Yo can see a close view of the defensive line of the Spanish national team, during its match against the Netherlands at the FIFA World Cup 2014.
Ramos (Real Madrid) and Piqué (Barça) are waiting for the goalkeeper (Casillas of Real Madrid)
A long time from Monday, 16 April 2007, when this blog was opened with the post Welcome to the Leipzig Project.
Today, 13 July 2010, the visitor number 50,000 arrived to this blog, your house. I don't know him/her but he/she was transferred here, from WAB corner.
My initial plans are not fully achieved but, I am still on way.
Many thanks to everybody!
Enjoy the Iniesta's goal in the final match of the FIFA World Cup 2010
Spain rules the football world, winning the World Cup at long, long last.
It came after an exhausting 1-0 victory in extra time over the Netherlands on Sunday. Two years after winning the European title, the stylish Spaniards did even better.
This was a physical test of attrition that sometimes turned dirty - a finals-record 14 yellow cards were handed out and the Dutch finished with 10 men. In the end, it was Andres Iniesta breaking free in the penalty area, taking a pass from Cesc Fabregas and putting a right-footed shot from 8 yards just past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg with about seven minutes still to play, including injury time.
GO SPAIN!
Spain will play for the World Cup title for the very first time, thanks to Carles Puyol’s goal on a powerful header in the second half Wednesday night. The 1-0 victory was the same score as the European Championship final two years ago, which Spain won to end a 44-year major title drought. Spain has been the best team in Europe — all the world, really — for much of the last four years. It’s lost all of two games since November 2006, one a shocker to Switzerland in the group-stage opener. With all but two of the starting lineup playing for either Barcelona or Real Madrid, the Spanish play with a seamlessness and fluidity that’s almost intuitive. Granted, Spain hasn’t had its usual polish in South Africa, with injuries taking a big toll. Fernando Torres, normally so devastating offensively, is still struggling to recover from knee surgery in April, and was dropped from the starting lineup Wednesday night. Cesc Fabregas played all of two games before the World Cup after breaking a bone in his leg in March. But with the World Cup title so close — not to mention Queen Sofia on hand — the Spanish came through with their best game yet. They dominated possession the entire night, and they peppered Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer so many times that a goal seemed inevitable. Finally, they did.
David Villa scored in the 83rd minute Saturday to give Spain a 1-0 win over Paraguay and its first-ever spot in the World Cup semifinals. The goal starts in Iniesta and the ball fell to Villa in the area after Pedro Rodriguez hit the post and Villa took one touch before curling a shot in off the far post. Paraguay's defense mostly kept Spain's vaunted attack at bay, and neither team couldn convert a penalty kick. Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas saved a 59th-minute penalty by Oscar Cardozo and Paraguay captain Justo Villar matched him on a retaken shot by Xabi Alonso two minutes later. Paraguay didn't sit back on defense but pressured Spain high to disrupt its slick passing game. Paraguay blocked Spain's first chance in the seventh minute - from Xabi Alonso - before Sergio Ramos nearly headed in from a corner kick. The South Americans swarmed around Spain's area to force turnovers and Cristian Veros headed high in the ninth before Claudio Morel's shot was off two minutes later.
European champion Spain has fielded an unchanged lineup for the third straight game as it attempts to win a World Cup quarterfinal match for the first time against Paraguay. Coach Vicente del Bosque stuck with misfiring striker Fernando Torres up front alongside David Villa, who has scored four of Spain's five goals to be joint-leading scorer in South Africa. The striker's tournament-high fifth goal sets up a semifinal against Germany in Durban on Wednesday. Taken from CBS news
Spain spent most of the night trying to break through Portugal’s defense. David Villa finally did it. Villa scored off his own rebound in the 63rd minute, giving the European champs a 1-0 victory Tuesday that put them into the World Cup quarterfinals.
In a game where Spain dominated possession and outshot the Portuguese, Villa took Xavi Hernandez’ heel pass and struck a left-footed shot that was saved by Portuguese goalkeeper Eduardo. He then fired the rebound with his right foot off the underside of the crossbar and into the net — his fourth goal of the tournament — sprinted to the near corner and slid on his knees to the flag, letting out a mighty yell.
Spain was about teamwork, and it showed from the start. Fernando Torres and Villa immediately moved down the left, looking to exploit Portugal’s defensive weakness at right back, where Ricardo Costa struggled. Within the first seven minutes, Eduardo had to make three quality saves to keep Portugal in the game on angled shots from Spain’s two strikers.
Yet Spain moved on to an intricate passing game through the center of the field. Once Portugal’s defense settled in it frustrated the Spanish, reducing them to long-range attempts by Gerard Pique. Still, Villa knew a goal was coming.“We never lost our confidence,” Villa said. “We know the potential we have and what we can give.”
The game came two years to the day that Spain ended 44 years of international futility by winning the European title. The last defending European champ to also capture the World Cup was West Germany in 1974.
Taken form NBC Sports
David Villa scored a thriller on the first anniversary of Michael Jackson's death. Spain's King of Shots stunned impressive Chile with a 40-yard lob for the most spectacular goal of the World Cup so far. It set the tournament favourites on the way to topping Group H and a last-16 date with neighbours Portugal on Tuesday in Cape Town. The win means Spain neatly sidestep Brazil in their next match as their quest to become European and world champions gathers pace.
Both teams raced out of the blocks like sprinters after hearing the starter's gun. The breakthrough came after 24 minutes when Torres chased down a long ball from Xabi Alonso. Chile keeper Claudio Bravo raced out of his box to clear. But he failed to put the ball into touch and Villa, lurking on the wing, curled a beautiful left-foot shot over the keeper and into the net. Torres had a hand in Spain's second on 37 minutes.
The Liverpool man produced a neat backward pass at pace to allow Barcelona's Andres Iniesta to play a one-two with Villa and bury a second goal. But as Iniesta netted, Torres went down under Estrada's tackle and lay prone for several minutes while the Chilean got a second yellow card.
Chile still did not give up and in the 47th minute heaped pressure on Spain when sub Rodrigo Millar netted with a deflected shot. Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque refuses to believe his side have the easy option facing Portugal in the last 16 instead of Brazil. He said: "Anyone who watched that earlier match saw how Portugal controlled Brazil, and had excellent counter-attacking opportunities. ..... I think we've overcome a very difficult time for Spain. We were very disturbed emotionally by that defeat to Switzerland but we are more optimistic now."
Taken from The Sun See Villa at the 2008 Football Eurocup
Patience, flair and a brilliant game of keep-away prevailed over force Wednesday night when Barcelona dominated Manchester United, 2-0, to win the European Champions League title, Europe’s most prestigious club soccer tournament
Barcelona controlled the ball for long stretches with its unhurried and clever passing, attacked incessantly, held tight with a patchwork defense and made a tactical switch at forward, placing Lionel Messi as a central striker and shifting Samuel Eto’o to the right wing. Eventually, Messi drifted into midfield to secure possession. Both he and Eto’o delivered goals as Barcelona won its third European title and second in four years.
It will be left to Barcelona’s supporters to gleefully debate whether this is the Catalans’ greatest team, now that the first-year coach Pep Guardiola has guided his squad to the Spanish League title, the Spanish Cup and now the European Cup with a style that is familiarly elegant and ebullient.
Taken from The New York Times
Spain beat Germany 1-0 to win soccer's European Championship, ending a 44-year wait for a major international title.
El Niño Torres scored after 33 minutes at Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna, giving Spain its second European Championship. Its first came in 1964. Spain's Luis Aragones, at age 69 years and 338 days, becomes the oldest coach to lead a team to the title. Spain hadn't advanced beyond the quarterfinals since finishing as runner-up 24 years ago.
A stunning second half performance from Spain - inspired by substitute Cesc Fábregas - sees them through to the Euro 2008 final against Germany in Austria on Sunday. After a quiet and edgy first half, the loss of Spain's leading scorer David Villa through injury appeared to be something of a blessing in disguise, as Arsenal midfielder Fábregas came on to take control of the midfield and lead his side to victory, creating two of the three goals. After Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernández had opened the scoring in the 50th minute, substitute Daniel Guiza made it 2-0 on 73 minutes, before David Silva rounded off the evening with eight minutes remaining.¨
Next sunday Germany is waiting... go Spain!
Spain beat Italy 4-2 on penalties to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2008 after an agonic goalless draw in Vienna. Marcos Senna came closest in normal time when Italy keeper Gianluigi Buffon fumbled his shot on to a post.
Spain keeper Iker Casillas was the hero in the shoot-out, saving from Daniele de Rossi and Antonio di Natale. Daniel Guiza saw his spot-kick saved by Buffon, but Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas slid home the crucial penalty to set up a last four clash with Russia.
The game never touched the heights and penalties was an almost inevitable outcome given the approach of both sides.
David Villa scored in stoppage time to hand Spain a 2-1 win over Sweden today, giving Spain two wins in its first two games at Euro 2008.
Fernando Torres opened the scoring in the 15th minute for the Spanish, but his goal was canceled out by a Zlatan Ibrahimovic strike in the 34th minute to even the match.
It looked like the two teams were headed for a draw, but Joan Capdevila sent a long clearance out of the back up the left wing that skipped past Fernando Torres and the Swedish defense and into the box.
Villa got to it first, touched the ball around Sweden defender Petter Hansson, and slotted his shot inside the far post to give Spain a dramatic win.
A hat-trick by David Villa helped Spain to a 4-1 win over Russia in their Euro 2008 opener on today tuesday june 10.
Villa grabbed his first when he steered the ball into an open goal after fellow striker Fernando Torres drew goalkeeper Igor Akinfeyev out of his net in the 20th minute. He added the second before halftime, stroking the ball home after being put through by Andres Iniesta, before making it 3-0 when he tucked in a low shot after jinking past a defender on 75 minutes. Russia pulled a goal back through Roman Pavlyuchenko before substitute Cesc Fabregas headed Spain's fourth in injury time. Spain made a confident start to the Group D tie under stormy skies at the Tivoli Neu stadium. in Innsbruk
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