2009 Confederations Cup: Spain Tops Iraq 1-0
June 20th 2009 04:11
For their second game of the competition, Spain had a lot of trouble breaking down their opponents' defense. With six defenders lined up for Iraq along with ten men playing behind the ball, the Spaniards found themselves unable to move freely about as they did against New Zealand. The changes brought by Del Bosque didn't help either as Mata didn't have the same bite as Riera while Cazorla doesn't have the same vision as Fabregas. I wondered why Del Bosque hadn't started Silva over Cazorla but a nagging injury prevented the Valencia midfielder from playing a 90-minute game.
After a frustrating first half, the Euro champs broke the deadlock ten minutes into the second half when David Villa too advantage of a mental lapse by the Iraqi to head home a cross from Capdevila. That goals was it took to ensure the three points as Casillas had a pretty quiet night in the Spanish end. The win ensures Spain's qualification in the semis.
Their qualification wasn't the only reason to rejoice. By scoring his 30th goal for his national team, Villa became the second all-time scorer of Spain, behind Raul who has 44. It was also La Roja 14th consecutive win, equaling the record shared by Australia, Brazil, and France.
Spain's line-up: Iker Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Carlos Marchena, Joan Capdevila; Santi Cazorla (David Silva, 67th), Xavi Hernandez (Sergio Busquets, 82nd), Xabi Alonso, Juan Manuel Mata; David Villa (Daniel Guiza, 74th), Fernando Torres.
After a frustrating first half, the Euro champs broke the deadlock ten minutes into the second half when David Villa too advantage of a mental lapse by the Iraqi to head home a cross from Capdevila. That goals was it took to ensure the three points as Casillas had a pretty quiet night in the Spanish end. The win ensures Spain's qualification in the semis.
Their qualification wasn't the only reason to rejoice. By scoring his 30th goal for his national team, Villa became the second all-time scorer of Spain, behind Raul who has 44. It was also La Roja 14th consecutive win, equaling the record shared by Australia, Brazil, and France.
Spain's line-up: Iker Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Carlos Marchena, Joan Capdevila; Santi Cazorla (David Silva, 67th), Xavi Hernandez (Sergio Busquets, 82nd), Xabi Alonso, Juan Manuel Mata; David Villa (Daniel Guiza, 74th), Fernando Torres.
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