Spain vs Portugal

Spain advanced into the next round with a solid display against Portugal without even excelling.Some may argue that Portugals depleted team produced a lacklustre performance overshadowing their 7 goal battering earlier in the tournament.There was a half-hour spell during the second half of Spain’s victory over Portugal that ought to have set the alarm bells ringing for the seven other nations left in this World Cup – particularly those from South America.Portugal were the only team left in the competition yet to concede a goal and were frustrating Spain in the much-anticipated second-round showdown between the Iberian neighbours.Shortly before David Villa scored the goal that put the Spanish into the quarter-finals, something visibly clicked for Vincent del Bosque’s side and they began to look like their old selves for the first time since arriving in South Africa.

It is not that the European champions were misfiring badly until then, well not in the manner of the likes of England, Italy or France at any rate. I still saw more pretty passing patterns from Spain in the first 45 minutes at Cape Town Stadium than Fabio Capello’s men managed in two weeks, it is just that they seemed unable to make their dominance in possession count. Later in the dying seconds of the game Portugal’s hopes were over when referee Hector Baldassi gave Costa his marching orders for apparently lashing out at Capdevila.The difference between the two was Spain’s Patience, precision and confidence to play the game the way they know how to, in spreading the play and keeping possession frustrating the Portuguese and playing that killer ball when desired to finish their chance. Spain 1 Portugal 0