Spain vs. Tunisia
It's been all smiles down Madrid-way so far after that mullering they gave Ukraine. We'll see if Aragones and co. are still smiling after this one. As I missed the earlier 4-0 drubbing of the Saudis, I'd like to see a few good goals fly in. Anyone want to join me?
posted by gatorbob @ 2:15 PM
67 Comments:
No problem, Sir Trev. I'm going for a slim German win as with the Poland match. I really don't know what will happen in the England-Sweden match if Germany end up second in the group. I like your scenario for a goalless draw right up until the 93rd minute and then a hilarious intentional own-goal.
Spain's center forward David Villa has a chance to jump into the lead in the Golden Boot competition in today's match. He's on two along with the likes of Hernan Crespo, Augustin Delgado, and Tomas Rosicky. It was good to see my pick Andriy Shevchenko get off the mark today, but he's got a bit of work to do.
That's odd. The commentary staff has just said that Tunisian fans outnumber the Spanish fans today. How would that happen? Can't the Spaniards rouse themselves from their bleedin' siestas?
An early chance from a free kick for Spain....
Xavi over it...
And headed behind for a corner.
An unchallenged header for Luis Garcia from the resulting corner, nodded wide.
The early result, with Ukraine romping over the Saudis puts the Spanish rout in the first game into relief. Is this Spanish team the real deal? Could be!
OOOOH, David Villa has his first shooting chance of the day and rips one into the side netting. Keeper may have gotten a touch. He really looks the biz.
GOAL: 1-0 Tunisia! Cor blimey, I didn't see that one coming. A break down the right hand side ends with a blast from Jaziri. It's saved by Casillas but he can't prevent Minari scoring from the rebound. Incredible scenes here!
Spain looked to be in real control. Let's see how they respond to giving up their first goal of the tournament.
Villa has a free kick.....
Straight at the keeper who punches away.
Tunisia are getting loads of space on the right side with Salgado pushing forward to join the attack. They'll have to correct that soon.
This is more good news for England. We can now definitely take Spain off the list of "Teams to Fear" in this competition. It's really just down to Argentina and possibly Holland now.
Tunisia are giving far too many free kicks away.
Here's another one with Xavi again over it....
A header just over from Sergio Ramos.
Here's the Spain record, Trev:
1970 - Did not qualify
1974 - Did not qualify
1978 - Round 1
1982 - Round 2
1986 - Quarterfinals
1990 - Round 2
1994 - Quarterfinals
1998 - Round 1
2002 - Quarterfinals
2006 - Qualified
As you can see, their reputation for choking is well deserved.
Spain really look rattled. Instead of the composed game they played against Ukraine, they seem jittery, playing short balls that all too often are cut out by the Tunisian defenders. It almost seems as if they're haunted by those previous failures.
Aragones looks as if he's about to have a coronary over on the sideline. Couldn't happen to a nicer bloke!
Yeah, ironically Steve and I were at the 2nd round match at RFK where they beat Mexico to qualify for that Quarterfinal.
KC's off for a research trip and to do a couple of conference talks - not fun. I'm just as happy to be back here, to be honest. But thanks for the thought.
Also, you wouldn't know it from the blogging, but I'm actually doing a lot of work right now. I've got an online course that I'm teaching, plus I'm putting together PowerPoints, syllabi and so on for fall courses. All the sort of thing that can be done in the evenings after a day's footie, thankfully.
Back to the match....
For some reason, the five man Tunisian midfield is shutting down some of the options for Spain. Xavi Alonso, who was excellent against Ukraine, has been anonymous.
Trabelsi again has loads of space on the right before he's upended by Puyol. Yellow card for him - the first for Spain.
Dangerous free kick....
And Ayari blasts it straight at Casillas.
Spanish counter attack comes to nothing.
Yellow card for Ayari now for a nasty challenge on Xavo Alonso - he's on the turf now.
Free kick with Xavi....
Oh, Luis Garcia flashes a free header wide; he'll want that one back.
I really like the look of this David Trabelsi bloke, who plays at Ajax. We could surely find room for him at the Elland.
Sorry that's Hatem Trabelsi...
Free kick with Xavi over the ball...
Not quite a cross and not quite a shot; I'd let Villa take a few of these. Xavi has been wasteful.
End to end stuff here; much of it going down the respective right wings through the romping full-backs Sergio Ramos for Spain and Trabelsi for Tunisia. Good stuff!
I am here fellas, I was busy cleaning the pool.
What a shocker!! Deserved?
Yet another free kick for Spain....
Played short and then a long blast from Alonso, just wide.
Trabelsi picked up his first yellow on that last foul.
Spain have been reduced to long hoofs from Casillas and Puyol at this point. What a come down from the first game!
The German tropical heatwave has finally broken and buckets of rain are now falling on the pitch.
That won't suit either side, I suspect. After all the rain in Spain falls mainly on the...oh, please yourselves.
Torres with a speculative shot produces a nice tip over.
Corner to Spain...and a free header is cleared off the line! Wow!
Ayali, who's now down clutching his head, is the hero. It didn't look like his head struck the post there. Ball definitely not over the line.
Hey Dave, definitely deserved. The Tunisians have been quite good. I scoffed at Steve's reports the other day, but they've changed my mind here.
As I can attest, the pool boy doesn't fit into the public school lifestyle. However, Trev's idea of the kiddie chain gang does seem to make sense, Dave.
good point, Thomas did start to vacuum it but gave up.
Half time. Tunisia looked a little dirty at the end.
Half-time: Tunisia 1-0. Well deserved. The Spanish have been effectively shut down. And Tunisians have been lively, especially up the right side. This one could go either way. The Spanish could get back into this one; they're certainly getting enough free kick opportunities. But the Tunisians could score again on the break.
Great save from a wicked shot by Alonso
As for the pool comments, remember this pool was given to us. I am quite proud of myself being able to keep it going.
Aragones has gone for a bold change in the second half with Raul and Fabregas coming on to stiffen the attack. I agree with Dave, the Tunisians are starting to just kick lumps out of the Spanish. Loads of free kicks nwo.
Now, David Villa is coming out. It's the last sub.
And the veteran Tunisian captain Bouazzizi is coming off too. Some tired Tunisian legs out there. But they'll be delirious if this result holds up.
The Spanish left back Pernia continues his adventures up the left wing. That could easily open Spain up to a second goal.
Tunisian fans in good voice.
I love how Fabregas just has the name "Cesc" on the back of his shirt - very flash.
What is he... Brazilian?
is it the same with Alonso?
Half an hour for Spain to pull this one out. The substitutions haven't worked yet, and the Spanish fullbacks are trying the time-tested long ball method that England gets wrongly stereotyped for.
Torres looks shattered. I don't think he's much more to give, but he'll have to go the ninety minutes now.
I'll have to look again for Alonso. There are two players with "Xavi" in their names. Xavi has "Xavi" on his shirt, but I haven't noticed what the Liverpool player is wearing.
There will be no "dancing in the fountains" in Madrid tonight after this result, even if they pull back to a draw.
This puts Tunisia top and if they were to score three more, Ukraine would be second! I don't expect that, though.
Jaidi is getting a yellow card for a nothing challenge on Torres, who just kind of leaned over his knee.
Your thoughts on the 4-3 to the Arsenal taunt from Gooner71 yesterday, Dave?
Goal
I missed it. What posting was it on
GOAL: 1-1; A completely jammy goal from - who else - Raul the golden boy. A nothing shot is bobbled by the keeper, allowing Raul to nip in for the rebound. The keeper should've had that one. What a bollock!
It was right at the end of the France-Korea thread yesterday. Gooner71 came on and tagged your taunting of my Leeds boys, trumpeting the fact that Arsenal have 15 players in the tournament who have scored a combined four goals to date.
The Tunisian keeper has just kept the team in it. Joaquin has made a difference on the right flank.
Adrian Healey has just said that the keeper couldn't have been expected to do better with the goal - don't you he could?
GOAL: 2-1; Amazing, Torres has pulled it out for Spain. Roger Lemerre looks well crossed. Long ball from Cesc finds the Tunisian defense napping, Torres rounds the keeper and sticks in.
Tunisia have thrown this one away. They may talk about this one as indications that the Spanish team will have longevity in the competition, but I'm not buying it. Not well impressed.
What the hell was that celebration from the kid Torres? "The ZZ Top?"
Tunisia scored late against the Saudis. Can they come back here?
My tv is so delayed. Kathy was on the phone with her brother in San Diego. Spain had a thrown in the defensive end and her brother told her that Spain just scored again. I guess there is on negative to Tivo
Hmmmm....I wouldn't know. You know with the pool and the TIVo, I'm getting a different impression of public school salaries in New York. Just how much moonlighting are you doing up there, mate?
Do you think Spain deserves this one?
Ohhh, Torres is denied a second by the keeper. Should've buried that one. I hear that United are in for him - your thoughts?
Oh no, the referee has now given Spain a penalty. Defender hauling crybaby Torres down.
He steps up...and scores, just. That's his third of the competition, Golden Boot leader so far.
That was a crap penalty, but the keeper just kind of fell over on it and let it under his shoulder. Again Tommy Smyth doesn't fault the keeper, but I do. Rubbish goalkeeping.
Tunisia have just folded here after a bright start. I don't know what happened. Around half time they just decided to start kicking the Spanish.
This puts Spain through, probably top, as expected before the match. Will they meet France?
Yet another yellow card for Tunisia. Will they have any players left to play the third match?
Because of my pool and Tivo I have to now leave to teach at my college.
I will be home for the England game.
Oh, Torres nearly had his hat-trick here.
Full-time: 3-1; a flattering scoreline for Spain, I think. Joaquin made the difference. Why not start him? I'm still not convinced by Spain - what about the rest of you?
I shall see you promptly for the England match.
Come on you Three Lions!
we were having network issues that are now solved. joaquin making the difference? you must be watching something else from me, because the only conclusion was that cesc fabregas came on in at the start of the second half and bossed the game. evidence? two stinging efforts on target from him, another stinging effort that the keeper parried into raul's path to snaffle up, and a long ball for torres to chase that he took round the keeper and poked in. torres was onto another pass from fabregas that would have seen the gooner on a hat-trick of assists.
once fabregas came on, xavi had a partner that dug in to give him space to find his wingers. he supported the attack, took decent corners, and tackled back.
joaquin? the spanish didn't really use the wing play on his side so i can only remember one or two forward moves that even involved him.
fabregas was the key and m-o-m too.
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