World Cup Game #60
Jul. 4th, 2010 10:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catalyst2Neither Paraguay nor Spain have hit their top form yet so I wasn't quite sure what this game was going to bring. Regardless of final result, what it did bring, most important of all, was a pulsating vibrant game of attacking football from both sides. Spain's attack barely got going in the first half because Paraguay's midfield press was so effective that no-one really found space or time often but then again Paraguay's own passing game was too wayward too often so they never really got going either. Having said that, this was no dour ugly struggle but rather a thrilling game of feint and counter-feint. The Paraguayans did get the ball in the net just before the break but it was rightly ruled off-side.
In the second half, the excitement notched up to near-overload as both side's attacks found their rhythm and both goalkeepers were called on to save penalties. First Casillas saved from the spot and held onto the rebound and then, within a minute, Villar let one in from the spot only for the referee to rule that it had to be taken again due to early Spanish encroachment into the Paraguayan penalty area. Alonso inexplicably shot in exactly the same spot again and Villar saved this time. Later replays showed that Villar was extremely lucky to have avoided giving away another penalty dealing with the rebound but in the heat of the moment, no-one noticed.
Spain finally took off the impotent Torres, bringing on Fabregas, and immediately, their attack came alive, firing in several shots, eventually resulting in Villa scoring, having seen Pedro's shot bounce off the post, and then his own shot hit the same post only to travel across the mouth of the goal behind a stranded Paraguayan defender before the ball hit the other post and finally went in! The Paraguayans threw everything at Spain and came agonizingly close to equalizing, only to see Casillas pull off a wonderful double save at near point-blank range. There was one more Spanish attack which came very close to succeeding and then it was over - victory to Spain by Villa's solitary goal.
In the second half, the excitement notched up to near-overload as both side's attacks found their rhythm and both goalkeepers were called on to save penalties. First Casillas saved from the spot and held onto the rebound and then, within a minute, Villar let one in from the spot only for the referee to rule that it had to be taken again due to early Spanish encroachment into the Paraguayan penalty area. Alonso inexplicably shot in exactly the same spot again and Villar saved this time. Later replays showed that Villar was extremely lucky to have avoided giving away another penalty dealing with the rebound but in the heat of the moment, no-one noticed.
Spain finally took off the impotent Torres, bringing on Fabregas, and immediately, their attack came alive, firing in several shots, eventually resulting in Villa scoring, having seen Pedro's shot bounce off the post, and then his own shot hit the same post only to travel across the mouth of the goal behind a stranded Paraguayan defender before the ball hit the other post and finally went in! The Paraguayans threw everything at Spain and came agonizingly close to equalizing, only to see Casillas pull off a wonderful double save at near point-blank range. There was one more Spanish attack which came very close to succeeding and then it was over - victory to Spain by Villa's solitary goal.
