Game Blog: Spain at Belgium

When things go mad around you, you come home and realize what a sanctuary La Seleccion is. Tired, pissed off, I turn on the TV: and the little whimper in my heart soars when I see my Spanish boys. OH, look at how proud they stand! Listening to the Marcha Real song – do they realize, what an impact they have on people? How one look, one position forward in the lineup, can utterly affect a person’s happiness or sadness? How much they are inherent in the fabric of our lives not to break down, in the fabric of us all, for our joy and for our redemption . .

Because I’ve just had the business trip from hell. Yep, complete with the totally delusional and asshole of a boss, a shitpile of stuff to do, and a delayed flight making me miss an appointment in town. pjlkfajlsdfk#. The only way to rescue my evening now – is to turn on La Seleccion. And even though it’s a day late and I already know the score – I instantly smile when I see my boys in yellow line up for the national anthem!

 It’s not even my anthem – but oh, how I love the sound of it! How much it brings me back summer, when all around me winter is threatening to break! The pomp, the splendor, and the wordless notes float through the air, allowing you to enjoy the Spanish boys in all their regal bearing without having to endure (or laugh at) them trying to sing the words. Bravo, Spain! It’s become my honorary anthem – the song that will always hold for me the joy and wonder of discovering them and falling in love with them in this summer’s Euros.

4-1-3-2 ineup:
Sergio – Puyol – Juanito – Capdevila
Senna
Cazorla – Xavi – Iniesta
Torres – Villa

This is the first time I’ve watched a Setanta broadcast, and they are showing a few interesting shots before the match, including slow-mo dramatization of Senna clapping and clenching his fists to pump himself up, the two Belgian forwards chatting about formation and tactics, and Nando – LOL! – looking quite uncomfortable, actually, as if his mind was miles away, doing some stretching prior to kick-off. Oh, and what’s this? A girl in a parka laughs giddily as she kicks the ball in center circle, as if starting the game. She’s won some kind of lottery? Where can I apply????

1:20 These yellow uniforms with white shorts don’t flatter the boys at all! Along with the white socks . . eh. I miss them in royal red. Spain keeps neat possession in the opening minutes, almost losing it here and there, but just as I gasp, a midfielder will leap forward and keep it, win it with a neat step and a precise tap of his foot, and I am thrilled with every movement. Suddenly, from some 40 yards out, Fernando loses patience and volleys a hopeful ball forward! Surely it would go nowhere – its way too far out – but the goalkeeper spills it! He’s on the ground! It’s ripe for the picking!!!! VILLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH, so close! He pounces on it, and in two steps have snatched that rebound and strikes it with all his might towards goal, but the goalkeeper quickly swallows this one up. Great start to the game!

3:00 I love the crowd here! The stadium is filled to capacity and brimming with loud, happy fans, a sing-song of voices and banners and drums. Now this is the proper atmosphere for a game! (sorry, Estonia)

6:30 WHA-??????? GOL already for Belgium??!! What happened?? Iker didn’t even move! 0-1!

Poor, poor defending on this set piece. And it’s a fright to see a team beat Spain to a goal – that’s never happened before in the Euros!

Here, Belgium wins a corner. The corner kick swings out too far, and the ball is headed out to the right elbow of the box to Belgium’s #4, Kompany. Sergio goes out to defend – but instead of stopping the ball he tries to stop the man instead, and they wind up in a messy tangle of arms and shirts just as Kompany smartly taps the ball out right, then brushes Sergio away to put in the cross – which meticulously sails straight to #10 Sonck by the far post, who rises magnificently (and ALONE) to head in the goal. !!!!

It was as if the Belgians were playing in real time and Spain in extra-slow-motion!! Iker didn’t even move! He could only watch, horrified, as the ball arched over him and past him into goal. How can Sergio not only let somebody by him with such a dangerous ball, but to let him put in the goal-assisting cross??? How can we allow that ball to find #10 without even a fight? How can we allow a goal this easily? “Ramos is not concentrating,” the announcers decide.

10:30 Oooh, lovely stuff from Torres! First, he receives a fabulous ball from Xavi on the left side, looking like a deft deer in between 3 defenders looming in on him, but his beautiful cuts and weaves to find the right angle gets shut down. Then – a high cross this time comes to him, and he holds off his marker strongly with a fantastic chested control of the ball, then immediately sends it back into the air with a sombrero to elude his marker again – ah, only to lose it!

11:30 LOL!!!!! NANDO! Don’t despair! A hurtling cross once again finds Torres, full of run – but his leap to tap that ball back slightly to his striking partner Villa goes horridly awry, skips Villa altogether, and lands on the boot of a Belgian. Seeing that, Nando stops dead in his tracks and throws his hands and his head down violently, cursing the gods while at it. Don’t worry, Nando! We’ll get them in plenty of time!

13:00 Belgium with another chance! They stream forward, and they do not tiki-taka, oh no. They gallop at full speed down the wing and one good cross will do, one no-nonsense cross that nearly finds 2 forwards latching onto it, before Sergio is once again chasing down a dangerous ball in the right corner. This time he does better – tangles up the player and tries to clear the ball out of bounds – but he falls down while entangled! The ball is still in-bounds! OH NO! Their #9 Witsel gets a bicycle kick??? Quite ferocious too, it whips toward goal – only to go out just wide. The Belgians are more entertaining than the Spaniards so far! (and what a name – Axel Witsel!)

13:39 After that scare, the commentators begin berating the Spanish defense, naming every single one of our back four with the air of terrible doubt as to their defensive qualifications. Just as I’m about to sock them one – Sergio sprints for a loose ball down the right flank and tackles it away! Just as the Belgian winger is catching up to him. There! Do you doubt us now? “They’re falling apart,” is their conclusion. Oh, whatev.

16:30 OOOHHHH, what a chance!! Someone (#10? No Cesc can’t be there – Xavi?) with an eye-popping ball forward, straight as an arrow, for Villa to outrun the keeper!!! He’s come out too far! Villa is facing an empty net on the far, far right side!!! He waits just a little bit too long for Fernando to catch up, and then his cross his picked off by a Belgian defender. OOOOhhh, what a chance that would’ve been to capitalize on that mistake!

Wait a minute . . it is Cesc! I can recognize that kind of pass from anywhere, it is Cesc’s signature kicking style and pass . . but, when did he come on??? And for who?

20:00 I’m still confused on how we can have Cesc on the field. He wasn’t in the starting lineup, was he? Are we playing 12 on 12 here? No . . I mentally count every Spaniard I’ve seen so far. Cazorla, check – Iniesta, check – Villa – Nando – Xavi – Senna. We are of course fielding our back four. Ok. Plus Iker. That’s already 11. How does Cesc get to be player #12?

24:30 Jesus Christ, the Belgians are looking good!!! They’re tearing our back four to pieces here! Iker suddenly with much more to do, first heading a long, dangerous ball away (first time I’ve seen him use his head!), and now he comes out to scoop up another dangerous ball, so quickly throwing it back into play, his whole body language one of a ferocious captain, screaming and urging his team on, to race for the enemy guns! The whistle blows on a foul, and Iker goes hopping mad, yelling at the ref for the Belgian forward that’d plowed into Puyol and then himself in that mad scramble for the aerial ball. I’ve never seen him so emotional before – GO IKER!!! That’s the captain I want to see!

31:00 Yellow card on Belgian captain #3 Simons for holding Xavi back by the arm, shoulder, torso, you name it. I think I get it now. There’s been a substitution that I’m not aware of. Is Nando gone???? While they were busy showing some video or other? What happened???? How is this worth $15/mo, Setanta, if you don’t even show us how #9 got injured?!

33:00 Sergio?! What happened???? At first I didn’t want to believe it, but then I see his red and yellow wristband, worn for Spain, as distinctive as if his name had been on the back of his jersey. And my heart drops like a stone.

He’s writhing on the ground, his hands covering his mouth in agony, his eyes squeezed tight and his whole body alternatively curled into a fetal position and then turning to lessen the pain. A circle of players surround him, Cesc arguing/debating with a Belgian. Then they show the replay.

And you realize that this is a defender of the utmost quality – no one else compares to him. The replay shows Cesc and Belgian player #17 Fellaini watching a high aerial ball hurtling towards them. Then – Cesc steps out of the picture! He says no thank you! But Sergio! He sees it coming at him like a burning meteor, and he decides that he’s not in the right place, that he needs to go one step forward, in order to meet it head on! My lord! And there’s a Belgian player already there? No problem! He determinedly jumps up INTO it, higher than the Belgian, he so wants to head it, to get it away from him! Cesc, you bloody arse, thanks for nothing! Thus in his ardor for the ball he thinks nothing for himself, no precaution, all he wants to do is win the ball, and when he does – his head clatters into the head of the beaten Belgian, hammering his jaw, and he drops to the ground like a wounded soldier. My heart stops in its tracks. Oh Sergio! How can they ever question you? How can they ever criticize you as giving anything less than 150%?

And as I scan the crowd of Spanish players milling about – yep, I see no Nando. That’s the swap, then.

He’s alright!! YAY! As Sergio gets up and jogs back into place – the boos rain down from the crowd. Hey, hey – give him some respect, won’t you? Sergio rightly ignores them and checks his mouth for any loose teeth, his palm revealing a smudge of his own blood.

35:20 GOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! INIESTA!!!!!!!!! Brilliant finishing, 1-1!

Oh my god, what absolute majestic ball-control by our little magician! Routes the keeper and slips it cheekily into goal, almost delivering it to the doorstep! Oh, look at Cesc so happy! It was his assist, after all! Hey, Del Bosque! Smile a little, won’t you?

It starts with a ball from the back that finds no one up front. But the Belgian defender who intercepts it gives it to his buddy, who makes the terrible mistake of trying to pass it backwards instead of forwards, so that an enterprising Cesc steals it!

He immediately turns tail and Iniesta knows this is his signal, he comes steaming up the left, and the ball is slipped forward for him by Cesc, a beautiful ball that seems to run parallel to him and almost wait for him, arriving just as he does, Iniesta splitting the defense to get to it, luring the keeper out of goal before the most amazing sequence – sliding the ball with his foot while running, keeping it firmly attached to his feet, evading all defenders and even the outstretched hands of the goalkeeper who sees his nightmare dance by him, Iniesta leaving nothing to chance and even with a sliding tackle in to stop him he slips it in just on the goalline, a loving tap to spiral that ball into the far net, Xavi coming on to spike it for emphasis but they are already off celebrating, the patience of Spain repaid in spades!!!!! Oh, if Belgium wants to play with speed and power – then Spain will give you beauty. She will give you a goal that you will want to rewind and watch again and again, and still never tire of the brilliance of one splendid dribble by our magician to deliver it home.

ROFL!!!!!!! IKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God is he excited about that goal! Someone go out and celebrate with him plz!!!!!!!! Haha, with that gigantic finger wagging in the air as he screams his lungs out! FTW!!!!!

37:00 VILLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sergio with a beautiful delivery to place the ball at his feet! WAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!! All Villa has to do is control it and shoot!!!!!! But at full run with no one to takes these monsters off his hands now, Villa skies it over the goal and cries for it to come back to him.

And what an about-face for the commentators. Just a couple minutes ago they were still berating Spain on “Juanito looking lost,” Cazorla losing the ball like “taking candy from a baby,” Sergio “not concentrating,” and where is our central defense? Blah blah . . Now its suddenly “and this is why Spain are the reigning champions!” as they replay the Villa near-miss. Make up your mind, will you?

38:00 Sergio loses the ball! Shit! Now the Belgians stream forward again – except we are without our right back! That channel is wide open for him! He takes on Iker 1v1! DAMN! But thank god his shot is unimaginative, straight and low to the ground, and Iker eats it up with his mittens and his body, protecting that ball so as to not spill it. Phew! Thank you Iker!

44:00 Villa!!!!!!!!!!!! That was almost in, you bloody goalkeeper! What brilliant linkup once again, Sergio with jaw-dropping precision placing the ball just half a meter in front of our rollicking #7, then all you see is a blur of legs and desire and undeniable ferocity zip past you, takes it down with his chest and beat his marker with a deadly touch from an acute right angle but the keeper this time makes no mistake! So, so close!!!!

Corner! We take it short, but it really goes nowhere, so we reset. Now from the back surges a flying ball forward – for Sergio? Yes! With a header! Oh, that didn’t go as planned. Damn those pesky defenders in the way!

Oh wait. They’re injured? Wow – Sergio took out both #14 and the goalkeeper? LOL!

Second Half:

46:30 Ah. They finally decide to inform us that Torres was indeed lost at 16:00 in the first half due to injury, swapping Cesc on. Jeez, that’s really timely reporting, guys!

48:40 WOW. Spain is just devastating in the second half opener here, moving the ball around as if by instinct, seeking each other out and darting in and out of the confounded Belgian defense as if children playing hide and seek. Oh, what movement! What cleverness on the ball! Watch as Iniesta once again dares them to touch him, playing that sliding game with his feet. And now, as he runs back into the center, he crafts a yard of space and promptly lashes that ball to the top left corner, so so accurate that the crowd holds its breath! Another inch and it would’ve gone in! But alas, it whispers just above the crossbar, the top corner of the goal, and the Belgians let out a huge sigh of relief.

51:00 PUYOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Saving Spain for dear life! MY GOD, IKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Coming out too far!! The goal stands defenseless and the shot is whipped in, fast and furious – and if not for Puyol sliding in to save that off the line we would’ve gone a goal down once again! All hail the Barca stopper!!! Oh god, my heart’s still racing 100mph from that one!

Replay: Jesus, that #18 Dembele skips by everyone, “makes mincemeat of Capdevila,” dodges past Juanito too, Iniesta chases and chases but can get no closer, and now Iker is forced to come out and help, he slides in with his mittens up – BUT it doesn’t stop him! Stop him!!! SOMEONE STOP HIM PLEASE!!!!!!!!!! He SHOOTS!!!!!!!!!! There is no one in front of goal!!! Then – like a miracle Puyol slides in, tackling the ball with his leg in one quicksilver moment, everyone’s hearts in their throats as they watch the ball careen away and out of bounds . . my god, my god, this is an epic game.

And we’ve just seen one of the top ten saves of the year. For sure. Thank you, Puyol – we owe you our everything.

53:00 Great save! Iker redeems himself by stopping a shot on goal by another runaway Belgian, this time their #9, with his legs. Corner for them – *gasp* – the ball is loose! And Iker races out to grab control, looking around to who to give it to for the quick restart. Everything about him is fast today – you get the sense that this is war, and there is simply no time to lose.

54:10 Haha, Villa! Every time he is even slightly pushed/shoved off the ball, he looks back at the referee with those scathing dark eyes and clenched jaw as if there’s been highway robbery. No call.

55:00 Jesus Christ, that was close!!!!!!!!! From my angle it looked like it had gone in for them! If this is Belgium then what will Turkey be like???? Ok, calm down, calm down . . breathe . . remember to breathe . .

Replay: Puyol is once again the hero. I cannot even believe my eyes. How much will and concentration does that take, to be gunning at full speed, keeping a big, strapping forward at bay – all the while seeing the ball come hurtling towards you, one wrong step and you know its an own goal, one slower step and it’s a goal by Belgium, your keeper has gone god knows where, the goal is empty and defenseless once again, there are just a sea of red shirts everywhere, Juanito and Capdevila once again are useless . . what do you do????? My God, if you are Puyol, you do the impossible and tap that ball just enough to skirt the goalpost and out of bounds, out to safety – while you continue hurtling towards the net at 90mph and then falls inside with a heart-attack and a HUGE breath of relief all at the same time. Seriously, if not for our dear Puyol, we would be down 1-3 right here. I’m not kidding. He is man of the match, for sure.

60:00 It’s been back and forth, back and forth – 80% Spain holding and probing and crafting, so patient are they to paint a masterpiece. Then they lose the ball, and Belgium pours forward, as fast as Thoroughbreds off to the races, caring nothing for artistry but for the sheer power of lunging towards goal, and the 10 Spanish strikers must instantly turn into 10 stout defenders. Riveting stuff!

Hey, don’t touch his hair! Haha, Puyol and #17 Fellaini get into an argument, Fellaini tries to reconcile by putting both his hands out to touch Puyol’s cheeks/hair, in a show of goodwill – but Puyol wants none of it! Instead, he gives him a wag of his finger accompanied by an icy glare that all but screams, “Hands off my hair plz!! They’re not for you!”

63:20 WTF????? The whistle’s blown a long time ago and everyone else has given up, but Fellaini is deaf?? Hello, offside! But he keeps going! Iker comes racing out for it, but Fellaini just bulldozes right through him – literally! Iker, surprised as hell, goes flying into the air. Meanwhile, Fellaini bears down on the wide empty goal all by himself, as if this is normal, as if he senses absolutely nothing is wrong, and plods that ball into the net before turning right around to celebrate, as if – he hadn’t heard? Yeah right. Iker is scowling like mad. “Please give him the benefit of the doubt, you can’t hear yourself think!” the announcer pleads. No card is given.

64:00 Xabi on for Santi Cazorla. Don’t you think we need another striker, Del Bosque?

65:00 Iniesta shown the yellow card for a studs-up challenge on a high ball with Belgian #10.

66:15 Puyol shown the yellow too! Oh no no no! He slipped, referee, he slipped! You gotta give him the benefit of the doubt!

But no one gives a defender the benefit of the doubt. Awwwww . . poor Carles. The replay shows that he did, in fact, slip – trying to get in front of the #10 Sonck and tackle it away – but instead slipping on the grass and then landing with a thud in front of the rampaging Belgian striker, so that it looked from behind as if Puyol was trying to put a doorstop on that man. Just a yard outside the penalty box too!

Immediately upon seeing that and hearing the whistle, Sergio, who was trailing them, jumps in the air in protest and tries to passionately appeal to the referee, to no avail. Senna tries too, but Puyol can do nothing except wait, hands on his hips, looking forlorn and innocent. Their cries, however, fall on deaf ears, as the ref continue jotting his name down in his book. Resigned now to the free kick given so close to goal, the players gather for the defense.

It’s cleared out by Puyol! YAY!

68:00 Suddenly the boos rain down from the stadium, simply for Puyol touching the ball! “They’ve found someone they don’t like,” the announcer chuckles. Well, they’ve booed Spain every time they’ve given it to their back four to restart the possession, but I’m guessing Puyol’s saves and defense has really riled them up today. Rival’s boos = respect in disguise, right? Well, I’ll like to think so. 

Sergio!!! Making a devastating run up the right wing! Its so surprising to see him attack after watching the whole first half where he kept passing the ball backwards that I almost can’t process it, and before I know it he’s already taken down by some crazed defender flying in at him with studs up, and now he is getting up cursing to himself and to the gods, slapping both his hands on the grass and squeezing his eyes tight in regret. We got a corner kick, Sergio! Don’t despair!

The replay shows him circling the defenders like a wolf around sheep, breaking off his marker just as the ball is played forward for him, swung high and fast, him controlling it with his chest and then getting the slightest of windows to shoot before an alarmed defender tries to kill him in mid-air with a boot out, flying in, Sergio just getting a touch on the ball before he has to turn away to protect his life, and then the defender is crushing him to the ground and the ball out of bounds and the announcers confused in saying he’s offside. You are offside, you ***! Sergio did great! He is quickly helped up by a teammate, while everyone else gathers for Xavi’s world-famous corner kick coming up.

Oh, it’s raining? That’s why Puyol slipped!! And even here, now – taking the free kick, Xavi slips. Damn!

76:00 Cesc with a rasping shot on goal! From 30 yards out, Villa has to duck to get out of the way, LOL! The keeper just does enough to push it off over the top, and we are awarded a corner. A close-up on Cesc reveals the rain just pelting down on them, soaking every player to the core. I’ve remembered jogging and a little rain the perfect tonic to cool off, but it cannot be fun to be playing in this hailstorm!

77:00 Every Spaniard not only knows how to pass it forward, threading the keenest of needles, but also how to pass it back, with just one sideways tap of their foot when the enemy is almost on top of them. So cool to see! It is a chess game, a ballet of exquisite choreography . .

81:00 A breathtaking one-two between Sergio and Cesc!! Sergio is so eager for the game-winner and getting impatient with all this fluffing about, and Cesc understands, he holds the ball for him and the two of them cut a terrifying triangle around dazed defenders – until Sergio runs into a wall and back-passes to Xavi, who promptly applies the brakes. ARGGGHHH! And a disappointed Sergio, already positioning himself along the last line of defense near goal, raises his hand again and again in hopes of getting the ball back. So cute!

84:00 Guiza! Ah, there’s our 3rd sub! But why the long face, Guiza? Is it because there’s only 6 minutes left in the game? And he comes on for . . Iniesta??? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why him?! Why not take out . . I can’t think of anyone to take out. They’re all so good. Crud.

84:45 And there is some spine from Cesc. So much improved from 2 years ago! He is shown a yellow card, yes, but it had to be done. We had no choice, you see. With Guiza coming on, the intention is clear: win. Let’s win this thing and put everyone forward into the box. But now suddenly Belgium breaks off on a counter-attack so swift and so deadly that Cesc can only hope to stop that ball, chop him down – and his sliding tackle, way too late, indeed gets the man.

There’s nothing even to argue. A terrible cry of objection rises from the crowd, and as the ref motions sternly to Cesc, waving him back towards him for the yellow card – Cesc gives him a few words, pointing to his head for acknowledgement (or was that “you’re nuts”? “I couldn’t hear you”? “My hair’s >>> your hair”?).

88:00 GOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, sweet mercy! VILLA! Who else???? 2-1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s the game winner!!!

All I saw was a double barrel of players charging towards goal, both of them so wanted it, this was the chance, and it was Villa who beat Sergio to the ball first and punted it into the goal with glee. OH THANK GOD IN HEAVEN!

They have no chance. There’s no chance for Belgium to come back now. In sheer joy and adrenaline Villa skips past the goal and races out onto the wide track that surrounds the pitch, seeking out his fans, seeking his reward, running into that wall of noise with his own screams added in and tugging on his shirt, kissing it and wanting to rip it off to the crowd, so goddamn happy!!! And when he looks back – awwww, Sergio!!!! Running up to him, coming to grab him into his arms, his smile a mile wide, hoisting our hero up in his arms, carrying him a little bit as they do their victory lap for the crowd!!!!! Cesc too!

And it was Guiza who assisted on that beautiful ball forward. LOL, IKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Too priceless!! I changed my mind – I love Setanta! Look at him celebrating that goal!!!!! HAHAHA, Iker doing the electric slide – pumping his fist low along his waistline, screaming with the fans – hahaha, what is that, Iker? A new dance? Someone from the bench come celebrate with him, plz!!

89:00 Well. That was fast. Villa with a yellow card for banging into a Belgian for a header, some 90 yards away from the rival’s goal and deep into our own half. Now the motive has switched sharply from pouring forward to seek a goal v coming back to defend, and Villa, his head still in the clouds for that game-winning goal, shrugs at his over-eagerness on this one.

90:00+1:00 Eeeeeeeeek!!! Iker, you’ve got to be more decisive than that!! A high ball comes in from the Belgian winger, and Sergio does his job by holding off his man from reaching it. But Iker who should quickly scoop it up instead misses it altogether, and has left his line to boot. What to do??? Sergio sees that ball careen towards goal in alarm and boots it out of there just in time! Phew! Then he glares back at Iker – who’s come back in front of goal – and Iker puts his hands up in mock innocence, protesting that it wasn’t his fault.

90:00+2:00 CESC!!!!!!!!!! WHY DID YOU STOP????????? You should’ve run on, shot that ball on goal! You were 1v1 with the keeper! What happened??

Guiza had slotted him a beautiful ball to run onto, deep along the left wing, and Cesc outguns everyone to it and taps it forward, cackling with glee with how easy that was. We can catch Belgium napping! They’d sent everyone forward for attack! No one’s back to defend!

But just as Cesc reached the edge of the box – he pauses and turns away! Hesitates and would rather wait for his teammates than shoot! WHY?? Now they bring up every red shirt again, we are surrounded – but oh, SENNA!!!!!!! With an unapologetic urge to kill! See? That’s what we needed, Cesc! But the ferocious shot on goal is just deflected by the keeper’s leg, and Senna sighs as it goes out wide.

Our last corner, deep in injury time. Xavi takes it short, we play it back – it looks like we will hold it until the whistle – oh? No! We continue going forward! WOW! We try to release Villa again! But he is bundled off the ball and as he sits on the ground, raising both arms in rabid protest – the ref blows the whistle. Game!

Man of the Match:
Puyol.

Post-game Thoughts:
This was the best game ever! Ok, ok, one of the best. I’m so happy I feel like on a cloud, having entirely forgotten and forgiven any ills done to me this week. So this is what happens when you play a team better than Armenia or Estonia or any other team that sits 10 men behind the ball, huh? Can’t wait for Turkey!

Sad, too, for Nando – why didn’t they show us his injury?? That’s a pretty important thing to show your viewers, no? So I am in complete denial over his injury. Kisses for you, Nando – hope you get better! Poor Cesc and Sergio too, injured yet with so many important matches coming up! The Derby, Juv . .

I am slightly worried about Iker. If not for Puyol this would’ve been 2-3, or maybe 3-3, but those 2 miraculous saves by the Barca captain still rings and astounds in my mind. Iniesta’s goal . . Sergio racing with Villa for the game-winner and either one of them could’ve had it, then Villa jumping into his arms as they sought out their fans on the wet track . . Nando’s sombrero in the opening minutes, before he got hurt, his eyes following that ball in the air with all the concentration and desire of a striker starved for goals, of a player who refused to rest on his laurels . . Cesc dodging out of the way and Sergio stepping up to handle that aerial bomb, crumpling to the ground afterwards in unspeakable pain . . Iker with his face of horror and alarm in the most dire of moments, swarmed by danger – and his face in the most happy of moments, laughing and dancing upon seeing his teammates score at the far end of the pitch, having no one to celebrate with him but the fans, and going bonkers regardless! Oh dear god, how I love our Spanish boys!! ♥ ♥ ♥

Our next game is Nov 19 in a friendly against Chile. Ooooh, isn’t this the team that just beat Argentina and got their coach to quit? Wow . . bring it on!