Game # 3 - Spain vs Netherlands

[catalyst2]

This was definitely game of the round so far for me and also featured the best goal so far. I was expecting a tight and probably dull game despite the talents of both teams because neither team would like to be the one to slip up after the World Cup Final in 2010. Instead, the Dutch went for it for almost all the game and it was the Spanish, despite scoring the first goal (from a penalty, admittedly) who generally hung on. Van Persie's first goal was definitely spectacular and the best so far for me. The Spanish looked flat and dispirited from the moment Robben scored his first goal. Still, 1-5 is a fairly spectacular way for Spain to go down. With goal difference being so vital, it also puts Spain in a very dangerous position, not just on zero pints but -4 goal difference and the bottom of their group after the first round.