Germany 0 – Spain 1 Or, What The Octopus Foresaw

July 8th, 2010 | by: Ade C. |

Paul was right. Huh. Who’d have trusted an octopus with this?

But he chose Spain and Spain won.

DV793729

And, by all the octopi in the world, we deserved it!!! I know that victory doesn’t go always to the deserving, that pretty build-ups and incredible amounts of possession don’t always mean anything, but they did this time. Unlike our match against Switzerland, this time we had luck and cephalopods on our side.

First of all, congratulations to Germany. They had a great match: a good keeper, an impeccable defence, a fighting midfield and (particularly when Kross came on) a dangerous attack. But what can I say? Spain was better. San Iker was saintly, Puyol and Piqué were immense, our midfield flowed and fought, and even if it wasn’t Villa’s day for breaking records, he, Pedro and Iniesta did everything they could.

What a match it was! Enough to conquer the admiration of the neutrals, and make the more partial fans screech and swoon.

Vicente Del Bosque, kind moustachioed soul that he is, gave in under the weight of evidence and took Torres off the starting XI. For Llorente, who’d already proved his worth? For Fàbregas, the most under-used star of the tournament? For Silva, who’d played a pretty decent match already? No… you don’t know Del Bosque if you think you can guess at his changes. He went for Pedrito, for 21-year-old, recently-capped-in-a-friendly, not-even-starter-with-his-club Pedro Rodríguez.

DV793333

Spain’s starting XI was: Casillas, Ramos, Piqué, Puyol, Capdevila, Alonso, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Pedrito and Villa. Same old defence, same old double-pivot, but with Villa at the center of our attack, while Iniesta took the left and Pedrito, the right (at least on paper, because they swapped places whenever necessary).

On his hand, the most stylish coach in the tournament (yes, even when he’s picking his nose and wearing his unwashed blue v-necked sweater), Joachim Löw, played Neuer, Lahm, Friedrich, Per Mertesacker, J. Boateng, Trochowski, Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Podolski, Özil, and Klose. Save for Müller’s forced absence due to an accumulation of yellow cards and Trochowski’s presence, the team that steamrollered Argentina not so long ago.

I was surprised at how well Spain started playing. Let’s face it, we hadn’t started all that well in any of our previous matches this tournament, but this time, rising to the ocassion, tiki-taka and taking control of the ball were the name of the game since the very first minute.

In a way, it was very odd to watch Spain play so much better against Germany that, say, against Honduras. Or Paraguay. Germany seemed content, for the moment, to sit back and let the Spanish midfield keep the ball, nevertheless quickly closing down on the attackers whenever they got close to Neuer’s box. Lahm, Mertesacker and Friedrich were fantastic; Boateng was quite a bit less so, though, and Pedrito and Sergio Ramos learnt to take advantage of this.

It soon became obvious, at least to those of us watching from home, that Spain’s hopes resided in their short, patient, unnerving-to-the-unintiated passing. Every long pass was intercepted by the German defenders and no wonder, with them being half-again as tall as the three Spanish attackers stacked one on top of the other! So Iniesta began to look for the sly pass between German legs and Villa had a great chance that Neuer sniffed quickly. Pedrito, at times, seemed to be everywhere, backtracking to the midfield to recover the ball, and then running here and there with it, or without it, to the exasperation of anyone who tried to mark him. From a corner gathered by this patient method came a Puyol header that went way high, but that was a sign of things to come.

DV793875

Germany, however, had more than enough tools to move forwards too, and Iker had quite a bit more work than he usually has in a couple of corners, thanks to Trochowski, who is no Honda, but had good rapport with Jabulani all the same. Piqué seemed nervous, clearing wildly on a couple of occasions, and Özil and Klose were sharply on the lookout for a match-deciding mistake.

It seemed the kind of match that is decided by a single mistake, so both teams moved cautiously, in what might not be the most thrilling of fashions for some, but was actually a wonderful tactical display. I wasn’t at all disappointed when half-time came with a 0-0 scoreline and a bit of confusion on a possible foul from Ramos to Özil in Casillas’ box; while Germany looked dangerous on counters and set pieces, Spain was controlling the match in their own way and I knew that, even if luck turned against them and they lost, I couldn’t be more proud of them for their play.

There were no changes during the break, although I suspect there were epic speeches going on at both changing rooms, and the second half started the way the first half had ended. Pedrito, if only to prove that Del Bosque’s changes are always exactly the right ones, was being our most dangerous player in defence, if only because Iniesta was drifting more towards the midfield and Villa was getting constantly muscled off the ball by Mertesacker and Friedrich. Xabi Alonso took to shooting wide from mid-distance (trying to relive his glory days at Liverpool, perhaps?), and Jogi Löw made his first change: the easily-bamboozled Boateng came off for Jensen.

While Jansen’s presence closed that flank some to Ramos, Iniesta and Pedrito, who’d been getting the best of Boateng for a while, Spain’s attack seemed to be wearing down Germany’s defence a little, with good chances by Iniesta, Villa and Pedrito that were, although pretty, useless. Klose had a close one too, and then Kroos came in for Trochowski, moments before there was another penalty shout-out, this time for a foul on Sergio Ramos, who, frankly, just fell too easily there.

DV794349

San Iker had even more opportunities to cement his sainthood with Kross on the field, and Germany’s strength seemed to be getting the best of Spain for a moment.

And then, from one of those set-pieces at which I’ve always said Spain suck, came the goal. Carles Puyol barged into the box with all his considerable strength, like a curly-haired force of nature, pushing aside Germans and Piqué alike, and headed into the back of the net. Neuer couldn’t do anything. This was the one mistake, the moment of distraction that the match was waiting for.

And yes, I have promised to stop saying that Spain suck at set pieces, however many short passes and retreats back to the midfield we obtain from them from now on.

There was about a quarter of an hour left after this. Tiredness was starting to slow Spain down. Germany was, understandably, throwing its everything in the attack. It was a nerve-wracking time for everyone. Xabi Alonso had to get foul-happy to stop Khedira in a counter, while Villa kept trying and failing to fight and run his way past the German defence.

Khedira came off for Mario Gómez, and Fernando Torres got his chance at redemption coming in for an exhausted David Villa.

As disappointing as Torres has been in the tournament so far, it was a sensible change. At least El Niño’s speed and size would give Mertesacker and Friedrich something to worry about, and he could take advantage of any long balls that came his way, since the midfield was too busy defending now to get the ball to him with any sort of precious, patient accuracy.

Spot the ugly but promising 21-year-old...

Pedrito had the second goal in the palm of his hand, after completing a run that saw him and Torres alone in front of Neuer, but he fluffed it badly by shooting straight at the keeper instead of passing. This made him look rather dejected when he came off for David Silva, in spite of his marvelous game.

It was a madness of a game now, with Spain defending tooth-and-nail (Xabi Alonso had to keep fouling people) and trying to get a haphzard ball to Torres or Silva here and there. When they got the ball, it was a dilemma between trying to calm down the frantic rhythm and retain possession, or trying to get the second goal. Minutes seemed like hours. Marchena came in for Alonso with less than a minute to go and after what was, to my hysterical mind, much too long, the refree blew the whistle.

Full-time. Spain won. Spain was in the World Cup final. (if you want to now what would’ve happened, if it had continued, follow the link…)

So, tell me, what does this 'scoring' thing feel like?

For all that they had controlled the match and had the best opportunities, I hadn’t let myself believe they could get there. But they did. Yes, they did.

Goal-scorer Puyol fled the celebrations of his teammates to go and console the heart-broken German players.

It was awesome.

I wanted to choose a MOTM (FIFA chose Xavi), but I couldn’t. The team as a whole did this and I don’t think individual distinctions are going to do this game justice. I did, however, grade the players, with overly inflated grades, too many flattering adjectives, and absolutely no bias at all. (well, two out of three isn’t bad…)

Casillas: 8. San Iker is keeping Spain’s back, so rest at ease. Although he sometimes gets himself in trouble, he fishes himself out of trouble too, so why worry?

Ramos: 8. He took advantage of Boateng’s weakness whenever he could, and was a lot of help to both Iniesta and Pedrito. His defending wasn’t too out there, though.

Puyol: 10. He made up for his missed header with that gorgeous goal. He defended like the wonderful CB he is. His curls were a little fuzzy near the ends, but who cares?

Piqué: 9. Another match-saving wonder… what a pair of CBs Spain has! His flank-changing long passes were pretty good too.

Capdevila: 8. No complaints about good ol’ Joan this time. Iniesta’s hard work made up for Capdevila’s not-so-sterling attacking qualities, and while he had more trouble with Kross than with Trochowski, he did well enough.

Busquets: 8,5. He gets quieter and quieter, better and better, each match. Less fouls, less theatrics, more recovered balls, more pressure on rival forwards.

Xabi Alonso: 8,5. Whether it’s a tactical foul, a mid-distance shot to try his luck, or a strangely fetching fuzzy ginger beard, Xabi has it.

Xavi: 9. No wonder assists, but a couple of pretty good CKs and the complete control of the midfield; not bad for a couple of hours worth of work.

Iniesta: 10. What didn’t he do, asides from scoring? Don Andrés was on fire last night, with visionary passing, wits enough to make Lahm despair, and tons of hard work.

Villa: 8. It was an unfair fight, this tiny, brave man against the likes of Mertesacker, Friedrich or Boateng, but Villa made of the best of it and had some good chances.

Pedrito: 9,9. He gets 0,1 discounted for failing to pass to Torres in that last chance, but lets be honest… after having watched El Niño play lately, would you have trusted him with the ball? Otherwise, Pedro was amazing, hard-working, and an excellent player all around.

Torres (for Villa): 7,5. Better than usual, maybe because he didn’t have any chances to shoot on goal and miss. At least he ran the German defence ragged and got on well with Silva, if not with Pedro.

Silva (for Pedrito): 7,5. He couldn’t do much, seeing that he came in at the frantic-defending phase of the game, but at least he got a few more minutes in the tournament.

Marchena (for Alonso). Again, coming in late in the last minute. Again, not doing much, but being adorable nevertheless.

Del Bosque: 9. Our walrus faced reality and changed Torres, not for whom we would have expect, but with the best option nontheless. And his subs were right and on time too.

Honourable mention: for Germany as a whole, who had a very good match, particularly in defence. And to Paul, you know why.

So, the final… Spain are already making history, but I have no doubt they will keep trying when Sunday and the Dutch come around…

DV794300

¡A POR ELLOS!

Spain World Cup Blog RSS Feed

Zizou

why is Villa looking at Xav's legs?

and Pedro was wayyy impressive, I can see why you Barca fans are raving about him. His energy bought something fresh. Great play by Bosque.

Put a lot of effort into that review Ade
http://twitter.com/debblie debi

Great article as always. That was the best match Spain played so far in my opinion, but it concerns me a little bit that their goal came from set pieces. As a cule' I was very happy to see 7 of the Barca players on the pitch.

I think Pedro inclusion made Spain looked so much better, but do you think putting Villa back in the lone striker position is causing him unable to score just like the Switzerland match? I heard this being discussed on a podcast, but I couldn't really decide if that's true.

I hope everyone has forgiven Pedrito for his tiny act of selfishness at the end. He was so much better than Torres.
yelena

torres' reaction was hilarious when pedro failed to pass the ball to him…haha! too bad pedro missed that, but Nando's reaction was really funny for me.
i think the game was really beautiful!! I was surprisingly calm after the first half, and i knew a goal was imminent, weeh, i was right! jitters came in the last few minutes, but we held on and WON!
twas indeed team effort that won the match,& i particularly think our midfield plays are a sight to behold..luurv it! xaviesta were sooo good, nothin flashy, but really classy!
pedro's work-rate was impressive, and Puyol's header was just sick!!

thanks again Ade! great job!
Nithin

It is, to some extent, true. The problem here is that being the lone striker, he'll always have two defenders on him and his game isn't physical enough to overcome it. Also, he doesn't get as much service in that position as he does on the left wing. He is not just an out and out striker. So when he sees much more of the ball, even though he is in a wide position, he can do much more with it.
Corey

Pedro was great, but to the detriment of Villa, who was anonymous in the center. It seems whoever gets stuck playing the center forward position in this formation has a very pedestrian job to do, and looks ordinary none the less. I hope Del Bosque figures that out for the Netherlands, Villa will have to score in that one.
kat

i was actually disappointed with iniesta.. He tried to do much with the ball and lost possession.. spain needs to find balance between direct play and passing game.. I mean all the media are raving the patient build up but after the loss to swiss it was totally reverse.. the first half was boring.. 2nd half was much better, as pedro looked to be more direct in style of play..
Luud Ruud

Watch out for the Dutch. You will have to be patient and wait out their antics with the ref. Their defenders will take shots to draw you in and then Robben and co. will try to dive their way into free kicks and cards from the eventual retaliation. With an English ref they may dive their way into a booking for simulation. Be patient and wait for it to pass. Then go to work!
Stuart

My disappointment as a Germany fan is starting to subside a little. I couldn't watch the game at work and could only listen. Given the outcome I wasn't even going to watch a replay, but my cooler headed wife convinced me that if Spain played so well, we should watch the match anyway. Good football is good football, after all. I did say going into the tournament that if the USA couldn't win it (I know, I know…someday!), and Germany doesn't do it, that I'd like to see Spain and the Netherlands in the final, so it's with some consolation that I look forward to what should be a wonderful match. Now one of these two great footballing nations will get to hang a much deserved star on their jersey. I've always been a closet Dutch fan, at least when the USA, Scotland, or Germany aren't involved, but in this case I'm going to have support the Spanish side. You really do have the best team, I just wish you didn't decide to show it against one of my teams! So nicely done to you; show the same form on Sunday and I think it's yours.
http://twitter.com/debblie debi

That's true, but Villa still did a whole lot more as a lone striker than when Torres was stuck in the middle. I hope Villa score in the final too. I really want to see him winning the golden boot if not golden ball as well.
stephanie87

QUE EMOCION! This is almost surreal. Sunday we could be crowned World Champions. I am soooo happy with this victory over a German side who looked invincible for the better part of the tournament. I knew Spain would come out victorious somehow. Argentina and England are no Spain. Spain are a different beast(that should be our motto lol) I am still soo pissed at how selfish our Pedrito was but no matter. I am sure he won't do it again. Good luck to our boys on Sunday. WE CAN DO IT!
Marcus

Congratulations to Spain! A well deserved win. And congratulations to Ade for this fine and balanced match report. I agree, it was an excellent game between master and apprentice and I am very much looking forward to see them playing against each other again in Euro 2012 and/or WC 2014. For a German victory this game came two years too early.
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

Great, Zizou, I can alway count on you to focus on the really important stuff! Is Villa looking at Xavi's legs? I'm thinking he's more like looking at Puyol's hair, but I'll have to study the pic more closely…
And yeah, that's why we rave about Pedrito at Can Barça…
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

Thanks, debi.
It was a good match, but Spain didn't have all that many goal opportunities. Mostly I'm just pleased we are scoring from set pieces, since it isn't really our strong point, but I think most of the goal-finishing problem this time was down to the really great German defence.
I think Villa's problem was his two huge bodyguards. That's why he looked better when drifting to the left. Against a shorter, more fluid defence, he should do better.
And if people haven't forgiven Pedrito, then they certainly shouldn't have forgiven Torres for his dismal matches up until now!
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

Well, Torres' bitchface and tantrums are common, so that kind of reaction was really to be expected…
You were calm? Lucky you! I was a ball of nerves for the whole match… but Puyol and Piqué made me breathe much easier with their defending…
Thanks to you!
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

I think that, even if lone striker isn't Villa's preferred position, he'd do much better in against the Dutch defence than he did against the German one… watching him struggling to win a ball of Mertesacker stopped being funny after the first few times.
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

I think Iniesta just did what he always does, and he only lost possession when he was fouled, which was, granted, rather often.
And the media turn faster than the bandwagon fans, so I wouldn't worry about what they say…
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

Thank you. Yes, I expect Robber to curl up into a little ball and roll on the ground a few times during the match. Hopefully Howard Webb will be able to see through their antics.
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

It was a great match to watch, for fans of both countries and for neutrals. Germany played really well, and they are very much a *team*, something they weren't quite at the Euro08, for example. I think they have a great future ahead of them…
And yes, the match on Sunday promises to be great…
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

I like your motto, and I share your excitement, stephanie, but I think you shouldn't be so pissed at Pedrito. It was silly of him, yes, but he is young and this is his first match as a starter… imagine the pressure on his shoulders! He won't do it again, I'm sure…
And yes, ¡PODEMOS!
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

Thank you, Marcus, I appreciate your comment!
I agree that this German team is good now, but it promises to be great in a few years. By Euro2012, they'll be even better, imagine that! It'll be a great rematch, I'm looking forwards to it already…
http://slovenia.worldcupblog.org/ Zala

Hi
I must say I haven't enjoyed a match (of this WC) like that since my Slovenia played the best first half in our football history(against USA).
Spain is my second fav team and I was the proudest person wearing their kit.
Great review and I'm hoping to see them crush Netherlands.
(Oh and by the way, Pedro is 22, not 21).
Greetings from Slovenia
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/FSAV2SAQRYXXI3P7EUKZEYGPGE Ash

Aww thanks for the honourable mention of my team Germany. Congrats to Spain.
stephanie87

That is true. But he did have an incredible match aside from that little moment. This was also a fairly clean match. Were there any yellows distributed? Now THAT IS SPAIN!
stephanie87

I do hope the match on Sunday is a just one. Don't get me wrong, Netherlands have some great players (Sneijder, Van Persie, Robben…although he dives every couple yards)Something about Spain is just out of this world though. Whether you support La Furia or not, you have to step back and admire the beautiful and above all CLEAN game Spain produces. All of Spain's victories are fair ones and I belive they have that extra edge over the Dutch to take that trophy on Sunday. GOOD LUCK BOYS! Whatever happens I am sooo proud! I hope this finally silences all the Brazil-loving doubters. I say brazil-loving because it seems like Brazil fans were the most vicious to Spain prior to the tournament, saying they are chokers and never win blah blah blah. And of course “Brazil 5 time world champion and Spain 0″ NOW LETS BEAT THE TEAM THAT BRAZIL LOST TO!
Zizou

you're right I am a guy and shouldn't have been looking at that haha you must know by now even without beng a regular on the RM blog that i'm not the most informative guy on the offside.
ROD

Puyol delays decision on future until after final
(AFP) – 7 hours ago
POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa — Veteran defender Carles Puyol, whose headed goal took Spain into the World Cup final, will make a decision on his international future after Sunday's title showdown with Holland.
“What faces us is beautiful and after that will be the time to think,” the 32-year-old Puyol said Thursday.
“No decision has been made. I will talk about it with the coach Vicente Del Bosque and the sporting director (Fernando Hierro) after the final.”
Azma Azmi

Totally agree on Puyol getting perfect 10!!he defended and attacked well and even scored *cries* Vamos Espana!Lets write our name in history!
Nithin

Now that you've called my attention to it, I'm more disturbed by the fact that they are all holding each others thighs.
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

They always do, Nithin, and all the more tightly depending on the importance of the match. Now, since you watch Valencia so often, I'd have thought you'd be immune to being disturbed by this sort of thing…
vineeth

spain fans should buy the “psychic” octopus,since you seem to like it so much.so get it before those germans fry it.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Gordon-Overkill/720796197 Gordon Overkill

Congratulations to Spain… the better team won
kat

hmm ade c. But this was not the iniesta that I had seen in the past.. in the euros for example..here he was man marked and there were 3 defenders around him when he did loose the ball, but he should have passed it instead of trying to jink across them..
ramos and pique were the best defenders.. that ramos is someone special.. heck you dont need to have another player on the right side.. and pique brings lot of solidarity.. They are la furia roja's future anyhow..
And I dont like playing double pivot.. never did.. but it's serving the purpose well..
xabi alonso was another stand out.. his crossing was pin point perfection.. maybe better shooting would have helped..
and puyol's goal was awesome !!

Coming to the villa torres issue. I have seen villa play for valencia, and he always plays brilliant off a striker.. As a target man he is not good. As nithin said one guy was trying to pressurize the german CB's who were giants. I mean it's waste of villa's talent.. So I am for torres starting alongside or llorente..
kat

for valencia, you also get to watch must of the players pull up their shorts veery high.. that is very disturbing .. and nithin can attest that too
Jessica Lila

Yes… Spain was amazing!!!!!! Hope they win… And they play fair too!!!!!! Let's pray they win… And i still wish Pedro passed it to Torres!!!!!! Oh well… SPAIN ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!! And can someone tell me who's gonna start on sunday for Spain…??
eternally_tmh

Great review again. I always look forward to your post. I thought Xavi was outstanding this match but I hope Spain will be able to control the game against the Dutch.
eternally_tmh

Pedro should have and could have passed it on to to Torres. I'm not surprised Torres reacted the way he did. It's always better to score at the best of opportunities and that was one of it.
Lumia

What are u talking about? The Spanish did the same thing but way worse. Falling over all over the time to score free kicks, in one case, the replay showed the guy MADE NO CONTACT AT ALL with the spanish player, and he tripped over. The real winners in the world cup were all the others teams that spain 'defeated'. Spain hardly made any convincing wins in the whole world cup, barely scrapping past opponents through penalties, free kicks, occasionally real shots from Villa, who otherwise sucked at the final and needed to be subbed off cos he was making no ground. NL vs Germany would be a real final. Heck, Paraguay, Argentina, they all have their faults, but I really dislike Spains tactics of just diving and getting free kicks. This isn't soccer, its theatrics.