Spain 4-0 Italy

Goals:
Fàbregas 14'
Alba 41'
Torres 84'
Mata 88'

The score line may flatter Spain, the by-product of Italy playing with 10 men for the last half an hour, but that's the only thing which flatters Spain. There will be effusive praise, but it's not exaggerated praise. This side deserves every superlative that will be thrown their way.

So much for a patient, protracted, drawn-out death by a thousand passes. The lesson of the day is that you might not want to give Spain any added motivation. "Boring? We'll show you boring."

Maybe Spain's earlier patience was more than just a defensive strategy. Resting with the ball is still resting. The fatigue on display against Portugal a few days ago certainly wasn't present today. Sticking with Del Bosque's preferred line-up, with Fàbregas as false nine with Iniesta and Silva roaming inside and out, Spain started furiously.

The front three constantly switched positions while Xavi poked and prodded, and the goal wasn't long in coming. A string of short passes to get defenders moving, Fàbregas charging in behind from the inside right channel, bombing behind Chiellini to receive Iniesta's through ball despite Pirlo's pressure, bisecting the center back and left back. Chiellini couldn't recover, Fàbregas burst to the byline, chipping a cross for the on-rushing Silva, brilliantly placed between retreating center-backs watching Fàbregas rather than the runner, a deftly-placed header from a 5'7" midfielder.

However, as we've come to expect from Prandelli's Italy, they responded, keeping possession. Chiellini's subsequent injury may have helped Italy, at least in the short-term. Balzaretti, unfairly left out after his excellent performance at right back against the Germans, is far better going forward, and his crosses troubled Spain, forcing Arbeloa to remain deep, requiring Silva to frequently help out in defense. Still, for all their improvement, Casillas was rarely tested; other than parrying Cassano's fierce blast from distance, Spain were most often threatened on set plays, where Casillas adequately, repeatedly punched clear while Ramos and Piqué contributed crucial clearing headers.

The Italians were arguably the better side when Spain struck again, another doctoral thesis in geometry. The StatsZone goal buildup shows a nine-pass move, but only four really matter, the first five simply a matter of keeping possession at the back, as Spain had competently done since taking the lead. Evidently, Spain can play route one football. A long ball from Casillas, Iniesta's chest down to Alba, to Xavi, to Alba. Xavi's pass to Alba was too good for words: perfectly-timed, immaculately angled. Alba barely had space to fit between Barzagli and Bonucci when bursting forward, but somehow Xavi minded the gap, holding until the perfect moment to catch Alba just onside. One-on-one with Buffon, the left-back coolly placed his shot around Italy's captain. Spain with a one-goal lead is almost always a death sentence. At 2-0, the warden's taking requests for your last meal.

Still, Italy showed flashes of being able to get back in the game after the restart, Prandelli showing typical proactivity with two quick changes in Di Natale and Motta for Cassano and Montolivo – substitutions we've seen in Italy's earlier matches because of Cassano and Montolivo usually lasting just an hour. Di Natale nearly scored Italy's best chance, just onside, but was denied by Casillas – as ever reliable the few times he's called upon. But then Motta pulled up lame in the 62nd, just six minutes after coming on. With Italy out of substitutions. Game well and truly over.

You have to admire Prandelli's chutzpah. He's restored this Italian side's belief, brought attacking flair to a country renowned – rightly and wrongly – for dour football. He's shown an adventurous willingness to adapt his side's formation to its available personnel and the opposition's. But starting Chiellini and bringing on Motta, both injured earlier in the tournament, were true riverboat gambles. And both went down in brilliant flames.

Spain is the last side you'd ever want to face with 10 men and a two-goal deficit. This was never going to be Chelsea against Barcelona, because of Italy's set-up and ethos, because of Spain's lead. Matches like this, against opposition like this, makes you yearn for a mercy rule. It certainly wasn't what Italy deserved.



Spain's final two goals were ambushes. The last two substitutes, Torres and Mata, scored with their first touches – Torres nine minutes after he came on, Mata barely more than a minute after. Torres was set up by Xavi's interception and immediate through ball, Mata by an unselfish, somehow onside Torres after Busquets' 30-yard pass rendered six Italian defenders irrelevant.



Prior to today's match @castrolfootball noted that just 28.3% of Spain's passes had been forward passes. It was 47.5% today, and that was after taking the foot off the gas in the final half an hour. That percentage was 51.7% until the first goal, 48.0% until the second, and 49.5% until Motta's injury. This was Spain at its most glorious, most rapacious – a fitting conclusion to its dominance during the last four years.

I've only been watching international football since Italia '90, so I've just seen Brazil in 1970, Holland in 1974, West Germany from 1972 to 1976 on videotape, have just read about 1954 Hungary. I still feel fairly safe asserting Spain are the best international side ever. Had they lost this game, we could have the debate. Winning this tournament, their third in succession, makes the debate moot. Some may have done it better, but no one's done it longer, and that's what makes this so indescribably impressive.

Spain didn't concede once – once! – in the 10 knock-out games beginning at Euro 2008. They conceded six in total during this stretch: to Italy in this tournament's first group game, to Chile and Switzerland in the World Cup 2010 group, and one in each of the three group games in Euro 2008. Six goals in 19 matches, never more than once in any. They were behind in exactly two of those matches, the earlier draw against Italy, behind for all of four minutes, and that fluke of flukes when losing to Switzerland in the first match at the 2010 World Cup. A loss which arguably propelled them to the title.

And Spain did this without Puyol and Villa, cornerstones of the last two tournaments. Players like Cazorla, Pedro, Torres, Mata, Negredo, Llorente, Javi Martínez, Valdes, and Reina rarely if ever started, if even featuring at all. There's an embarrassment of riches, and there's 'so rich you can piles millions and millions of dollars onto a bonfire just to stay warm.' Somehow, Vicente Del Bosque has found a way to manage this extraordinary squad, handling egos, keeping them hungry enough to follow success with more success. The first championship isn't the hardest. The second is. Then the third is. Most sides, no matter the sport, fall victim to what Pat Riley called "the disease of more." (Apologies for the article linked) This side has never looked like succumbing to that illness.

We will almost certainly never see this dominance in international football again. This has not been an era where Spain excelled because of others' weaknesses. Germany were impressive in all three tournaments; Italy were deserved finalists in this one. Portugal took Spain to the limit in 2010 and last week, both Russia and Italy tested Spain in Euro 2008. Any of those sides, or Holland or Uruguay at World Cup 2010, would have been worthy winners. But they ran into a Spanish freight train.

Seeing history marvelously rewritten seems an appropriate end to this excellent tournament.

Spain 0-0 Portugal aet

Spain win 4-2 on penalties

Penalties
Spain: Alonso, Iniesta, Piqué, Ramos, Fàbregas
Portugal: Moutinho, Pepe, Nani, Bruno Alves

The king still lives. But barely.

"You come at the king, you best not miss." And Portugal had zero shots on target. Zero. 11 efforts: eight off-target, three blocked, all but three from outside the penalty box. Which admittedly, wasn't much better than Spain's two on target from eight until extra time – where they were markedly improved – but Spain's been here, done this before, and have the t-shirts and trophies to prove it.

Sure, after 90 minutes, Spain were as unimpressive as at any time during their run through the last three tournaments. At full time, Spain had completed just 469 of 553 passes, both lows for this tournament. As was the resulting 85% pass accuracy, after 89% against Italy, 92% against Ireland, 89% against Croatia, and 89% against France.

Credit for much of that goes to Portugal, although some was self-inflicted (*cough Negredo cough*) and some was the valid "two days less rest" excuse. But Portugal were outstandingly diligent in midfield; Veloso, Moutinho, and Meireles took turns pressing Spain's engine room, ensuring neither Xavi nor Xabi (nor Iniesta when he dropped deeper) had time to create anything. Portugal's back four has been one of the tournament's best, and Pepe and Bruno Alves remained excellent, while Pereira limited Iniesta and Alba more than any other right back has been able to so far.

Still, Del Bosque's gamble, starting Negredo instead of Torres, Fàbregas, or – god forbid – Llorente, was an utter failure.



He had absolutely zero impact in 54 minutes, unceremoniously hauled off in favor of Fabregas soon after the interval. Regardless of the usual superiority in possession, which was slightly less superior than usual, Spain were limited to one clear cut chance in the first half. The first was from the usual player left free – Arbeloa, typically Spain's least potent threat and unsurprisingly rarely tracked by Ronaldo – but he ballooned his ninth-minute shot from Negredo's cutback. Otherwise, Iniesta had a couple of off-target efforts after linking up with Xavi and Alba, while Portugal fed off whatever scraps Ronaldo self-created, with Almeida much less menacing than against the Czechs.

The second half remained in a similar, yawn-inducing vein, even after Fàbregas replaced Negredo, shortly followed by Navas in place of Silva. Once again, Del Bosque sent on a tricky, cross-happy winger after taking off his "orthodox" striker. It was even less effective than against Croatia, where Navas and Fàbregas combined for the winner at the death. Still, as always always always seems to happen, Spain clawed further and further up the pitch as the opposition tired. Pedro replacing Xavi in the closing seconds, with Iniesta shifting to the play-making central role, exacerbated the gap.



As FourFourTwo amusingly pointed out, Portugal were even worse in extra time than England were against Italy. England! Interplay between Alba and Pedro led to Spain's best chance of the match late in the first half of extra time, with the left-back – Spain's star player today, and arguably throughout the tournament – breaking past three to the byline and cutting back for Iniesta, but Rui Patricio smartly saved the midfielder's placed shot.

With Spain unable to break through a determined Portugal defense despite the vast improvement in the final thirty minutes, we got penalties for the second match running. And there were more than a few similarities to the England-Italy spot-kicks. Level after Alonso and Moutinho missed while Iniesta, Pepe, Piqué, and Nani scored, up stepped Sergio Ramos, with a Xerox copy of Pirlo's Panenka straight down the middle. Once again, psychology works. Once again, the next penalty taker – Bruno Alves – cannoned his effort off the crossbar. Fàbregas scored the fifth, just like he did to beat Italy at Euro 2008, with cameras immediately focusing on Ronaldo, left standing, lip quivering, unable to even have a chance at being the hero. The schadenfreude is overwhelming. Yes, I am a petty, petty man.

By anyone else's standards, Spain are worthy finalists, the superior side in each of their five matches. But by their own, and those we've set for them, it's another ho-hum ground-out victory, eking through thanks to a penalty lottery.

But Portugal winning would have been similar to England beating Italy. Italy were more dominant, in shots and attacking flair if not possession, while England are assuredly not at Portugal's level. Portugal – and yes, Ronaldo – had an outstanding tournament, especially the midfield and back four, and were deserved semi-finalists. But Spain were the better side, are the better side, and will now face Germany or Italy for the chance to do what no other country has ever done.

Are you not entertained?

Spain 2-0 France

Goals:
Alonso 19' 90+1' (pen)

I've never seen a side as comfortably in control with a one-goal lead as this Spanish side.

Compare today with yesterday's quarterfinal. No matter how dominant Germany were, they still conceded an unlikely equalizer and had to furiously rally in the final 30 minutes. That never, ever, ever looked likely today. And France is – or, at least, should be – a far better side than the Greeks.

Not counting Ireland – because, honestly – it was the first first-half goal Spain have scored in a major tournament since beating Chile in the last group stage game of the 2010 World Cup. Goals against Croatia, Italy, Holland, Germany, Paraguay, and Portugal all came in the second half, all after the hour mark, after Spain's death by a billion cuts finally broke down resilient opposition.

Reverting to the Fàbregas-as-false-nine system deployed against Italy, they started with far more impetus today, and should have won a penalty within six minutes. But the referee waved complaints away after Fàbregas was brought down trying to reach Alonso's ball over the top. After 13 more minutes of typical pokes and jabs, Iniesta charged down the left and fed Alba, sprinting around Debuchy and delivering a perfect cross for Alonso, unfathomably left open by Malouda's refusal to track back. So much for Laurent Blanc's use of two right backs to protect that flank.



It was fitting that Alonso was the goal-scorer given his dominance today, the Spanish player with the most passes, most attacking third passes, most shots (all three of the Spanish shots on target), and joint-most tackles and interceptions. And both goals. Surprisingly, after today's strikes, he's now joint-second top scorer for Spain under Del Bosque, tied with Silva behind just Villa, with 14 goals since August 2008.

The early goal allowed Spain to swallow France like an anaconda with a mouse, tauntingly squeezing the life out of it before devouring it whole. Once again, Spain seemingly just *knew* they could hold what they had, taking only eight shots following Alonso's opener after five in the first 19 minutes. Spain had 66% possession against Italy, 76% against Ireland, and 72% against Croatia, but just – "just" – 60% today. Which is still more of the ball than they had in five of their seven World Cup games two years ago.

That France were dismal in the attacking third didn't hurt Spain's chances either.



Set up in such a reactive formation, France were never truly able to respond after going behind so soon. The French were limited to free kicks in the first half: the first ballooned by Benzema, the second from Cabaye on-target but not hard enough to trouble Casillas. They offered slightly more in the second half, but again had just two chances of note. The first saw Debuchy head Ribéry's cross over on the hour mark. Ten minutes later, following Busquets' sloppy giveaway, Ribéry burst down the left, but his cutback-cum-shot from the byline was collected by Casillas.

France's attacking substitutions – Ménez and Nasri for Debuchy and Malouda – in the 64th minute did little to change the pattern of play; that one chance after the changes started with a Spanish mistake. Meanwhile, Spain's substitutes eventually led to their second – after Torres was caught offside approximately 17 times. Pedro and Cazorla, on the other hand, combined to win an injury-time penalty: Cazorla's throughball, Pedro tripped by Réveillère, coolly scored by Alonso for his brace.

This is the eighth consecutive knock-out round game where Spain haven't conceded, stretching back to when they were knocked out of the 2006 World Cup by today's opponent – beating Italy, Russia, Germany (twice), Portugal, Paraguay, Holland, and now France without letting in a goal.

Once again, tiki-taka remains the best form of defense. Spain were always in control if not command, while France were impotent – and weren't helped by Blanc's four changes. It may have been dull at times, and Spain may not have been at its most impressive, but it was more than sufficient. Rather than yet another French implosion, the focus should be on Spain's continuing, seemingly effortless, supremacy. If any side is going to stop them from becoming the first team to win three consecutive major tournaments, they'll have to box far cleverer than France did today.

Spain 1-0 Croatia

Goals:
Navas 88'

Spain are so very, very Spain.

Restrained, typical tiki-taka. Spain out-passed, Spain out-possessed, but Spain never truly threatened until the very end either. Complete Fernando Torres futility, but instead of replacing Spain's out-and-out striker in a straight swap, Del Bosque sent on an out-and-out winger to play with Silva, then Fàbregas, as a false nine.

And until the 88th minute, it was less than impressive.

Spain knew Croatia would have to come out of its shell sometime, and eventually made them pay for it. Alonso to Fàbregas, who chipped over the top, just beating the offside trap which Spain had been unable to beat until that point. Iniesta and Navas through on goal with five Croatians stood static with an arm in the air, with the former centering for latter, again just barely onside, for an unmissable tap-in.

Spain could well have been punished earlier. The Spanish may have owned the ball, but the Croatians had the best chances until Navas prompted the fat lady's song, as both Mandžukić and Modrić impressed when given the chance. Neither keeper was truly tested in the first half, but Croatia could easily have won a penalty on a counter-attack, with Ramos and Piqué both bamboozled by Mandžukić, as the former attempted to make amends with a supremely rash challenge in the box, only for Croatia to just get a corner.

Croatia's moment of glory nearly came 14 minutes into the second half: Modrić's so-delicious-it-has-to-be-fattening outside of the right foot cross, but Rakitić's point blank header wonderfully denied by Casillas, with Alonso scrambling the rebound out of the six-yard-box by Alonso. 20 minutes later, Modrić started another counter, Mandžukić crossed from the left, and Perišić snapped a shot on goal, again parried by Spain's captain. Had Croatia seized one of those openings, it would have been a very different game. But, whether due to Casillas or the defending before a potential chance got to Casillas, we never found out how Spain would respond if forced to deviate from the familiar script.

The everyday, ho-hum, phenomenal passing statistics:



Xavi completed 94 of 105. Xabi 83 of 93. Iniesta, Busquets, Ramos, Arbeloa, Alba, and Pique all attempted at least 60 and completed at least 54. Every single Spanish starter save Torres and Casillas attempted and completed more passes than any Croatia player. But that's become more than familiar from Spain.

Credit where due, the substitutions baffled, but the substitutions worked.



Croatia were definitely under far more pressure in the last 30 minutes, unable to shift from defense to attack even though they needed a goal to have any chance of advancing because Spain's unstinting pressure rarely allowed them out of their own half. Yes, it was hard to understand replacing an out-and-out – if misfiring – striker with a textbook winger at the same time Spain switched to a false nine, with Llorente and Negredo and Pedro and Cazorla on the bench. But Fàbregas set up the winner with his perfectly timed and placed chip while Navas scored the winner. Death by a thousand cuts still leads to death in the end and Del Bosque evidently knows more than how to manage the egos in his squad.

Let's not pretend this is anything different than what we've seen from Spain in the past. Every single win during the 2010 World Cup knock-out rounds was a 1-0 win with a goal scored after the hour mark, beating Germany by the same score in the Euro 2008 final. As Sid Lowe, and many many others, have written for the last four years, tiki-taka remains as much a defensive philosophy as an attacking one. Spain knew that keeping it goal-less would be good enough no matter how many goals Italy beat the Irish by, and had the faith in their system after the successes over the last four years. And, despite those few scares, that faith was justified.

Once again, Spain's best defense is wearing down the opposition with pass after pass after pass and eking a 1-0 win in the end. And relying on Casillas to make those necessary saves twice in a blue moon. That will continue to be the game plan going forward, and the same result in the next three matches will be more than suffice for Del Bosque and co.

Spain 4-0 Ireland

Goals:
Torres 4' 70'
Silva 49'
Fabregas 83'

It played out exactly as you expected it to play out.

Look, I don't mean this to be patronizing. But these two teams are in different classes, and we knew this before kickoff.

All the pre-match talk centered on Torres. Would his interminable profligacy cost the Spanish? Could Ireland keep it tight, frustrate Spain with 10 men behind the ball, and snatch an unlikely winner via route one or a set play? Nope.

Trapattoni's plan worked for the first three minutes. Ireland had the lone shot on target, from Keane, set-up by Cox after a quick free kick. Casillas saved it. But after four minutes, Spain had a lead they'd never looked like relinquishing, from that man Torres. Iniesta set up Silva at the top of the box, Dunne tackled but was slow to recover, and Torres raced on to the loose ball, easily sprinting past a static Ward, and rocketing a shot over Given's waving hands. While at Liverpool, Torres loved playing against Dunne, scoring four goals in five meetings against Dunne's club teams with Liverpool unbeaten in all five. He came quite close to replicating that era of good feelings today.

Spain couldn't extended their lead in the first half, despite near-constant possession, despite the hundreds of completed passes, despite eight other created chances, but weren't all that bothered. A 1-0 Spanish lead often feels like 3-0 leads for mere mortal sides. Sure, they've been punished before, as have Barcelona, who often play in a similar manner with the same players, but an equalizer still looks unlikely. Not that stats matter all that much when analyzing this match, but the passing chart explains an awful lot.



788 to 178 passes completed. That's more than quadruple Ireland's total. Out of 860 attempted, a 92% completion rate. I'm just going to let that soak in for a minute.

Spain's passes show up as a giant, all-consuming blue miasma in Ireland's half. Ireland's passes look to quickly transition from near-permanent defense to unlikely attack. Despite that overwhelming passing dominance, Ireland did out-pass the Spanish by one metric.



Hit it long, hope Robbie Keane could create something from less than nothing or, after half-time, Jon Walters could hold up play long enough to involve one, maybe even two runners. It obviously wasn't successful.

Ireland were able to keep the deficit at one through the first 45, as Given made seven saves while Ireland blocked three other shots and Spain put three good chances off target. But, as in the first half, Ireland sloppy conceded within four minutes of kickoff. Given made the first save, punching Iniesta's shot out of the goal mouth. Unfortunately, he punched it straight to David Silva near the penalty spot, who stayed calm, cleverly danced around three defenders, then slide-rule passed the ball into the net just out of Given's fingertip range. Game well and truly over.

Given wonderfully prevented a possible Spanish third five minutes later, somehow denying Xabi, and McGeady nearly created two unlikely openings soon after the hour – one self-inflicted by Arbeloa – but Spain defended well when Spain needed to defend well.

And then Torres struck again, one of those trademark goals which stopped being a trademark as soon as he left Liverpool. A scramble in midfield, another perfectly-weighted Silva throughball splitting the center-backs, Torres charging in on Given, stutter-stepping to see if Given would commit, and coolly finishing just above Given's rising arm. Maybe all he needs is to play in a red kit.

Del Bosque, rarely one for sentimentality, hauled Torres off soon after, denying him the chance at a hat-trick in order to get some of Spain's criminally-underused players on the pitch, bringing on Martinez, Fabregas, and Cazorla. Contributions from the latter two led to Spain's fourth. Cazorla's fierce shot won a corner, and, taken quickly with Irish minds already back in the dressing room, Fabregas picked up the short corner, sped around Paul Green, and hammered the shot in from no angle. Woof.

4-0 flatters Spain and doesn't flatter Spain. Yes, the margin of victory easily could have been more. But, and again no offense to Ireland – especially the brilliant, constantly singing fans – no other match will come so easily.

Spain face Croatia in the final group match. A 2-2 draw (or more) would see both teams qualify. A Spanish loss, however unlikely, would see them fail to advance if Italy beat Ireland. Still, Spain are odds-on favorites to come out of Group C. And then we'll see if Spain can overcome better defenses who will look to smother them as thoroughly as the Italians did in the first match.

Spain 1-1 Italy

Goals:
Di Natale 61'
Fabregas 64'

Now that was a proper football match. Italy were outstanding for the first hour as Spain suffered and stuttered against a packed 3-5-2 midfield; Prandelli's side set up perfectly against Spain's tactics.

Di Natale's goal on the hour could have been a hammer blow, but Spain's starters, specifically the struggling Fabregas, replied immediately. Del Bosque followed with immediate, necessary tactical changes, and Spain probably should have won the match from 1-1, with multiple chances against the tiring Italians.

The starting Spanish formation seemed designed to counter Chelsea vs Barca style last ditch packed defending. Instead, Italy's formation clogged the middle of pitch, with the added bonus of wing-backs stifling Spain's fullbacks, frequently the only source of width for the defending champions.

It seems obvious. Spain's squad is chock-full of central midfielders, with little attacking width and no out-and-out striker. So Italy countered by packing the midfield rather than parking the bus. Spain out-possessed and out-passed Italy throughout, as per usual, but the patience of a Xabi, Xavi, and Busquets midfield was rarely a virtue with Italy's swarming presence in the middle of the pitch. Italy also did very well shifting from five in midfield to five at the back at the right times, a sign of a well-coached team.

And Italy had the better chances in the first half as every Spanish attacker other than Iniesta disappointed. Pirlo tested Casillas with a free kick, Marchisio with a well-hit volley, and Motta with a strong header from Cassano's cross; the AC Milan striker was a permanent threat pulling wide and into space between the lines. Meanwhile, Silva had a couple of tame efforts and Iniesta's chances were well-saved at the near post and volleyed over and that was about it in the final third.

That man Iniesta once again came close soon after the restart, but Buffon just got fingers to his narrow-angled shot across the face of goal. Minutes later, Balotelli should have opened the scoring, reminiscent of Suarez's FA Cup semifinal goal two months ago. Balotelli's pressure forced Ramos into a sloppy back pass, putting the striker through on goal, but he bafflingly lingered, waiting for Casillas to give him an obvious opening that was never coming, and Ramos charged back to close down.

That Balotelli was hauled off soon after was no coincidence, replaced by Di Natale. Who opened the scoring almost immediately as Pirlo turned back the years, easily charging past Busquets and splitting the centerbacks with an inch-perfect throughball, with Di Natale racing behind Pique and Ramos and coolly finishing around Casillas.

An Italian side, whether club or country, with a one goal lead is usually a death sentence. But Spain didn't allow them to settle into all too typical catenaccio. The misfiring Silva and Fabregas tallied the assist and goal, with the move unsurprisingly started by Iniesta and Xavi. A very Spanish, very Barcelona goal: carving through multiple bodies in the final third with quick, one-touch, perfectly-angled passes. Xavi driving forward from deep, passing to Iniesta who somehow found space for a lay-off to Silva despite two Italian markers. Silva's immediate turn and through for Fabregas, who finally made a run from deep in behind a center-back. No time to control, a quick, unstoppable low point blank finish with his weaker foot. Two excellent goals within five minutes, both coming from players making clever runs behind determined defenders. We didn't see enough of that today, whether due to both sides' tactics and defensive abilities or individual attackers' failings.

Even though Silva and Fabregas were at the heart of the goal, those were the two replaced when Del Bosque made changes, first bringing on Navas for Silva to stretch the play wider, necessary since the full-backs provided little help and especially helpful with Italy's left-sided wingback, Giaccherini predominantly right-footed. Then Torres for Fabregas, replacing a false nine with an actual nine. In theory.

And Italy were on the back foot for those final 25 minutes, vulnerable to Spain's changes and clearly tiring after the first hour's intensity. Torres should have been the hero, with three chances to score what probably would have been the game winner. Sadly – and I say that as a Liverpool fan who delights in schadenfreude – he continued in the form that's seen him go from the most-feared striker in world football to a comedy figure complete with jester hat, scepter, and slippers with bells on them.

In the 75th, a minute after coming on, he cleverly beat the offside trap, played through by Navas on a quick counter, but Buffon brilliantly charged forward to steal the ball off Torres' toe. In the 83rd, in a similar position again from Navas' pass, Torres lingered inside the box and eventually saw his cutback cut out. Two minutes later, this time set up by Xavi, his chip from outside the box sailed onto the roof of the net, the wrong decision with Navas open on the right. All in all, not the most impressive of cameos and, unfortunately, rather par for the course these days.

Each side will probably be content with a draw – well, as content as you can be with a draw in a major tournament. The draw is certainly a fair result, and both sides will remain favorites to qualify from the group. It's not the first time either side's started slowly; Spain won the last World Cup despite losing its first group game while Italy are notoriously slow starters – unimpressive in its 2006 World Cup group and barely qualifying for the 1994 World Cup knockout stages, a tournament they only lost on penalty kicks. And both sides learned an awful lot about their players and tactical set-up.

Spain 1-0 Holland aet

Casillas
Ramos Pique Puyol Capdevila
Busquets Alonso
Pedro Xavi Iniesta
Villa

Stekelenburg
Van der Wiel Heitinga Mathijsen Van Bronckhorst
De Jong Van Bommel
Robben Sneijder Kuyt
Van Persie

Goals:
Iniesta 116'

Good defeats evil.

There is a reason why teams up against proponents of "the beautiful game" turn matches into wars of attrition. Because it usually works. Pity for the Dutch it only worked for 115 minutes, but if we want to bring in concepts of fairness, karma, and justice, well, we got the right result. In an unjust universe, that's not usually the case.

47 fouls. 14 yellow cards. 1 red card. 13 offsides. 11 shots on target. 1 goal.

I guess it shouldn't have surprised. Spain had won their last three games by the same scoreline. And pragmatic Holland were always going to make it difficult. But I didn't expect this anti-advertisement for football. Finals frequently disappoint, but this was especially ugly. Nine of those yellow cards were shown to Holland – it should have been more, and they should have been down to ten long before the 109th minute. It's easy to criticize Howard Webb after that (and I will, thank you), but neither side helped him out.

When Ramos nearly scored in the 5th, a free header well-saved by the diving Stekelenburg, it looked like we might actually get that aesthetic steamroller we'd hoped for. Holland couldn't get the ball for love or money in the first 10 minutes; Villa nearly got on the end of a chipped ball over the top, Ramos' center was almost turned into the Dutch net by Heitinga. But then the Netherlands made their mark on the game and Spain. I hope the more literary media outlets make multiple references to the Eighty Years' War.

Van Persie had set the tone with a late kick on Busquets in the second minute, and got his yellow in the 15th. Van Bommel saw one, which could have been red, seven minutes later, charging in on Iniesta. And five minutes after that, de Jong definitely should have seen a straight red for kung fu fighting with Alonso, leaving stud-marks on his sternum. There's pragmatism and there's brutality. I can't help but point out the parallels with Holland's last appearance in the final, Clockwork Orange beaten and bruised by the hosts Argentina in 1978. Neither totaalvoetbal nor shock and awe seems to work for the Dutch. Meanwhile, Spain weren't winning any friends by reacting theatrically and begging for bookings with every foul. This team is heavily modeled on Barcelona, after all.

Don't get me wrong; other than the disgusting antics, it was an eminently watchable match despite the dearth of goals. As per usual with Spain. Both side had chances, especially as the game went on, and both Robben and Villa spurned opportunities you'd wager anything on them scoring after the hour mark. First, the Bayern winger split the centerbacks running onto Sneijder's through, only to see Casillas somehow save with his biggest toe. Six minutes later, the substitute Navas sprinted down the flank and sent in a low cross that Heitinga could only touch to Villa, but the sprawling centerback somehow still blocked the close-range shot. Ramos headed over another set play in the 77th, Robben amazingly stayed on his feet on a breakaway (yeah, really!) in the 83rd despite being fouled by Puyol, only to see Iker come out to smother. Either team could have won this game in normal time as both played the style they set out to.

Unsurprisingly, as legs continued to tire, the game continued to open up. Holland replaced Kuyt with Elia and de Jong with van der Vaart. Spain responded with Navas for Pedro, Cesc for Alonso, and finally Torres for Villa (during the extra-time interval). Neither side made a "defensive" substitution; at worst, it was like-for-like, and at least that's admirable. Stekelenburg made a huge save on Fabregas, set up by Iniesta, in the 95th. Mathijsen somehow headed a free attempt over less than a minute later. Then Navas, open on the right, saw his strike deflected into the side netting.

And in the 109th, we finally got the inevitable red card when Heitinga picked up his second yellow, pulling back a potentially-through Iniesta just outside the box. From there, Holland could only play for penalties, and Spain made them pay at long last. Torres' smart early cross was under-hit, but the off-balance Dutch defender could only clear it to Fabregas, who set up Iniesta for a smashing winner on the bounce, with the Barca man whipping off his shirt to display a classy tribute to Dani Jarque. There's no response to that with less than five minutes left and a man disadvantage. Of course, we still have some controversy, as Holland should have had a corner instead of a Spanish goal kick, while Elia was arguably fouled, in the build-up to the winner. Karma is a bitch.

Given my Liverpool bent, I'd be remiss if I didn't give my congratulations to Torres and Reina, and condolences to Kuyt and Babel. Yes, I was wrong; Torres didn't start once again, and it was the right decision given that he pulled up with what appeared to be cramp (and hopefully hopefully hopefully not a hamstring injury) right at the end. Pedro didn't impress, but Spain's other subs did: Navas stretched the game well, while Fabregas set up the winner and could have had one himself. Meanwhile, it was probably Kuyt's worst game of the tournament, and little surprise to see him off for the more attacking Elia in the 71st. Liverpool's players had a tough club season, and those in the final had a tough final. Sorry guys. I hope for all of us that next season is better.

So, man bites dog and beauty beats the beast. The right team won. That they're the current European champions, and despite a loss in their opening game, makes it all the more impressive. Ignore the 1-0 results if all you care about is goals. This Spanish side is one of the best teams to ever play international football. The best team doesn't win often enough.

Spain v Holland 07.11.10

Live in the US on ABC at 2:30pm

Guess at line-ups:
Casillas
Ramos Pique Puyol Capdevila
Busquets Alonso
Iniesta Xavi Villa
Torres

Stekelenburg
Van der Wiel Heitinga Mathijsen Van Bronckhorst
De Jong Van Bommel
Robben Sneijder Kuyt
Van Persie

A football romantic's dream final, and one of the best and worst early birthday presents I've ever received (Monday, thanks for asking). I adore and detest this match-up, somehow at the same time. One of the four teams I've done reviews on and root for will win the World Cup (and it's not like England or the US was going to), and I have no idea who I'd prefer. The worst possible moment to be a sports bigamist. I regret this decision immensely.

A win would exorcise countless demons for either country. Spain were perennially tortured in major tournaments until two years ago, while Holland's legendary generation (and I do not use that word lightly; they are literally Beowulf-style stuff of legends) lost in consecutive World Cup finals. The 1974 team remains the apotheosis of both total football and the capriciousness of a 1-0 lead. And now, Spain's playing the role of Clockwork Orange as archetypes of the beautiful game, while Holland have been this tournament's pragmatic utilitarians. Even Cruyff's declaring Spain a descendant of totaalvoetbal, and he's kind of right. Somewhere along the line, Spain became Barca (which still has Cruyff's fingerprints all over it), and that opens a whole different sociopolitical can of worms.

Both of these teams deserve to be here: Holland beating the pre-tournament favorites in the quarterfinals, Spain beating the "team of the tournament so far" in the semis. Plus, and most importantly, each side has two players from Liverpool FC, two of which with an excellent chance of starting. I would absolutely adore seeing Reina and Torres (and – I'll readily admit it – Alonso too) or Kuyt and Babel lift the cup. It actually makes my brain hurt.

At the moment, and as it usually the case by this time of the tournament, both teams basically write themselves. The only question is whether Torres will come back into Spain's XI.

10 Spanish players have started every game – Torres was replaced by Silva in the first match and Pedro in the most recent (incidentally, those are the only two games where Villa failed to score). Only Mathijsen (warm-up injury), de Jong (suspension), and van der Wiel (twice: trying to avoid suspension, then getting suspended later on anyway) have missed matches for Holland. All are available here, and my guess is that Torres returns, although my clear bias probably affects that.

Don't get me wrong; other than "that incident" in the 82nd minute on Wednesday (still angry), Pedro played fairly well – especially in the first half. Him over Silva or Cesc seemed the smarter decision if Torres wasn't starting. But while Pedro did well to create an early chance, spread the field marginally more (he still moved centrally quite often), and added more pace to the attack, Villa looked far worse for it.

Even if Torres isn't fully fit or his runs aren't as threatening, he still draws defenders solely out of fear, and he draws them into spaces that Villa exploits. All too often, Villa was double-teamed by Friedrich and Mertesacker. He may find Heitinga and Mathijsen easier to exploit, but, regardless, that does not happen with Torres on the field, even if he's on one leg. Shifting to Pedro, Cesc, Llorente, or Silva around the hour mark if necessary, as against Portugal and Paraguay, seems a safer option. That and I just find it hard to believe that Fernando Torres could be left out of a World Cup final. The one argument I can come up with for Pedro over Torres is because of Kuyt v Ramos. Kuyt's diligence will pin Ramos deeper than any game so far; Pedro would add more presence on the right than Iniesta's constant cutting in.

Dirk Kuyt will almost certainly become the third Liverpool player to play in a World Cup final – behind Hunt in 1966 and Hamann in 2002. Torres should be the fourth at the least; even if he doesn't start, he'd probably still come off the bench. And this would be the fourth consecutive World Cup final with teammates starting on opposite sides if Nando makes it – Karembeu/Roberto Carlos in '98, Lucio versus three from Bayern in 2002, and Thuram versus three from Juventus in 2006. And this time it'd be representing Liverpool. Unless, of course, Silva starts for Spain and/or van der Vaart for Holland, which would give City or Real the honor.

I don't want to curse la Roja, but they're clearly favorites. Holland are very good at attacking at pace – not as reliant on the counter as Germany, more comfortable in possession – but they'll still be forced to defend more because of Spain's supremacy at the possession game. Spain will press and press when without the ball, and Busquets will attempt to shut down Sneijder as he did Özil. Not only that, but with the exception of Holland's inside-out wingers – with Robben a near certainty to cut infield, while Kuyt's done well to add some width on the left – their formation is exceptionally similar to Germany's: a fairly standard 4-2-3-1, even though Holland's a lot more fluid amongst the front four. If the Dutch replicate their second half against Brazil, they can stifle Spain, if not take the game to them, but Holland still needed a bit of luck and some insanity from Felipe Melo. Van Bommel, De Jong, Heitinga, and Mathijsen will have to be very, very good. But that goes for everyone in orange.

Spain has used almost the same XI (and assuredly the same style despite the addition of a holding midfielder) as the European Championship-winning side; Pique, Busquets, and Pedro (and Navas to a lesser extent) are the only substantial changes. They play a certain way, and even if it's not as awe-inspiring as the Euro 2008 model, it's been just as effective.

Holland have had an outstanding tournament, and I will feel terrible if they fail in their third World Cup final – especially for Kuyt, naturally. But it's Spain's trophy to lose. And, not to end on too trite a sentiment, having these two countries in the final means that football wins no matter the result.

Spain 1-0 Germany

Casillas
Ramos Pique Puyol Capdevila
Busquets Alonso
Pedro Xavi Iniesta
Villa

Neuer
Lahm Friedrich Mertesacker Boateng
Schweinsteiger Khedira
Trochowski Özil Podolski
Klose

No matter the opposition, Spain only knows how to play one way. And yet again, it leads to a 1-0 win. When that one way works so often...

And it led to an eminently watchable game despite the lack of goals. It was Spain's best performance of the World Cup; that Germany limited them to a solitary goal, from a set play no less, demonstrates just how good this Germany team is. But Spain were simply outstanding in midfield, pressing insanely, keeping possession excellently, and restricting German chances on the counter. Busquets was actually brilliant – the best game I've ever seen him play.

Obviously, I'm duty-bound to discuss the lack of Torres in the starting XI. Del Bosque finally went with width, with Pedro instead of Silva or Cesc (making seven of the starting 11 Barca players), and Spain's packed midfield dominated proceedings. Yet outside of Puyol's diving header over in the 14th, the Germans arguably had the better first half chances, with Trochowski's left-footed shot requiring a diving save from Casillas in the 32nd and a breakaway for Özil on the stroke of halftime. Consensus seems to be that Spain were lucky to see Ramos stay on the field, getting back to challenge and arguably clipping Özil just outside the box. It would have been soft, and Özil didn't help himself by tripping over his own feet in the box, falling theatrically.

But Spain finally put their command to use in the second half. Alonso shot wide of both posts around the 50th, before Neuer saved Pedro's shot from the top of the box after Alonso's layoff and Villa narrowly missed Iniesta's center across the face of goal within a furious minute of action just before the hour mark. Substitute Kroos forced a save from Casillas, volleying Podolski's cross tamely at the keeper in the 69th, before Captain Cavemen finally broke the deadlock from Xavi's corner – all 5'10" of him over the towering Teutonic defense. A brilliant charge forward to rise unmarked over Pique and smash past Neuer. It's the first Spanish goal of the tournament that didn't involve Villa.

Like always, Spain's style of play was its best defense. Spain made two substitutions with the lead, and both were like for like: Torres for Villa followed by Silva for Pedro. But before Pedro went off the pitch, he should have set up the goal we've all been waiting for: countering in acres of space on the right, he drew the defender, with Torres absolutely wide open for the tap-in. Somehow the Barca winger overran, tried to dance around Friedrich, and petulantly pointed to the spot after Friedrich dispossessed him. Embarrassing. Del Bosque took him off on principle moments later. I don't care that Spain won; he should still be flogged in the dressing room.

While there was some unavoidable late pressure – it is the Germans and they are decent at this sport – Spain mostly kept the ball in the opposition half late on, with Silva winning some crucial corners. Spain were simply smarter, and simply better.

Over my shoulder, Klinsmann's currently arguing that Germany showed Spain too much respect and lacked confidence. Nonsense. There might be a grain of truth in there somewhere – experience matters – but missing Müller mattered more, and talent mattered the most. Spain were simply more talented than Germany, with a smarter, stronger style of play that they know inside and out. They controlled the ball, controlled the tempo, and pressed Germany out of the match. The rickety defense that conceded against Switzerland made exactly one mistake – that potential turning point just before the interval – and that's it. This is the first time the defending European Championships have made the World Cup final since the year I was born – West Germany in 1982. That demonstrates just how good this Spanish team is.

Either Holland or Spain is going to lift the Jules Rimet trophy for the first time on Sunday. And it is going to be utterly immense.

Spain 1-0 Paraguay

Casillas
Ramos Pique Puyol Capdevila
Busquets Alonso
Iniesta Xavi Villa
Torres

Villar
Veron da Silva Alcaraz Morel
Barreto Caceres Riveros Santana
Valdez Cardozo

Goals:
Villa 83'

Football is so boring. Yet another 1-0. Ha.

Okay, let's try and do that utter madness justice.

Sadly, the first hour – before the insanity set in – was par for the course as Spain's tournament's gone so far. I made the same joke after the Chile match, but it's still relevant. Somehow, Spain seem to have caught the English disease. I hope it wasn't transmitted through Torres.

Paraguay didn't help matters by pressing furiously, which is why they made six changes from the side that went 120 minutes last time out, but it is still strange to see Spain, of all sides, struggle for fluency. Xavi, Xabi, Iniesta, et al could not keep hold of the ball, and gave away possession like it was an out-of-business sale. Paraguay were the more threatening side on the counter, with all of one shot on target to Spain's zero in the first half. Oh, and a goal dubiously ruled out for offside.

In the 41st minute, with Spain's trap in disarray, Valdez got on the end of a deep cross, somehow didn't handle, and stuck it past Casillas. But the flag went up, ostensibly because Cardozo – who challenged for the ball before it reached Valdez – actually was offside. Yet another active versus inactive debate. Those are always fun.

The first ten minutes after the interval stayed on the same course, with Torres – still off the pace and misfiring – hauled off for Fabregas in the 56th. Then, all hell broke loose.

Almost immediately after the substitution, Paraguay won a corner when Ramos awkwardly headed a Paraguayan hoof into touch. On the set play, Pique, beaten goalside by Cardozo, stupidly yanked the striker's arm, conceding a clear penalty. But somehow Saint Iker not only saved, but held on.

Less than a minute later, Spain had a spot kick of their own. Two, to be precise. And it should have been three. Alonso's throughball put Villa in on goal, brought down by the last man Alcaraz, who somehow only saw yellow. Xabi hammered the penalty perfectly, only to see it brought back because of encroachment. His second was a tamer effort, a replication of Cardozo's low strike, parried by Villar. Fabregas, first to the rebound, was tripped by the keeper – which the referee somehow missed – before Ramos had his put-back cleared off the line by da Silva. To sum up the crazy affair, Villar brilliantly saved Iniesta's curler from the left corner of the box a minute after that. And we thought the last moments of the Uruguay-Ghana match were preposterous.

But Spain kept plugging away, Pedro came on for the unfortunate Alonso fifteen minutes from time, and it was the Barca youngster who had a starring role when Spain finally made the breakthrough. But, of course, it was Villa who tallied the goal: his fifth (of Spain's six) of the tournament. Iniesta finally danced through the defense as we know he can do and put Pedro through on the right, only to see his shot cannon off the post. But once again, Villa's in the right place at the right time for the rebound, somehow hitting both posts before his shot crossed the line. I'm running out of synonyms for "insanity," which basically sums up this match and this sport.

Paraguay had one last threat in them, stealing the ball from Iniesta and chipping over the top for Barrios. Casillas made the save, spilling it right into the path of the on-rushing Santa Cruz, then saved his effort as well. Again, insanity. Utter fucking insanity.

Aside from all that absurdity, it wasn't that different from Spain's four other games. They've looked strangely off-form until scoring in all their matches. Pick your scapegoat: we can blame the long season, their system's lack of true width, Torres' lack of fitness, Spain's shaky defense, or any combination of the above. It was a lot like the Switzerland match, only Paraguay pressed higher up the pitch, especially in the first half, and couldn't get the goal despite their chances. And Spain finally made them pay.

Once again, we know Spain can play better, but we just haven't seen it yet. Once again, they're reliant on the marvelous wonder that is Maravilla for goals. And in four days, they'll be up against the soulless, crushing, counter-attacking monsters that are ze Germans.

So, yeah, football is really boring. Yawn.

Spain 1-0 Portugal

Casillas
Ramos Pique Puyol Capdevila
Busquets Alonso
Iniesta Xavi Villa
Torres

Eduardo
Costa Carvalho Alves Coentrão
Pepe
Ronaldo Tiago Meireles Simão
Almeida

Goals:
Villa 63'

Villa, Villa, Maravilla...

Outside of the opening ten minutes, with Torres' early strike reminiscent of his goal of the season against Sunderland and two from Villa cutting in from the left saved, Portugal made Spain work incredibly hard in the first half. There's a reason they were one of two teams to make it through the group stage without conceding.

As has happened often this tournament, Spain were narrow, with Iniesta often on top of Xavi, leaving massive gaps for Coentrão. Conversely, the charging Portuguese left back, as well as Ronaldo and Simão, used the flanks well, limiting Spanish possession, even though la Roja still had the clear edge.

And despite those very early chances, Portugal had the better opportunities to open the scoring. In the 20th minute, Tiago found space with the Spanish defense awkwardly retreating, with Casillas making the save and punching the rebound clear under pressure from Almeida. Eight minutes later, Iker spilled Ronaldo's deep, swerving free kick, thankful to see Pique clear the rebound.

Too often, Spanish possession led to naught, and I've been massively impressed by the way Quieroz has organized his defense. They were happy to sit deep, negating Torres and Villa's pace as well as limiting the space for shrewd operators such as Xavi and Iniesta with Pepe tackling everything that moved.

Once again, Torres will come under a lot of scrutiny, anonymous and off the pace after his first-minute shot, and it was little surprise to see him go off before the hour mark. Portugal again nearly snuck a goal after the interval – breaking down the field, Almeida turned Pique and centered, with Puyol almost redirecting into his own net, watching the ball luckily bounce just wide of the far post with Casillas stranded.

But Spain finally broke loose after the substitution, with the target-man Llorente replacing the Liverpool striker. The substitute nearly scored seconds after coming on, his first touch a diving header on Ramos' whipped cross, only to see Eduardo again equal.

Then came Villa. He curled a shot a foot wide of the far post less than a minute after Llorente's chance, then finally got his fourth of the tournament in the 63rd. Finally, the Xavi-Iniesta axis paid dividends, Iniesta to Xavi at the top of the box, with a lovely backheel putting Villa in on the left, aided by Simão watching the theatrics instead of marking the striker. Eduardo saved the first shot, but had no chance when Villa sent the rebound into the roof of the net. At long last.

And a goal to the good, Spain's tiki-taka attack was the absolute best form of defense, with Portugal unable to get the ball back, let alone threaten the Spanish backline. Eduardo saved excellent efforts from Ramos and Villa to prevent a game-killing second, giving Portugal the chance to frazzle nerves in injury time despite Costa's sending off for an elbow that Capdevilla rightfully played up.

But neither Ronaldo, prancing and petulant as usual, nor his minions, could test Casillas, and Spain's now one of the three European sides in the quarterfinals having beaten back the younger brother in the Iberian derby. Portugal scored seven goals this tournament – two more than Spain – but all of them came against North Korea. Cote d'Ivoire, Brazil, and Spain – three tough teams, to be sure – all shut them out. I hope Nike still has the receipt for that Ronaldo statue.

All headlines will focus on Villa, and rightfully so. Yet again with the winner, having tallied four of Spain's five goals and providing the assist on the other. There are still worries – Torres' fitness, the defense's susceptibility, Casillas still shaky at times, and a lack of width. But Portugal, with Ronaldo, Simão, and Coentrão, as well as Danny off the bench, were unable to test that lack of width or punish gaps left by Spain's attacking fullbacks and narrow midfielders. That bodes well.

Next up is Paraguay, who dawdled through an absolutely awful match to win on penalties this morning. But as Switzerland frighteningly proved in the first match, Spain simply cannot rest on its laurels.

Spain 2-1 Chile

Casillas
Ramos Pique Puyol Capdevila
Busquets Alonso
Iniesta Xavi Villa
Torres

Bravo
Medel Ponce Jara
Isla Estrada Vidal
Valdivia
Sanchez Beausejour Gonzalez

Goals:
Villa 24'
Iniesta 37'
Millar 47'

Disappointing, but not entirely surprising, to see the game end not with a bang but a whimper after the first 50 minutes. 2-1 suited both sides just fine, especially with Switzerland and Honduras unable to conjure a goal between them.

But the first 24 minutes couldn't have been more frightening for the Spanish. After Torres missed two early chances – an awkward header well over and unable to take advantage of Jara letting a long punt bounce, only to see his shot deflected – Chile began to beat Spain at its own game, keeping possession with some lovely touches and perpetually driving towards goal.

And at the same time, Chile stormed into tackles, ensuring Spain had little possession, but also seeing three players incur yellows (including one reminiscent of Beckham's infamous 1998 sending off) before Villa scored a wonder goal against the run of play. Alonso's perfect long-range throughball nearly put Torres in, requiring a Bravo charge outside his box to dive in and clear. But Villa picked up possession 50 yards from goal, looked up, and somehow hit a pinpoint shot with his weaker foot into an empty net. There's a reason he's nicknamed Maravilla.

The strike knocked Chile back and further frazzled tempers, and Estrada should have seen a second yellow three minutes later for a petulant tackle on Iniesta. Chile nearly equalized on the break, with Pique ultimately getting back to deflect Beausejour's shot into the side-netting before a fantastic, finally Spanish move involving Torres, Iniesta, and Villa led to the second. Iniesta dispossessed Jara and found Torres, to Iniesta, to Villa, to Iniesta to pass low into the far corner. 2-0, and Spain had barely looked like a coherent side. Sometimes a coherent side isn't necessary when you have individuals like this team does.

To make matters worse for the Chileans, Estrada was sent off for a "foul" on Torres in the build-up when he clipped the striker's heels. Harsh to be sure, and maybe even accidental, but it's hard to feel bad for a player that should have marched 10 minutes earlier. At that point, commentators began to break out "Battle of Santiago" references, and it seemed a matter of time before Chile lost more men.

But credit to Bielsa for changing it up at halftime, replacing the ineffective Gonzalez with Paredes and attacking pivot Valdivia with midfielder Millar, shifting to what seemed a 3-3-3 formation still in line with Chile's usual strategy. In addition, they cut out the stupid, acrimonious fouls after I was taking bets at halftime as to who'd be sent off next. And it paid dividends immediately. Spain, complacent with a two-goal lead and man advantage, gave Millar time and space at the top of box in the 47th, and saw his shot deflect off Pique to wrong-foot Casillas.

Torres, ineffective and limping, was soon replaced by Fabregas as Spain returned to its usual tiki-taka possession and set up a couple opportunities for Villa, only to see the striker twice unable to control in the box around the hour mark. From there, both sides were increasingly content with matters as they were due to news from the other game. There was little chance of Switzerland scoring one, let alone the two they'd need to overtake Chile on goal difference. Alonso finally needing to go off in the 73rd is the only thing worth mentioning, and honestly, they shouldn't have bothered with the final 15 minutes.

Once again, it's a less than fluent Spanish performance, but it's also two wins from two after the embarrassment against Switzerland. Villa's joint-top scorer after the group stage, scoring three of Spain's four goals and assisting on the other. Iniesta looked far fitter, but the midfield was still narrow and disjointed; they looked to have caught the English passing disease in the first half, although a lot of that was down to Chile's pressing. And the defense still has its moments of madness, evidenced by Millar's soft goal.

So now Spain will face Portugal in an all-Iberian match-up, while Chile meets Brazil. Both look infinitely tantalizing: Spain's possession style versus Portugal's defensively solidity; Chile's fluency against Brazil's counter-attacking brilliance. Both know their opposition fairly well. Chile will see both Estrada and Medel miss the next match, but Carmona and Fernandez will return from suspension, while Spain are the first team to finish the group stage without a booking since 1986. Yet while both of today's teams can be fun to watch, they'll both have to improve to progress further in this tournament.

Spain 2-0 Honduras

Casillas
Ramos Pique Puyol Capdevila
Busquets Alonso
Navas Xavi Villa
Torres

Goals:
Villa 17’ 51’

Normal service has resumed. Sort of.

It was 4-2-3-1 again, with Alonso and Busquets “holding,” but the changes to the front four made a vast difference and the result was never in doubt. It was about as dominating a 2-0 win as you’ll see, but that was due more to Honduran impotence than Spanish supremacy. La Furia Roja wasted multiple opportunities to add to their haul, looking increasingly casual as the match went on.

It was little surprise to see Torres and Navas start after how Del Bosque tried to change the game against Switzerland, but that it relegated Villa to the left was a bit of a shock, especially with both Silva and Iniesta left out. Seeing the starting XI before the match made me expect a 4-3-3/4-1-2-3 but Villa manned the left flank, looking to cut in, while Torres stayed in the lone striker role he’s perfected at Liverpool.

Having Villa on the wing did little to nullify his goal threat, while Navas on the opposite flank helped stretch Honduras’ defense, creating space that wasn’t there last Wednesday. And it was evident from the opening whistle as Spain hit the crossbar – Villa, naturally – and had two penalties shouts – a missed handball and an ignored shove on Ramos – within the first ten minutes.

And it only took 17 to break the deadlock with an absolutely stunning solo goal. Villa cut in from the left and somehow split two defenders before bamboozling Chavez to find space for an unstoppable shot past Valladares despite losing his footing. Highlight. Reel.

From there, it should have been that man Torres extending Spain’s lead. But his lack of match fitness was evident, mis-hitting a free header into the ground and ballooning over after a clever run in the space of 60 seconds around the half-hour mark. Despite Honduras having next to no possession and even fewer chances, a 1-0 lead at the break gave Honduras the chance to snatch an undeserved equalizer, as we’ve seen a fair few times this tournament. But six minutes after the restart, El Guaje sealed the match, arguably lucky to still be on the field after a strange bust-up in the box on a 41st minute corner saw him pop Izaguirre in the mouth.

With Honduras throwing bodies forward the few times they were allowed possession, Spain counter-attacked with a 4-on-4 break. Xavi led the way before slotting in Navas, whose cutback found Villa in acres of space. Yes, he may have been lucky, seeing his shot deflect in off Chavez, but here’s where I resort to the usual clichés, this time reminding that it’s often better to be lucky than good, especially in knockout tournaments.

Yet Spain obstinately refused to increase the gap. Ramos shot narrowly wide seconds after the second goal. Villa missed a penalty, just wide of the post, after Navas was unnecessarily brought down. Fabregas was put through over the top, rounding the keeper only to see his narrow shot scooped off the line by a retreating defender. Mendoza dove in to prevent Villa’s hat-trick after Navas charged down the right on the break and set-up the striker.

Even considering those chances, Spain seemed content with the margin of victory as the match went on, taking off Xavi, Torres, and Ramos for Cesc, Mata, and Arbeloa, and were mostly content to counter. At the same time, both the passing and off the ball movement got lazier, in complete contrast to the first half. Over-intricacy in the final third was constant. None of these are good signs, despite how secure Spain were throughout.

There’s far too large a chance that Spain will rue not scoring more. Only tallying twice today, they’ve a goal difference of +1 going into the last group match. If they win on Friday, they're through. But if Switzerland beats Honduras by more than Spain beats Chile, Spain will finish second in the group. And that means a match-up with Brazil.

Make no mistake, it was a far better performance than against Switzerland. The attack was much more fluent despite the aforementioned concerns, and there was none of the Keystone Cops defending that led to Gelson Fernandes’ goal. Torres will find his feet in search of match fitness, while Villa continues to be able to create goals from nothing. Navas brought more balance to the side, while Fabregas was dangerous from the bench. But the way Spain tailed off in the second half invites some skepticism.

With Chile leading the group with six points and Spain and Switzerland level on three, everything’s still in the balance. It may be low scoring (outside of the inevitable North Korean collapse against Portugal), but it’s certainly ceased being a boring World Cup.

Spain 0-1 Switzerland

Casillas
Ramos Pique Puyol Capdevila
Alonso Busquets
Silva Xavi Iniesta
Villa

Goals:
Gelson Fernandes 52’

It remains incredibly low scoring, but at least the World Cup’s finally thrown up a huge shock. Sucks that it happens to one of the tournament’s most enjoyable sides, one with heavy Liverpool ties, but, unavoidably, that’s football.

And it’s a small sample size, but we might have our answer about 4-2-3-1 versus 4-1-3-2, at least against flat-back 4-4-2s. That was smash-and-grab football at it’s best (worst?), but that happens. Cue approximately 1732 articles about how the more things change, the more Spain in the World Cup stays the same.

The first half was perfectly in line with the World Cup so far, direly lacking shots on target, let alone goals. Spain had 80% of the possession in the opening 15 minutes, but didn’t test Benaglio until the 17th, with Silva’s low shot easily smothered. Iniesta, cutting inside from the left (with Silva operating similarly on the opposite flank), was amidst almost all of Spain’s good work, but it rarely led to breaching a determined back four.

Despite the usual possession, Spain created just two clear-cut openings in the half. The first fell to Pique with extra men forward after a set play, from Iniesta’s delightful pass, only to see Benaglio come out to close off the angle. The second, right before halftime, came on Spain’s lone counter-attack at pace when Switzerland was caught up the field, with Iniesta again providing the pass that put Villa free down the left. The striker did well to check back at the byline, but strangely over-hit a chipped cross for Silva instead of shooting.

Once again, a resilient flat back four canceled out a strong attack. It’s been the overriding theme this week. Spain seemingly had two options – get more men in the box by replacing one of the midfielders with Torres, or stretch the field by using a winger that stuck to the touchline – i.e. Navas – as the narrow Silva and Iniesta had little room to operate into Switzerland’s packed half.

Spain eventually chose both, but not before Switzerland sent jaws plummeting to the floor with a goal from absolutely nothing. Slow to regroup on a Swiss goal kick, Busquets misjudged his header, allowing Nfuko to pick up the ball with Pique and Puyol backing off. His clever through-ball caught both flat-footed, Casillas was slow to come out, and the keeper's collision with Derdiyok led to a scramble that Fernandes reached first. I’d be a lot more surprised if I didn’t see similar weekly in the Premiership. If you can’t vary your game against a well-drilled defensive side, you’re not going to succeed. I know for a fact that Liverpool fans are nodding their heads at that statement.

The aforementioned changes – Torres for Busquets and Navas for Silva – led to more Spanish chances, but Benaglio was equal to the task when called upon, while Iniesta and Torres curled shots wide before Alonso nearly destroyed the crossbar on Xavi’s centered free kick in the 74th. Resorting to more customary clichés, when those aren’t going in, it’s just not your day.

And it only become further frazzled in the final 15 minutes. Switzerland nearly went two up on another hilarious Spanish attempt at defense. Derdiyok easily got around Capdevila after another Nfuko clever through (no coincidence he was at the heart of this and the goal), beating both center-backs before hitting the post with a tricky toed shot.

Exposed on the break in the desperate search for an equalizer and with chances harder and harder to come by as frustration mounted, this was about as bad as it gets from Spain. I can’t help but reference the loss to USA in last year’s Confederations Cup. But this team’s losses – like the club sides Spain’s always compared to – frequently look alike. Credit goes to Switzerland’s defense – which includes midfielders Inler, Huggel, and Fernandes – for giving Spain no space to operate in the final third, while the side’s height helped negate Navas’ – the focal point of Spanish attacks in the latter stages – influence on proceedings. Despite rarely impressing, the Swiss remained as indestructible as in the previous World Cup, where they never conceded, going out on penalties in the round of 16.

Writing ‘that’s football’ after games such as this rarely suffices. But it again seems fitting. There’s a reason underdogs inevitably rely on defense and counter-attacking. Spain’s original tactics fed into the strategy, and they were behind and scrambling by the time Del Bosque changed matters. They had two defensive breakdowns and were punished by one.

Group H, already interesting, is now must-see material. Switzerland and Honduras are incredibly difficult to break down. Chile and Spain are two of the most attacking sides in the tournament. Spain will probably become even more attacking against Honduras next week in response to this setback, ideally starting both Torres and Villa, while today’s two winners will face off. Which leads to Spain and Chile in the final match, ensuring the group will go down to the last day, especially since the second-placed side will almost certainly face Brazil.

As much as I hate to see Spain suffer, especially given their history, results like this are what the World Cup is all about.

¿Cuatro-Uno-Tres-Dos o Cuatro-Dos-Tres-Uno?

International friendlies frequently don't mean much, especially when the team's rusty in its first match for a few months, so don't look too hard at Spain's late 3-2 win against unheralded Saudi Arabia. At least they didn't do as badly as Serbia, Portugal, or the US (prior to today, at least). They can't all be 3-1 wins over Mexico.

What's more significant is how the team lined up, and how potential starters played when given the chance. Which is why I was interested to see Spain's 4-2-3-1 in the absence of Torres.

Spain's usual formation – at least the one they won Euro 2008 (and lost to the Americans in the Confederations Cup) with – is 4-1-3-2, with either Alonso or Senna holding, a playmaking line of three led by Xavi, and two of the world’s best strikers in Torres and Villa. Yet I'm still not sure it's their best team.

It was strange to hear today's match commentator say that Torres' injury makes Del Bosque's life easier, but it's true. When El Niño's out, Spain simply has to play two deep-lying midfielders, leaving Villa as a lone striker. Today's line-up was:

Casillas
Ramos Pique Puyol Arbeloa
Busquets Alonso
Silva Xavi Iniesta
Villa

Despite starting slowly and conceding two sloppy goals, it was a line-up that worked. Again, there are different standards for "worked" in friendlies. Villa scored, Xavi was the pivot, Iniesta appears near top form, Alonso notched from distance, and there was yet another late winner. Had Casillas not flapped at an early corner, and had Spain not gone to sleep after taking the lead and making four substitutions (or had the strike not deflected off Al Numare), we'd be talking about a thorough if somewhat uninspired victory.

It was different when Senna was the primary defensive midfielder. A beast of a tackler as well a clever passer, Senna could hold the fort on his own: a one-man shield while the front five attacked at will. He wasn't named it, but I thought he was Spain's best player at Euro 08. As much as I love Xabi Alonso – and this season's done little to diminish that love – he doesn't fill the role in the same way.

Aside from '04-05, when Benitez stuck with the 4-4-2 left over from Houllier's reign, Alonso was paired with a "tackler" at Liverpool. First Sissoko, with Gerrard moving out right, then Mascherano as Liverpool transitioned to 4-2-3-1. We can argue the merits of Rafa's conservatism another time, but that Benitez didn't trust him defensively speaks volumes. I may be underrating Alonso as a tackler, but he's clearly better when hunting in tandem with another.

And I've gone through this tactical charade without mentioning Cesc. A candidate to start when fit, whether in place of Alonso or Silva, he's another dynamic midfielder who doesn't offer much protection. It was Busquets paired with Alonso today, and individually, he was mediocre at best. Senna must have been pretty average this season to be left out for Sergio. But he adds a different, and arguably crucial dimension to the Spanish XI, and I'll fervently argue that while Busquets certainly didn't impress, he made Alonso look very good.

Spain's almost always chosen the more attacking option, a philosophical choice if not cultural. It's the way football's played – or should be. In a group with Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile, it shouldn't matter much. But if they face the likes of Brazil, Argentina, or even England later on, conservatism might be the smarter option. Even with the likes of Torres and Villa in your team.

Spain 0-2 USA

Casillas
Sergio Ramos Pique Puyol Capdevila
Alonso
Fabregas Xavi Riera
Torres Villa

Howard
Spector DeMerit Onyewu Bocanegra
Dempsey Bradley Clark Donovan
Davies Altidore

Goals:
Altidore 27’
Dempsey 74’

And you thought I was kidding when I said I wouldn’t be surprised by a US victory. Well, I was. But it was bound to happen. That’s this sport. That’s why it’s the best. And now a team that lost its first two games by a 6-1 margin is going to be in the final, having beaten the #1 team in the world, one that hadn’t been beaten in 35 games. My result of jinxing teams stands, and it helps to explain why I don’t predict Liverpool games.

I thought of titling this review “Fuck you, play me,” but that’d diminish the effort of the entire US team. Yet it was still eminently amusing to see Jozy Altidore, who barely got a look-in at Villareal and never featured for second division Xerex, announce himself on the world stage with a goal against the country where his club(s) won’t play him.

The US had two good chances in the first ten minutes – through Davies and Dempsey – before Spain’s first – Villa not far off the top corner with a wicked volley. Less than a minute later, Howard sprang a fantastic save on Torres, which was made moot by a incorrect offside flag.

This marked Spain establishing themselves with their usual game - passing and possession. Unfortunately, it was also one of those games where that passing and possession leads to naught. And, against the run of play, the US opened the scoring through Altidore in the 27th. Receiving the ball at the top of the box, he held off Capdevila incredibly well, turned, and fired past Iker, who could only deflect it on its way into the net. And that Capdevila’s his teammate at Villareal makes it even more delicious.

It was a Spanish onslaught for the rest of the half and most of the second, but the US held them off. I’m used to teams shutting up shop and somehow keeping a clean sheet thanks to following Liverpool, but I still don’t know how Spain didn’t score. Demerit, Spector, Howard, Onyewu, and Bocanegra (in approximately that order) were all simply immense.

I could rattle off more than 10 Spanish “chances” that could have gone in on another day, whether a defender made a last-ditch block, Howard came up with an excellent save, or a Spanish attacker just couldn’t get on the end of a cross. But the US goal was impenetrable despite Spain’s dominance in possession. And in the 74th, Dempsey again made the difference after moving up top when Feilhaber came on for a striker. Ramos couldn’t clear Donovan’s deflected center, steering the ball to Dempsey’s toe. 2-0. You have to be kidding me.

The game was won with hustle, heart, and the break of the ball. I don’t want to sound dismissive of the US by writing ‘break of the ball,’ but there were so many moments where if the rebound had bounced differently or a deflected shot that ended with a corner had gone in another direction. But again, that’s soccer.

And that takes nothing away from the US team. I have to draw the inevitable Arsenal comparisons; Spain is prone to the same problems. Even when the team is off, they still see a ton of possession, but can’t make that breakthrough and are often over-intricate in the final third. Yes, Liverpool being guilty of that probably lost them the league last season, but Arsenal’s better known for it.

More importantly, the US simply out-worked Spain, and each player put in a hell of a shift. It also helps to play without fear. The pressure was on in two tough early games against the likes of Italy and Brazil. They were holding their own against the Italians until going down to 10 men, and Brazil is, well, Brazil. But against Egypt and in 4th place in the group, no one expected them to advance. And everyone’s spent the last two-plus days predicting a Spain/Brazil final. Well, as American readers know, the media and advertisers gambled on a Kobe/Lebron final, and we saw how that turned out.

Still, this was the best I’ve ever seen the US defense. Dempsey popped up with another crucial goal despite the criticism he’s received from idiots like me. Donovan (really, when I write “Landycakes,” it’s with love) was absolutely everywhere, and was more important as a defender than as an attacker in the second half. It's a pity Bradley will miss the final thanks to another dubious red card (looked a ton worse at full speed), but Feilhaber's been impressive in his last two appearances, although that might be down to being used as a substitute.

I am disappointed in Spain’s performance, and, yes, partially with the result. I can’t help it. I like seeing Spain win. I’m used to seeing the US lose to better teams. But I am very proud of the US’s performance – honestly – and thrilled for Altidore, who I like as a player, respect for going abroad at 18, and desperately want to see succeed in Europe.

However, I don’t expect the final to look much like this. We’ll see how that prediction holds up on Sunday.

What’s the penalty for treason these days?

I readily admit it. I’m not a huge fan of the US national team. I’ll watch more often than not. I even hope they win more often than not. But I’m usually watching their games with a wry, detached smile.

And yet, I’ve still written about the team on occasion. The most recent post under that tag is from the Spain-US match a year ago, and I wrote about that because I was rooting for Spain in the Euros. The preceding post argues that Bob Bradley should have had his interim tag removed after the 2-0 win over Mexico. After two-thirds of Sunday’s win over Egypt, I was sure Bradley was getting sacked. So, yeah, my insights into US soccer aren’t always on target.

Chances are I’ll have to catch tomorrow’s match on DVR later in the evening, but I’ll probably review the match. Because of the large Liverpool contingent, Spain’s one of the international teams I actually pay close attention to, along with England (guilty secret – my first love in football, since Italia 90, although the more I’ve followed Liverpool, the less I’ve cared about Ingerlund) and Holland (the 1974 World Cup team. That is all.). And yes, I am American; even though I’m a US soccer agnostic, I still can’t hate the national team.

Plus, the way the US backed into the knockout stage of the Confederations Cup was delicious, and another example of why this game’s so great. The US, outside of the first half against Italy before capitulating have gone down to ten men, were absolutely dire in their first two matches. Dempsey looked tired and uninterested after a long season with Fulham. Beasley is a shadow of the player he was three years ago. Red cards have led to an unsettled midfield; only Michael Bradley has come close to establishing himself. And I can’t put it better than Unprofessional Foul did yesterday:

I would say that a goal on Father's Day for the 2nd year in a row is an apt display of how nepotism has allowed you to keep your starting role. I would even say that you and your dad should both still lose your jobs, but that is unlikely to happen given this result.

To be fair, a substitution led to the third goal. And I honestly thought Bradley was insane – needing a goal, the US took off a striker (Altidore, who’s young, but seemed to be playing better as the game went on) and brought on a midfielder, moving Dempsey up front. Dempsey’s probably the US’ best player (sorry Landycakes), but he’s been gash all tournament long. And yet, as soon as he moves upfront, he pops up with a terrific header from an equally terrific Spector cross. Bob Bradley 1, Internet schmucks like me 0.

And thanks to Brazil steamrolling an uninspired Italy, USA goes through with a 1-0-2 record on goals scored. And now they get to face an in-form European champion, playing to set the record for consecutive games without a loss. Alonso and Fabregas have stepped in for the injured Senna and Iniesta, and Torres has been in the mood for murder since returning from injury, whether with Spain or Liverpool.

And yet, with the way this tournament’s gone, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the US nick a 1-0 win. Just another reason why this is the best sport there is.

Spain 1-0 Germany

Goals:
Torres 33’

The first thing I voiced after starting these Spain reviews was the worry that my support for the Spanish squad would jinx their chances. After the conclusion of the tournament, I’m happy to say the opposite turned out to be true.

As I’m sure you’ve read multiple times by now, this is Spain’s first major trophy in 44 years. And the man who scored the goal that sealed the title was Fernando Torres, the reason I started the endeavor of examining Spain’s performances. After misfiring for much of the tournament (and the first 30 minutes of today’s match), Torres produced a moment of brilliance like the many he performed for Liverpool time and time again this season.

For the first 10 minutes of the game it looked as if Germany might overrun the Spanish. Having been in this position before, the Germans seemed to start with less weight on their shoulders, were denying Spain the ball, and pushed towards Casillas’ goal. But like in the last match against Russia, Casillas was rarely threatened, and as the game progressed, the Spanish became more dominant.

Indeed, Spain nearly opened the scoring in the 13th minute when Iniesta’s shot deflected off Metzelder, forcing Lehmann into a reaction save to prevent an own goal. Nine minutes later, Torres did well to get on the end of a Ramos cross, only to see his header cannon off the foot of the post, which summed up how most of the tournament has gone for the #9.

But ten minutes following that chance, Torres finally found his Liverpool form with a goal straight out of Benitez’s playbook. Xavi’s throughball put Torres one-on-one with Phillip Lahm, but Torres was left with ground to make up to get on the end of it. But the striker out-paced the quick fullback and deftly chipped over an on-rushing Lehmann to give Spain the lead.

And it was a lead that would last for the rest of the final. Spain continued to turn the screws, although Germany remained tough to break down. Silva had a chance to get a second minutes after the opener but screwed his volley high and wide.

The Germans brought on left back Jansen for Lahm at half-time in an attempt to change proceedings. Which it didn’t. Kuranyi came on the 58th minute for Hitzlsperger, bringing on a striker for a midfielder, and while it brought the Germans more possession, they still weren’t creating chances.

Ramos should have sealed the game in the 66th minute, sending a free header straight at Lehmann from Xavi’s free kick after the German defense completely fouled up the offside trap. But that was one of the few times the German defense was caught asleep; their resilience was the reason Spain only scored one.

Although there’s always a danger of giving up a soft equalizer, Germany rarely looked like getting it. Iniesta continued to threaten, forcing Frings to clear off the line and eliciting a save from Lehmann minutes later, while Senna nearly got on the scoresheet after Guiza’s knockdown into his path in the 80th, only for the ball to bounce unkindly.

As the minutes wore away, the Spanish simply tried to keep possession and prevent the Germans from getting something undeserved. And if there’s any team in this tournament who can pass the ball around all day long, it’s Spain, leading to a final 10 or so minutes that progressively disheartened the Germans.

One of the best things about Spain’s victory is that it demonstrates that the team with the most eye-catching football can win this trophy. To be honest, after Greece’s victory in 2004 and seeing the Russians and Turks do so well this time around, I feared that the most cohesive “team” would succeed, no matter their strategy. But Spain’s victory is a victory for pretty football, and hopefully it’ll set a precedent for the future.

It’s tough to pick a man of the match, especially when Torres gets the winner, and I’m automatically drawn towards him. But I have to highlight Marcos Senna, as Spain wouldn’t have won anything without him. He’s been a superlative holding midfielder: breaking up the play, protecting the back four, and providing a platform for players like Xavi and Fabregas. Throughout the tournament he gave an absolutely master-class performance, but because of his position in the team, it has been overshadowed by the likes of Villa, Torres, and Fabregas.

But I’ll finish on a selfish note. No matter how happy I am for Spain, and I truly am pleased with their performance and that they broke such a long-standing jinx (next up, England’s 42-year drought!), most important to me is that the four Liverpool players in the squad will come back to Anfield brimming with confidence and with the Euro trophy in the cabinet. And hopefully, none more confident than the game-winning Fernando Torres, who continues to show he can score goals on any occasion.

Spain 3-0 Russia

Goals:
Xavi 50’
Guiza 73’
Silva 82’

One couldn’t have expected another three-goal margin of victory for Spain, especially with the way the Russians consummately dispatched the Dutch last Saturday. And for the first 45 minutes, it certainly didn’t look happening.

Once again, Spain started well enough, dominating possession and tempo but with little to show for it. Berezutski, who marked Torres very well, and the rest of the Russian defense weren’t giving Spain any openings to put their possession to use, while Akinfeev was making the few saves he needed to. An injury to Villa, who appeared to hurt himself taking a free kick and went off for Fabregas in the 34th, didn’t help matters either.

But at the same time, Russia offered next to nothing in attack, and Arshavin, the man who had been so impressive in their previous two games, was often invisible. Casillas didn’t have a save to make in the entire first half, with Russia’s lone chance coming when a Pavlyuchenko free kick sailed over the bar 16 minutes in.

But five minutes after the restart, Spain’s pressure paid dividends and an early goal sent them on their way. Iniesta, who played mostly on the left, cut inside, and appeared to aim a shot at the far post. It was going wide, but Xavi had continued his run and was able to redirect it past a sprawling Akinfeev.

From there, the game opened up a bit with the Russians in need of an equalizer. Torres had two decent chances, coming in the 62nd and 63rd minutes -- first unable to get a cross on target from a narrow angle and then getting stuck between a volley and a header on another Ramos cross, only to knee it helplessly wide. The latter was a chance he would have buried in a Liverpool shirt, but even with the striker misfiring he still looked dangerous.

But then, again, Aragones saw fit to take him off, bringing on Guiza (and Alonso for Xavi) in the 69th minute. However, this time it worked exactly as the manager drew it up, with Guiza getting his second goal of the tournament four minutes after coming on. In a goal made by substitutes, Fabregas delicately lobbed the ball over the top for an onside Guiza to chip over the keeper.

The second goal took all the wind out of the opposition, and Spain was able to drop the tempo and play keep-away. When the Russians got possession they had to send as many forward as possible in order to get one back, and Spain was able to take advantage in the 82nd, with Iniesta brilliantly finding Fabregas on the left with a long pass out of defense. Cesc took a touch and slide-rule centered for Silva to control and slot past Akinfeev.

Sychev nearly got a consolation in the 88th but for an excellent save from Casillas (with a free header from a free kick, something that the Spanish will have to improve on and how Germany was able to punish Portugal), while Guiza was denied a fourth in the 90th to keep the score at 3-0.

I still maintain the scoreline flatters the Spanish, but they were far and away better today than against the Italians, and it was the improvement from the likes of Iniesta and Ramos that was a big reason for it. Throughout the game Ramos was more composed and made no silly challenges, but was still able to get forward to put in threatening crosses. Meanwhile, as the game went on, Iniesta was more and more effective playing inch-perfect long balls, including the one that set up Fabregas to assist on Spain’s third goal.

Spain’s midfield, especially when it was 5 vs 5, bossed Russia’s, kept them from playing the football that beat the Dutch, and Fabregas was the centerpiece of it. The substitute was probably the man of the match for his two-assist performance and the way he was able to replace the tournament’s leading goalscorer off the bench. He directed traffic, linked the play, and popped up left, right, and center. I’d be stunned if he doesn’t retain his place if Villa isn’t fit.

This will be Spain’s first major final since Euro 84, and the players did well to not succumb to nerves today having made it this far. There was a mountain of pressure in finally making a semifinal and being favorites, with the Russians unfancied even after their win over Holland. But Germany will be a very different, and tougher, proposition -- not only because of their experience (this will be their sixth Euro final, having won three) but also their aforementioned capabilities on set pieces.

Spain 0-0 Italy; Spain win 4-2 on penalties

You couldn’t ignore the omens. All three group-winners had gone out of the competition in the quarterfinals. Spain hadn’t beaten Italy in a competitive fixture in 88 years. There’s the precedent of Spain stumbling in the knockout rounds after an impressive group stage, while the Italians often start slow only to improve as the tournament progresses. And the Furia Roja had been knocked out of international competitions on June 22nd on penalties at the quarterfinal stage on three separate occasions -- World Cup ’86 and ’02 and Euro ’96.

You almost knew how this game was going to play out before the whistle blew. Spain was going to have the majority of possession, but Italy would pack bodies in defense and throttle the life out of the Spanish attack. After eking through a tumultuous group stage, the Italians probably would have settled for penalties from the get-go. And for 120 minutes, that’s exactly how it played out.

It doesn’t do the cliché justice to say chances were at a premium. With Italy content to let Spain have the ball, but relegate their possession to midfield and the wings while swiftly shutting down any attacker with the ball in the final third, the Spanish had to be content with mostly long-range efforts throughout the first half. David Silva threatened the most often, but with Panucci, Chiellini, De Rossi, and Ambrosini quick to close down the ball Buffon was rarely tested.

Spain could have had a couple of penalties, with Grosso pulling Torres’ shirt and Ambrosini chopping down Villa a minute later, but Herbert Fandel ignored both. Which wouldn’t have been all that surprising (although Villa probably did deserve his shout) if Fandel wasn’t blowing his whistle at every opportunity when it was outside the box, especially for Spanish fouls on the Italians. By the end of the match, Andy Gray was beside himself with the referee, which always makes for amusing commentary.

Only twice in the second half did the script deviate from the first, with each side nearly getting a goal in a match where one goal always looked enough. In the 61st minute, a ball over the top created a scramble in the Spanish penalty area that Camoranesi got on the end of, only to see Casillas get back into position to make an excellent instinctive save with his left leg. In the 81st, with Spain still resorting to deep shots, Buffon fumbled an excellent long-range effort from Senna, but instead of rolling over the line it bounced back to the keeper off the post.

Aragones attempted to change the game with the same substitutions as against Sweden, with Cazorla on for Iniesta and Fabregas for Xavi, but they failed to make the same impact. In addition, with five minutes left in normal time, Spain’s last roll of the dice was to remove Torres for Dani Guiza. I may be incredibly biased, and Torres didn’t have his best game (he was better in the second half), but the move seemed insane. Liverpool fans excoriated Benitez for taking Torres off in extra time of the Champions League semi-final, and at least then Torres was arguably injured. It makes zero sense to take off one of the best strikers in the world when you need a goal, and Spain nearly paid for it during penalties.

Once the teams made it to extra time, with both sets of players tiring, penalties looked inevitable (although penalties looked inevitable throughout the contest). Italy sent on Del Piero with their last substitution, but chances were still few and far between, with the best coming at the death when Cazorla tried a shot, putting it wide from a tough angle, when centering across the six-yard box would have led to a certain Villa goal.

By going to penalties it looked like history would repeat itself once again, and Spain would lose on spot kicks on June 22nd for the fourth time. But, finally, all those years of history were avenged.

Villa, Grosso, and Cazorla netted before De Rossi’s decent effort was well saved by Casillas. Both Senna and Camoranesi scored before Guiza’s tame penalty was easily stopped, bringing the Italians back into it. I’m fairly certain Torres’ would have offered a bit more. But luckily, Di Natale’s for Italy was just as tame and Fabregas sealed it with Spain’s fifth, breaking all those jinxes listed earlier and setting up a semi-final against the Russians.

The semi-final will be completely different from the first meeting where the Spanish rolled. First and foremost, Arshavin is back for Russia, and he’s been one of the stars of the tournament in the two games he’s played. Without him, Russia probably wouldn’t have made it out of the group and certainly wouldn’t have beaten the Dutch. Hiddink has his entire side playing well, but Arshavin is the centerpiece.

And the Russians will probably replicate what the Italians did today, which was quite similar to how Russia played Holland yesterday. Defenders will pack the middle and Russia will look to attack on the counter, which they’ve done better than the Italians all tournament long. Russia assuredly won’t play as openly as they did in the first meeting.

In the last three games, Spain has squeezed by teams in tight games where they’ve been able to play possession football but haven’t created numerous chances on goal. They’ll have to do it again on Wednesday against an in-form side full of confidence after beating the tournament favorites.