Thursday, July 8, 2010

Sports World

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Spain see off one dimensional Germany Posted: 08 Jul 2010 08:45 AM PDT There was much talk about Germany's impressive scoring feats in this tournament ahead of last night's game against Spain, but in the end the Iberian side played almost the perfect game. Joachim Loew's men, who had looked so imperious against Argentina and England, were denied the luxury of playing the kind of counter attacking football they thrive on and as such were made to look ordinary. In fact, they never gave the impression they were potential World Cup winners. Of course, Spain didn't have it all their own way and they were almost caught on two notable occasions, most notably when a breakaway down the wing caused chaos at the back, but Iker Casillas was always on hand to ensure the slate remained blank. Things were tough for La Roja up front as well, and they arguably made the same mistakes as Argentina did in playing too narrowly. Having said that, their tactic of attempting to play defence-splitting passes met with more success than Argentina's decision to constantly cut inside with the ball and run into trouble. As it was though, Spain found the back of the net in the same way England did - a cross followed by a header. In this case it was actually a corner, but Carlos Puyol had so much time to power the ball in the back of the net, it makes you wonder why his side didn't test their opponents in that manner more often. As it is, Spain march on to the World Cup football final and Germany go home with their heads held high. Whether Loew's side can progress in the coming years remains to be seen. They are a young side, but many other teams would have taken advantage of their one dimensional tactics far early in the tournament had they been drawn together. They look promising, yes, but they won't be able to win a major tournament without learning a few new tricks.

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