Spanish perfection

Spain 1 Germany 0

2010 World Cup Semi Finals

Wednesday 7 July 2010 | Moses Mabhida Stadium | Durban, South Africa

Spain stuck to their guns - constructed with velvet handles and cold steel barrels - while Germany never got their game on. It resulted in a win for La Roja that could be described as perfection.

The Spaniards played with their familiar possession game, serving not only as an effective offense, but also as a defensive strategy designed to dispossess and frustrate. Germany were left not only frustrated, but in the end were metaphorically emasculated. After the game, some of their players were seen talking softly to each other, seemingly trying to make sense of how they were rendered ineffecutal by a side less of physical power and speed and more of incredible skill and patience. German captain Philipp Lahm put it best when he said Germany "didn't play courageously enough." Germany's coach Joachim Löw added that "Spain are the best team in the world." The world will be the judge of that when Holland and Spain face each other on Sunday for the World Cup title, ensuring that a country never to win the world's championship will hold aloft soccer's holy grail.

What does billiards have to do with it all?

When I was a teenager, I played a lot of pocket billiards: straight pool, the 14.1 game. It was pretty much a game played in bars and private clubs. Rack 'em and bang 'em was the typical approach.

Then, when at university, I saw the professional tour come to town to play a tournament. Steve Miserak and company were there. What I saw amazed me - in three days, I never saw a ball hit very hard. This was a game with which I was very familiar but a method of playing it that I had never imagined. I had not been fortunate to be associated with the right kind of player. Now I was seeing the best in the world delicately progress through the rack, with not a lot of power, but instead incredible technical skill, perfect speed of the ball, mental vision to think three shots ahead, and above all, incredible patience. Rarely did these players try to get too much with a single shot. They didn't make attempts when circumstances didn't make opportunities available.

I was witnessing a game of possession. I had been given the vision to what successful pocket billiards looked like - this was long before the availability of the internet. This was during times when you had to see it in person to understand it.

It was also an acquired taste. Billiard games like 9-ball were more 'exciting'. To many, 14.1 was comparatively boring and tedious. But once hooked to the strategy and skill, the pace and patience required of 14.1 became an insatiable pursuit.

And, what does film have to do with it all?

I prefer films that are more character study that action adventure - films where the viewer has to be patient and at the same time intent on watching everything, listening to everything. The pace can be plodding for long stretches. It, shall I say, requires a measure of skill to watch such films, just as for the practice of active listening. You can easily be lulled to sleep. But, take your eyes off the screen, and you may miss the moment of brilliance that makes the whole experience so compelling, so intoxicating. You may miss the climax, making you wonder from where it came - you missed the rising action preceeding the moment of emotional explosion and release.

Wednesday's game was perfect 14.1, a performance worthy of an Oscar

There are some soccer matches with a long introductory exposition, filled with subtexts of character development and moments of foreshadowing. You either walk away or sit enthralled, wanting more. Walk away, and you miss the subsequent rising action that leaves you yearning for fulfillment via a goal, that moment of climax that makes soccer like no other sport. To fully enjoy such a match requires the acquired taste of a billiard game like 14.1 as opposed to 8-ball; it requires the patience and attention needed to attain the fruits of a compelling character study film.

Spain v Germany on Wednesday was such a match.

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The first half was a magnificient example of the exposition phase. Content to keep posession with a measured amount of tempo, the Spaniards passed and passed and passed. The Germans didn't look particularly frustrated; they were equally content to allow Spain to knock it around. It was "a very friendly match" as described by ESPN's Efan Ekoku on 20'.

There were moments of suspense, albeit brief. On 6', Spain's Pedro Rodriguez gave a magnificent through-ball to David Villa, but Germany's Manuel Neuer was there in the nick of time to keep the affair scoreless. On 30', there was finally a shot of any appreciable length when Xabi Alonso took a chance. And, on 45', Pedro Rodriguez made a nice play in the left corner to maintain possession and get Spain a corner kick.

But, the only real moment of danger was just before the half when Germany's Musut Ozil with the ball tried to break free from defender Sergio Ramos in the box. Ozil felt a bit of contact on the back of his lower leg and went down hoping for a penalty kick, but Hungarian referee Viktor Kasssi was having none of it.

The picture was painted, the exposition phase laid out. Spain had the edge of possession 62:38, but there were only 3 shots on goal by both teams. You were either ready to fall asleep or salivating for the rising action phase.

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And, that's exactly what the second half brought for nearly 30 minutes. The pace of the match rose a bit. Spain continued to maintain the measure of possession, but the Germans looked more sprightly. It was time for the Spaniards to kick this thing up a gear. On 48', a Spain corner kick resulted in some great dribbling by Pedro Rodriguez that resulted in a dangerous, curling shot by Xabi Alonso - just wide left. On 50', another shot by Alonso - wide left. Spain were now getting the space from which to muscle some attempts on goal.

On 55', three minutes after the Germans substituted the young Marcell Jansen for defender Jerome Boateng, the dangerous David Villa let go a dangerous shot - just wide right. Then on 58', absolutely splendid play by Spain in and around the perimeter of the German box created the most dangerous chances yet, punctuated by Andres Iniesta sending a pass from left of goal that whistled in front of the German goalmouth toward a sliding David Villa who was just a split-second late in getting to the ball. On 59', Pedro Rodriguez let go another shot - wide right. On 63' just after the Germans brought on Toni Kroos for Piotr Trochowski, Xabi Alonso delivered a wonderfully weighted ball to a charging Sergio Ramos that just got past the Spanish fullback.

Spain were now in complete control, tails up and smelling blood. The rising action phase was in complete bloom, rendering the viewer in need of the emotional release.

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But then on 69', the Germans did what they do so well - counterpunch. The fabulous Lukas Podolski had the ball on the left side and delivered a spot-on pass across to the right where Kroos, who had just come on a few minutes earlier, had full view of goal. He delivered a blistering shot that required full concentration from the Spanish keeper Casillas, which is exactly what the 29-year old from Madrid provided. It was the only thing that the Germans had done all half offensively, and it was almost all that they needed to advance to the finals on Sunday. Germany filled the next couple of minutes with possession and you began to think that after all of the work put in by the Spainards, they would fall just like England and Argentina did to Germany over the past few days.

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Emotional release time.

Spain's game is played in the open field. Most of their scoring chances come from fluent passing and lethal striking. Corner kicks and Spanish goals seem somewhat incongruous. But it was the Spanish midfielder Xavi Hernandez that was on 73' about to deliver the ball from the left corner flag that would send most of the Iberian peninsula into a collective orgasm. Perfectly delivered it was, toward the center of goalmouth, about 10 yards out. Spanish defender Carles Puyol, who had spend most of the evening using his head to bat away incoming German offensive attempts, this time rushed goalward from the perimeter of the penalty area to head Xavi's perfect delivery, perfectly to the left of Neuer.

The perfect climax to this film. Spain had maintained possession for most of the evening, running rack after rack after rack of this metaphorical game of 14.1.

It was perfect football.

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The last 15+ minutes were the predictable chaos now that Germany had to come out of its shell and press forward. Spain were tested a bit, but their defense was as rock solid as it had been the preceeding 75 minutes. Spainish centerbacks Puyol and Gerard Pique didn't let Germany have more than a faint sniff of the goal area. And when the three minutes of added time ran out, the Spain squad euphorically ran onto the pitch to capture the historic moment for their country; the Germans were in a state of shock.

Germany had advanced to the semi finals by destroying most of their opponents. After victories over England and Argentina by a collective score of 7-1, the Germans were the odds-on favorite to play for their fourth title in their eighth final on Sunday. Instead, Spain will play in their first ever title match against Holland.

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This was a day where style was accompanied by substance, but flair didn't transgress to flamboyance. It has been written ad nauseum that Spain are the kings of possession football, played with the short-passing style that renders the opposition lacking in enough possession to mount anything but the occasional length-of-field counterattack. It is a system, a philosophy, derided by some as not having the physical element required to win trophies. Certainly, the Holland squad and coaches were watching today thinking that being as passive as Wednesday's Germany will not be in the Dutch game plan on Sunday. But don't let all the pretty passing fool you. The Spain defense is rock-solid, and their midfielders are a tenacious bunch that aggressively pursue the ball to retain it as soon as the Spanish are dispossed.

They are brilliant. Wednesday, they were perfect. But Sunday, Spain will be tested more than at any time in recent history. Holland must be sharpening the studs on the bottom of their boots as we speak.

PHOTOS:

Spanish star Carles Puyol celebrates with the magnificient Xavi. (BBC Sport)

The leave after a fresh rack of 14.1 Continuous. (nycgrind.com)

Pedro maintains possession as Spain did for the majority of the match. (BBC Sport)

Mesut Ozil goes down in the box just before the first half ends. (BBC Sport_

Pedro lets go of a shot as Spain mounts increrasing pressure on the Germans in the second half. (BBC Sport)

Puyol's header catches the Germans flat-footed and puts Spain ahead 1-0. (BBC Sport)

The Germans seemingly couldn't believe how they had been taken completely our of their game. (BBC Sport)

Carles Puyol is congratulated by his teammates after scoring the only goal of the match. (Sports Illustrated-Getty Images)

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