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Moscow: It took 100 minutes to arrive, but the lingering picture of the collapse of the Spanish dream of the World Cup was accompanied by a pure comedy. Isco made another run in space, but he was running in Iago Aspas on the edge of the box from Russia. Aspas had stumbled for no reason and the two teammates collapsed one in the other. Their collapse met with an approving roar of laughter that spread through the Luzhniki stadium.
Once again, Spanish players hit a wall. They captured the ball all afternoon but she also captured them. They were obsessed with imprisonment, as if the ball would escape alone if she had the opportunity. Spain ended with four-fifths of possession, but this may have been their only success. Their football, after all, was stifled by an internal debate, a Prufrockian confusion converging on the spirits.
Brazil will play Mexico at the Samara Arena on Monday at 7:30 pm, followed by Belgium against Japan at 11:30 pm at the Rostov Arena in Rostov-on-Don [19659004] Russian players celebrate the victory against Spain. Reuters ” width=”825″ height=”510″/>
Russian players celebrate the victory against the penalty shootout against Spain. Reuters
Ten years ago, the two teams met in Vienna for a semi-final at Euros and the contrast could not be clearer. At the time, Spain was still conquering the world, but their heavy possession football had a pacey edge. Russia was beaten 3-0 while La Roja won the tournament.
Sunday's hard-working football allowed a much lower Russian team to live with Spain. Stanislav Cherchesov's players could afford to sit well without fearing that an opponent would overtake them in no time. David Silva had slipped across Russia about ten years ago, but his now older self was only looking awry.
Isco and Marco Asensio had to bring different dimensions to the pbading roulette, but only one succeeded. Isco is distinguished by its intention to push forward even when the ball would not reach it; his cheerful presence was an energetic counterpoint to the heavy machinations of his teammates. The Real Madrid midfielder has made 25 key pbades, no one has ever managed to double the numbers. Asensio was chosen to provide a target for Isco's overtaking, so that the runner could break the Russian defense. But with Russia leaving little room, Asensio looked lost as he wandered out of the game.
Spain reflected his ignorance. Fernando Hierro's players completed 1006 pbades in the afternoon but, in the end, it was just a number. In fact, even if it did not even collect comparable figures, Russia threatened to dislodge Spain's balance with increasing frequency as the match progressed. Spanish players radiated a troubled calm; their grabbing of the ball did not really win anyone. The Russians were growing in joy, annoyed by the long phases of play where the hosts could simply run while the balloon was circulating around them. The Spanish fans were also bored because their team refused to close the discussion, especially when a goal early in the game had moved the argument in their favor.
Sergei Ignashevich's goal was the advantage that allowed Spain to dominate. was reluctant to do it. Hierro and his players seemed certain that if they controlled the ball, Russia would not find a return in the match. This hypothesis may have been true at the 2010 World Cup, but the Spanish side has a tendency to self-destruction.
This was the case when Gerard Pique, who continues his predilection for problems, blocked Artem Dzyuba's head with his arm in the penalty box. Until then, Russia was painted as the mirror of Spain. The pbades were long, fast and imprecise. The direct approach was also a function of Dzyuba's size feat of prayer for an error from Spain.
In the end, the mistakes of the former world champions had to decide the competition. However, before the missed whistle, Spain showed what was missing from his game for the majority of the match. The introduction of mobile Rodrigo in extra time energized the team as there was finally someone who wanted to run directly to the host defense.
Unfortunately for Spain, there was little time left to exploit the deficiencies inherent in Russia. Just like four years ago in Brazil, La Roja paid the price for their one-dimensional kneading of the ball. Like two years ago in France, Spain was considered tactically short.
But what was unprecedented about the latest Spanish failure, was the dismissal of their manager two days before the World Cup. It remains difficult to accurately estimate the extent to which the squad has been affected by the withdrawal of Julen Lopetegui, but Spain 's uncertain results suggest that it' s unlikely to be the case. is never recovered from the shock caused by the loss of his leader
. . Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique would have exercised a lot of power within the team, but their decreasing form has only caused doubts. Lack of conviction was widespread in Spanish football and mistrust was in sight during the group stage. However, he never rubbed more than Sunday.
Even when Spain was early, they looked lost. Despite their advantage, Hierro players sought safety when a bit of adventure would have done the job. As always, Spain was happy with the ball. But their obsession with possession led the team to the path of oblivion.
Pbad. Pbad. Pbad. Pbad. Pbad … Sounded the Spanish knell
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