the lack of decision making by the Spanish Coach.
The future does not look bright at all for Spain in this tournament. The odds are more stacked at being eliminated sooner ( against Russia next Sunday) tan later. Play like they are with a horrendous defence will not get them into the World Cup Final. I hope I am totally wrong, but Spain gave more reasons for everyone to be pessimistic than optimistic at this moment. Horrible match by Spain , lucky result.
As for Morocco, great performance & grit. They played their Football optimizing efficiently their "weapons", it nearly paid off for them in a historical near victory!
While most observers are still digesting the last minute changes, what is unanimous is that Spain played their worst match of the World Cup. The team has serious defensive problems & their is a lack of goal power upfront. Added to this some "scared cows" are looking slow along with goalkeeper De Gea which is lacking confidence. Spain is vulnerable to counter-attacks & in goal square headers which is putting in doubt what was previously considered the best pair of Central Defenders in World Football: Pique & Ramos.
In fact the Moroccan first goal came early in the 4th min when Boutaïb took advantage of a disastrous misunderstanding between Iniesta & Ramos. There was more defensive mistakes to come, like a near goal from a throw in that Pique shallowed, passing mistakes from midfielders give the ball to Moroccan attackers, Amrabat hitting the bar & the header second goal from Morocco in the 80th min from En-Nesyri.
Spain was losing most of the second half & was desperate with their Football, something not ascendiente & certainly not confidence building at all for the team. Luckly, ISCO was on fire as he has been all three matches to create opportunities & score. His was the 18th min equalizer to calm things & redeem earlier mistakes.
The other piece of lucky was the 90th min goal by substitute ASPAS who scored but was initially disallowed. While Spain faced defeat, the VAR intervened to give the Aspas goal & allow Spain to draw the encounter in the very last moment.
Another area of hot campo is the reaction or lack of reaction by Spanish Coach Fernando Hierro to move the bench when things are going badly. The changes need to be made sooner, however Hierro seems to be "frozen" without ideas on how to redirect the situations. Here again luck has played it part & has diluted the negative impact of the lack of decision making by the Spanish Coach.
The future does not look bright at all for Spain in this tournament. The odds are more stacked at being eliminated sooner ( against Russia next Sunday) tan later. Play like they are with a horrendous defence will not get them into the World Cup Final. I hope I am totally wrong, but Spain gave more reasons for everyone to be pessimistic than optimistic at this moment. Horrible match by Spain , lucky result.
As for Morocco, great performance & grit. They played their Football optimizing efficiently their "weapons", it nearly paid off for them in a historical near victory!
Advertisement