Spain 1 Paraguay 0
2010 World Cup Quarter Finals
Saturday 3 July 2010 | Ellis Park Stadium | Johannesburg, South Africa
Two minutes of madness and two moments of brilliance is what will go forth from this match in the annals of World Cup history.
When Paraguayan forward Oscar Cardozo stood over the ball at the penalty spot in the 57th minute of a scoreless contest, no one could have predicted the sheer chaotic madness that was about to fill the following two minutes. The two moments of brilliance that occurred much later in the match were more predictable, but no less amazing in this memorable match.
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Spain believes in their system of tiki taka, the now-famous “pass and move” form of possession-oriented soccer (commonly believed to have emigrated from Holland to F.C. Barcelona with Johann Cruff where it was slowly perfected into an art form), which also serves as an effective defensive strategy. After all, if your opposition can’t maintain possession, their odds of winning are arguably lower than yours. That is the essence of modern Spanish soccer.
It wasn’t working for Spain today. Paraguay showed up to do what they did very well in this World Cup – defend, defend, defend by running their socks off while harassing and pressuring the opponent that happens to have the ball in the moment. The gamble for Paraguay is that fatigue sets in and the opponent’s quality rises like cream in the milk, but the potential rewards are huge. After conceding a single goal to Italy in their first game that ended in a draw, the Guaranies didn’t concede a goal in their next three matches. Today was more of the same from La Albirroja. Paraguay’s method was working.
Thus, it was up to Spain’s belief in their system and in themselves. Would they cave in to the trap of impatience that invariably leads to frustration, mistakes, panic, and then desperation?
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Paraguay’s strategy in the first half was to defend Spain’s passing game by defending deep, mixed with pressuring the ball in the midfield, and wait for a counterattack break. Early, Paraguay pressured the ball effectively. Spain played with width but was unable to keep any measure of possession. The Spaniards could not develop any rhythm whatsoever. For a team that had a 68 percent possession stat so far in this World Cup, highest of any squad so far, it was strange watching the ball at times pinging around in the midfield with no one able to claim it. Paraguay’s game of dispossession was winning. The Guaranies didn’t seem to care that they couldn’t create much possession themselves – that was not their objective.
There were few dangerous chances by either side in the opening half, apart from a volley just over the crossbar by Spanish midfielder Zavi on 29’ and two deep balls by the Paraguayans into the penalty area looking for a head attached to a red-and-white-striped jersey. No head was found.
Then on 41’, a Paraguay free kick caught Spain’s defense napping. The ball was delivered to the front of the goalmouth where the irrepressible Nelson Valdez had beaten Spanish defender Gerard Pique. Valdez chested the ball straight down and delivered a kick into the goal, but was called for offside. TV replays showed that the call could have easily gone either way.
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In the 56th minute, Cesc Fabregas came on for Spain to replace the ineffective Fernando Torres. Fabregas had not played much in this World Cup even though he is considered to be one of the best midfielders in the world. It’s just that Spain have a couple of midfielders even better than the younger Cesc. But Fabragas was soon to find himself in the middle of the two minutes of madness that was waiting to unfold.
On a Paraguay corner kick, Pique was called for pulling Cardozo down in the penalty area, precipitating a penalty kick for Paraguay, and bringing us to the beginning of an unforgettable chain of events. Cardozo’s penalty kick attempt was hard and low to the right, but not far enough to the right as Spanish keeper Iker Casillas made the save while not allowing a rebound attempt by the onrushing Paraguayans.
Immediately, Paraguay found themselves back-peddling, trying to defend a Spanish rush to goal. David Villa received the ball, took it into the penalty area where he was brought down by Paraguayan centerback Antolin Alcaraz. Referee Carlos Batres of Guatemala gave Alcaraz a yellow card, and the Spaniards immediately complained that it should have been red, but Spain had their chance to take the advantage in this improbable set of events that had much further to go before fully playing itself out.
Midfielder Xabi Alonso’s penalty kick was into the net for Spain’s go-ahead goal, and given Paraguay’s history of not scoring goals, it was surely improbable that Paraguay could recover from that moment. But the madness had not stopped. Referee Batres waived off the goal because the Spaniards were guilty of encroachment across the retaining line immediately before Alonso had struck his kick. However, all Alonso had to do was retake the kick, and odds were the 1-0 lead momentarily taken away would be restored.
Paraguayan goalkeeper Justo Villar saved Alonso’s second attempt, but he was unable to retain the ball as his opposite, Casillas, had done moments earlier at the opposite end of the pitch. The rebound spun around in front of the right goalmouth. Fabregas rushed toward it, sure to poke in the spilled save. But, Villar knocked Fabregas off his stride, no whistle was heard from the referee, the Spanish rightback Sergio Ramos made an attempt on goal, but the ball was cleared off the line by a Paraguayan player standing on the goal line.
All Spain got out of a saved Paraguayan penalty kick, a disallowed penalty kick of their own, and a missed shot from a rebound from a saved Spanish penalty kick after a missed red card that should have been given to a Paraguayan was a couple of follow-up corner kicks that resulted in nothing.
Whew! As someone surely once said, you just can’t make this stuff up.
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It took several minutes for any viewer to assimilate the details of what happened in those two minutes of madness, and to evaluate the potential ramifications of it all. Soon, madness gave way to brilliance.
On 82’, Spanish midfielder Xavi collected a pass from somewhere in the midfield and delivered an exquisite back-heel pass to his midfielder mate Andres Iniesta who delivered a perfect pass to the onrushing Pedro, who then delivered a shot to the left where the ball deflected off the goalpost right back to this World Cup’s star David Villa. The Spanish striker coolly sent a curving ball to the right part of goal where it hit the right upright and deflected hard to the left directly toward the other goalpost. Was this just not Spain’s night?
The ball hit the left post and deflected back into the net for the goal that Spain had earlier been cruelly denied. A moment of pure Spanish brilliance that began in midfield where everything that is good generated by this wonderful Spanish team is created.
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Don’t forget, there were two moments of brilliance, not just one. Paraguay weren’t done. They somehow created a break toward the Spanish goal in the 89th minute. Lucas Barrios, who had come on in the 84th minute, found himself rushing with the ball in the right part of the penalty area. His shot on goal was right at the keeper, but low enough to where Casillas couldn’t hold on. The ball rebounded back toward from where it came and Roque Santa Cruz was waiting to cleanup Casillas’ mess. Santa Cruz took a better attempt, slightly to Casillas’ right, but not far enough to the right, as Casillas was able to make a brilliant save, preserving Spain’s lead and ultimately the win that advances the Spaniards to the semi-final on Wednesday.
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Spain had its second consecutive 1-0 win over two of the meanest defensive teams in the competition. They accomplished this in the only way possible for them – a stout belief in their system of play from which they didn’t waiver, even when events were going against them. The Spaniards had persevered, earning advancement to the semi finals, which, in and of itself, conquers their previous and pervasive World Cup underachievements.
But this team, being the world’s number two ranked country in FIFA’s world rankings, obviously have their sights set on their country’s most valued aspiration. And, the competition that looked to develop into a “South American World Cup” with all five of that continent's participants advancing to the Round of 16 is now dominated by three European countries in the final four. Only little, improbable Uruguay represents South America against powers Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands for the world championship.
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