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MOSCOW – The weakest side of the World Cup produced two games less than we had seen the day before, but at least two shots on goal gave us some surprises as Russia upset the team. 39; Spain. 1-1) and Croatia won against Denmark (also after a tie of 1-1).
Igor Akinfeev was the hero of Russia, making two saves in the shootout, including a kick on Iago Aspas that sealed Russia's progress in the quarter-finals. In the second match, Danijel Subasic outperformed Kasper Schmeichel in the penalty shootout, making three saves on both sides, sending Croatia into the final eight to face the surprise hosts.
Here are my three thoughts of the day:
Spain was still missing something at this World Cup
The flashes became clear as early as the 3-3 opening match against Portugal (l & rsquo; Screamer of David De Gea, Gerard Piqué's silly foul before Portugal's equalizer free kick), and worries became stronger in a 1-0 victory over Iran (no sharpness) and most of all a 2-2 draw against Morocco (a shaking team in defense). At the end of the elimination of Spain against Russia on penalties on Sunday, the shortcomings of this Spanish team were obvious:
– Emergency coach Fernando Hierro n & rsquo; Had no Plan B. After the first Spanish match of Julen Lopetegui There was a tendency to say that Spain still had the same players, that Hierro was coming from the inside and that it would not be a big problem in the end. It was wrong. Faced with a Russian team that was perfectly happy to defend, Hierro never recognized the urgency of the situation and has never done anything significant to try to change the game in the second half. He acted as a coach who just badumed Spain was Spain, and the goal would come eventually. This is not the case. The president of the Spanish federation, Luis Rubiales, made a huge mistake by launching Lopetegui, and he came back to haunt the champions of 2010.
– Spain missed Andrés Iniesta and his role of Xavi. Possession is excellent, but it means nothing if you do not create chances to score. Without Iniesta in the starting lineup, Spain already lacked someone who brought something a little different, who actually moves to the field instead of remaining stationary. Isco has tried to create for Spain, but no one has yet managed to match the talents that Xavi has brought to his national team. The feeling of this team was that tiki-taka became obsolete without the really special talents that marked the team in 2010.
– The Spanish group in the back was not good enough. You expected to come to Russia in 2018 so that Sergio Ramos and Piqué, the defensive tandem of the central defense, are among the best of the tournament. It was not even close to that. Piqué made many mistakes, including his penalty against Russia, and Ramos was not as regular as it was generally for Real Madrid, both in terms of scoring (especially on sets) that errors on the ball. De Gea was not good either, and it was not just her screaming against Portugal. At Man United, De Gea has proven himself by preventing goals almost every game that other goalies would leave. He has never done that in Russia, and he will regret that he has not done better on Russian penalties (during the game and shootings.)
Spain has had a golden opportunity to reach the final as the only power on his side of the World Cup bracket.So, naturally, it was the first team on this side to lose, which captures well this World Cup up to now.
• Croatia was as disappointing as Spain, even though it survived
The Croats were the best team of the tournament during the group stage, period.That's why it was really disappointing to see them not maintain their momentum against Denmark.Give France the merit of having improved her game once the eighths of final started and produce something memorable against Argentina, something that was an improvement di stincte of what France has given us in the group stage. Spain could not do it, and Croatia did not, although this was partly due to Denmark's efforts to make things difficult for the Croatian midfielder.
All that said, let's lift a drink to the two goaltenders, Schmeichel and Subasic, for their exemplary penalty save in one of the best shootout duels you'll ever see.
• Russia was not great, but it executed a legitimate playing plan
Do not surpbad Russia, who was playing for penalties early in the second half. But Russian coach Stanislav Cherchesov has found a reasonable game plan to stay with Spain – a five-player back line, defend in numbers and try to hit the counter – and his players l & rsquo; have performed even after losing 1-0. 19659015] The Russians were rewarded when Koke kicked a cheap corner kick and Piqué gave a penalty on the next set set. But the shot of Artem Dzyuba was on the spot, as were the shots on goal of the Russians, despite the pressure that prevailed on them.
Grant Wahl covered football for 22 years at Sports Illustrated. His new book, Masters of Modern Soccer, details the profession of position by position. You can order it here .
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