Confederations Cup Liveblog: Spain v. South Africa

3rd place match? Are you sure?

Good morning kids! Today on UF will be all-NYK, all the time as I will be liveblogging both matches today to anchor our 100% Confederations Cup liveblog guarantee. This first match presents a study in contrasts as Spain surely thought they would be in the final, while South Africa can hold their heads high for having made it to the 3rd place match.



This match is being held at Rustenburg-Royal Bafokeng Stadium and features an Austrian officiating crew.

Spain will run out a 4-1-2-1-2 featuring:
GK: Casillas
DEF: Capdevila; Pique; Albiol; Arbeloa
MID: Riera; Xabi Alonso; Cazorla; Sergio
ST: Torres; Villa

So del Bosque has sat Puyol, Xavi and Sergio Ramos - not a surprise considering their recent performances, particularly the latter. However, in order to avoid being further embarrassed he is still relying on his strike tandem of Torres and Villa to produce some powerful offense.


South Africa will use a 4-4-2 featuring:
GK: Khune
DEF: Gaxa; Booth; Mokoena; Masilela
MID: Pienaar; Dikgacoi; Sibaya; Modise
ST: Parker; Tshabalala

Joel Santana has replaced Mhlongo with Tshabalala but has otherwise kept his squad intact, which is a good strategy considering their last effort against Brazil. The midfield has truly been impressive for the Bafana Bafana, with Modise the clear star (for my money).


-03:00 - The lead-in to the Confed Cup on ESPN2 is NASCAR Now. Just in case you were wondering Jeff Burton is not happy with his recent performances.

-02:00 - I have a strange feeling that this liveblog will consist mostly of me talking to myself. For some reason, a 3rd-place match at 9AM between these 2 squads does not seem to enthuse a lot of people. But, a promise is a promise, and we guaranteed you fine people 100% livebloggery of the Confederations Cup!

-00:30 - Also, AJ Burnett and the Yankees can suck it. The Mets will probably lose again today because baby Jesus hates me, but at least we managed a hit last night to prevent the no-no.

-00:00 - Vuvuzelas!

00:00 - And we're off!

00:30 - And bonjour to joe!

01:45 - A little bit of ping-pong in the early going, with every ball to the S. Africa defense resulting in chants of "BOOOOOOOOOOOTH"

03:45 - Pique attempts a long ball over the top as the midfield has been bogged up, but the ball is too far. However, Spain regain the ball after a poor throw and Villa gets off a great shot that forces a great save from Khune. The resulting corner is tipped out by Khune, and eventually cleared.

05:30 - Spain are looking more comfortable now moving the ball, as there is some good interplay between Arbeloa and Villa. A throw-in goes all the way back to midfield, and Spain look to rebuild.

06:30 - Xabi Alonso plays Villa over the top, and he beats Masilela to the ball. The shot is from a difficult angle and he puts it well over the bar.

07:30 - Masilela dispossesses Cazorla, and Pienaar winds up drawing the foul. The free-kick comes into Booth at the back post, who sends it back to Pienaar. The shot is deflected for a corner. The ball comes into Booth, who attempts a backheel, but the eventual shot from Tshabalala is well over the bar.

10:15 - A cross from Riera goes across the goalmouth but is too high for anyone to get a head onto.

11:45 - Some excellent passing from South Africa is wasted as Masilela puts his final pass directly to the feet of Albiol. A bit of alternating possession, and each side has had some decent opportunities so far.

13:00 - Modise is fouled (and goes down a bit easily) by Pique about 35 yards out (oooh, close - ESPN says 38m). The kick again finds an unguarded Booth, and his header is wide. He really should have done better there.

14:45 - Arbeloa finds Cazorla, who in turn leaves it for Villa. But Booth is there to clean up the mess. The resulting throw-in finds its way to Cazorla, who feeds Riera. The pass into the box comes off Villa's foot as his touch let him down.

16:00 - Khune takes the goal-kick while adjusting his gloves. Wardrobe malfunction?

16:45 - A South Africa break is lost as Parker's touch lets him down and he commits a foul in an attempt to recover.

18:15 - Spain surge forward but yet again commit a sloppy turnover. Pique is forced to send the ball out for a throw-in to stop the South Africa counter. In the interim the referee has a little talk with Sibaya and Torres. Bad Nando!

19:00 - A poor cross is sent out by Arbeloa, as no one told him that he had time to play the ball cleanly. The resulting corner is cleared easily, and Cazorla plays Villa on the break. Looking like he would score, he is tackled by Masilela at the last possible second.

21:00 - Some wonderful interplay between Torres and Arbeloa results in El Nino in the box, but Sibaya is enough of a nuisance to result in a weak shot that is gobbled up by Khune.

24:00 - More frustration for Nando, as he dribbles 2 midfielders only to be stopped by Pienaar.

25:00 - Parker surges forward, and with Tshabalala wide open Parker instead scuffs his shot.

27:00 - A wonderful ball by Pienaar is misread by Tshabalala, who did not continue his run. South Africa are getting chances by building through the middle, but their touch is letting them down in the final 3rd of the pitch.

29:15 - Casillas is forced to come out almost to the touchline as a ball over the top looked to have played Parker in alone. Rather than a big boot, Casillas touches the ball around Parker and then launches it. Nervy stuff.

30:00 - A cross from Masilela drifts into Casillas and becomes an easy shot for the GK to handle.

31:15 - Parker does some excellent work to get past Capdevila, but Pique is there to stop him. Unfortunately for Spain, Pique plays with the ball too much and it goes out for a corner. The ball comes into Pienaar, who rifles a shot that is spilled by Casillas. The follow-up from Booth is wide left. A 2nd opportunity for the big man that he should have done better with.

33:15 - A long ball over the top is cleared by Booth. Not sure why Spain keep trying that, as they clearly have no one who can compete with the big man.

35:00 - Some brief action results in a shot from Tshabalala, but it comes off his right (weak) foot and is handled easily by Casillas.

35:45 - Spain responds with a ball into Riera, who has Gaxa beaten. The shot/cross goes past Khune, but also past the far post and out for a goal-kick.

38:00 - First card of the match, as Sergio receives a YC for bundling over Masilela after the pass had already left his foot. The free-kick from Modise finds Parker, whose header is easily grabbed by Casillas.

39:30 - Some interplay between Xabi Alonso, Arbeloa and Torres results in a deep throw-in, during which Sergio is fouled by Masilela. The free-kick from Cazorla is headed wide by Sergio.

45:00 - A deep throw for South Africa punctuates several minutes of frustration for both sides, as there has been a lull in attacking opportunities.

45:00 + 01:00 - Sergio goes down as his ankle gets raked late, but he pops back up rather than rolling around.


HALF-TIME - Spain 0-0 South Africa. Early opportunities for both squads, but by the 35th minute the match had settled into a routine of attacking play only in the middle 3rd of the pitch. Spain may need to switch defensive tactics on free-kicks, as Booth has been unguarded on several attempts and has come close to scoring twice. South Africa, on the other hand, need to pay more attention defensively on the wings, as Spain has had numerous chances built up from the wings.


45:00 - And here we go again!

45:45 - Torres is fouled by Mokoena (almost the 1st time today we've heard from him) at the top of the box. The free-kick from Xabi Alonso hits Pienaar, who receives a YC for infringement. The re-kick from Xabi Alonso is passed to Villa whose shot is pushed out by Khune. It lands at the feet of Sergio, who scores, but is adjudged to have been offside.

49:00 - Sibaya does an excellent job of dispossessing Riera and then maintaining his calm in the face of pressure from 2 midfielders, putting it out off Cazorla for a throw.

50:30 - Torres receives a pass from Pique, turns, takes 2 dribbles and fires a shot. Khune has to get low to make the save, but in the end it was relatively easy.

51:30 - Good work down the left side from Tshabalala results in a throw for South Africa. The ball comes into the box and Sergio is able to clear.

53:45 - A run from Gaxa down the right results in a throw, as South Africa have had a spell of possession. Sibaya is fouled by Villa as he attempts to move past Capdevila. The resulting free-kick from Modise is punched out by Casillas, but the offside flag had already gone up.

56:30 - Substitutions for Spain: Villa off, Silva on. Torres off, Guiza on.

58:30 - Tshabalala fouls Silva, and the resulting free-kick is played around for a bit before a ball over the top barely misses Silva.

60:00 Sibaya is taken down from behind by Silva, and the resulting ball finds Pienaar offsides.

61:30 - Riera makes an excellent push after a chested ball by Guiza, and gets off a good shot on goal. Khune does equally well, not only stopping but holding onto the shot.

62:15 - A cross from Pique finds Guiza unmarked at the back post, but the ball is slightly high and he is unable to control it. More open play from both teams now, as the final 1/2 hour seems to be bringing some urgency. Cazorla gets off a powerful shot, but it is straight at Khune, who punches it over the bar.

63:30 - Substitution for South Africa: Pienaar off, Mphela on. The Spain corner is easily cleared by the defense.

65:00 - Given the score, a good question about the result, if it stands like this. Since the Confed Cup is a FIFA "major" event and factors into FIFA rankings, which in turn affect seeding for WC 2010, I am assuming that a victor has to be determined in the 3rd-place match, meaning that if we are still tied at the end of full-time we will have some extra footy.

66:30 - Modise is beaten like a rented mule as he receives a scissor-kick to the midsection.

68:30 - A ball from Silva finds Guiza, who is once again adjudged to have been offside in a very close call.

69:00 - Substitution for South Africa: Modise off, van Heerden on. Apparently, the latter has been playing for Bruges (cue Colin Farrell jokes).

70:00 - A ball over the top finds Guiza ~19 yards offside. This seems to be a pattern with him. South Africa return the favor.

71:00 - A shot from Guiza from the top of the box runs through several defenders and goes well wide for a goal-kick. That ball comes out to midfield, eventually resulting in an offside call against Mphela.

72:00 - GOAL! Spain 0-1 South Africa. Good work from Parker finds Mphela with the ball deep in the box, but he slips as he turns for the shot. The ball comes out, but only as far as van Heerden, who plays it into Tshabalala. The latter finds Mphela alone in the box, who controls with his knee and blasts it past an unlucky Casillas.

75:00 - The Bafana Bafana fans are in full throat with some raucous vuvuzelaing (possibly not a word) thanks to Mphela's heroics. Del Bosque does not seem pleased.

76:00 - The referee has to give Pique and Mphela a talking-to, but I'm sure the South Africans welcome the time it takes.

77:10 - Apparently, the talking-to was more than that, as Pique and Mphela have both picked up a YC for an unknown reason. Also, goals apparently bring out lurking commenters/UF authors. Where were you all before? I was lonely!

78:45 - Spain are on the back foot as South Africa continue to surge forward. Gaxa sends a cross which Pique was content to let bounce, but Tshabalala gets a foot on it and Casillas has to clean up the mess.

80:00 - Yet another long ball into the box, but Guize is beaten to the ball by Khune.

81:30 - A cross from Capdevila into the box is cleared by Masilela, but Spain are clearly pushing hard now. Mokoena takes charge, and South Africa begin to build, but they too play the ball too long.

82:30 - The latest cross to be cleared is from Arbeloa, and Masilela makes an excellent run that forces a foul (and YC) from Albiol.

83:30 - Substitution for South Africa: Tshabalala off, Mhlongo on.

84:30 - South Africa are content to hoof the ball forward, but Spain are not responding by building through the midfield so there is no resulting counter-attack. A driven ball by Arbeloa barely misses Guiza at the far post, and goes out for a goal-kick.

87:00 - GOAL! Spain 1-1 South Africa. A ball in from Cazorla finds Guiza deep in the box. He controls well, turns, and blasts it low past Khune.

88:00 - GOAL! Spain 2-1 South Africa. Guize completes a brace with a weak floated ball that finds the back of the goal. It looked like a cross to me, but Spain get lucky as the ball hits the post and barrels into the net.

90:00 + 00:30 - 3 minutes of extra time, but South Africa look beaten. Mphela doesn't keep his head down, however, but his cross into the middle is cleared.

90:00 + 01:30 - GOAL! Spain 2-2 South Africa. Riera jumps onto van Heerden's back for a free-kick, but the former takes an extra few seconds to get up off the pitch. The free-kick from Mphela is blasted into the upper 90 past a stunned Casillas. Absolutely no rotation on that ball, just an incredible shot.


90:00 + 03:30 - EXTRA TIME!


+00:00 - The first 15 minutes of extra time kicks off, and we have no idea what will happen next. Perhaps Guiza and Mphela will both complete their hat-trick?

+01:00 - Riera races down the left and finds Llorente (who apparently was subbed on for Sergio) in the middle. The latter turns directly into the defense, and the ball is cleared. On the clearance Sibaya goes down in a heap and leaves the pitch, re-entering 30 seconds later.

+03:30 - Mphela is through but his shot is stopped by Casillas. No matter, as he was offside.

+05:00 - A cross from Capdevila turns into a shot, hitting off the crossbar at the far post as Khune flails helplessly.

+06:00 - Xabi Alonso fouls Gaxa at the very edge of the box. The resulting free-kick from van Heerden is cleared by Riera.

+07:00 - Mphela is played over the top, and this time he is onside. 1-on-1 with Casillas, the GK comes up big, making the save with his feet.

+09:30 - An excellent tackle on Arbeloa results in a corner for Spain, which is played short. Silva's effort at a cross is headed out by Llorente.

+11:30 - South Africa surge and Mphela finds Mhlongo, who lays off for Parker. The shot is well-taken, and forces Casillas to tip it out for a corner. The resulting ball from van Heerden comes to the back post deep for a diving header for Mhlongo, which goes over the bar.

+13:00 - A cross from Riera finds Silva in the air, but his header is extremely poor and goes well wide.

+14:00 - A cross from Arbeloa finds Riera at the back post, and his header comes off Mhlongo's arm and goes out. Looked to be a PK as his hand was well away from his body, but the referee doesn't make the call.


+15:00 + 01:00 - HALF-TIME OF EXTRA TIME!


+15:00 - And we're off again. 15 minutes until PKs.

+15:30 - GOAL! Spain 3-2 South Africa. Booth fouls Llorente out wide near the top of the box. The free-kick from Xabi Alonso comes in past everyone and catches Khune off-guard, as Llorente and Booth both make a play on the ball and provide just enough of a screen.

+17:30 - YC to Masilela for a foul on Arbeloa as he gave him a bit of an elbow in the chops.

+18:30 - Mphela gets a talking-to from the referee for a foul on Xabi Alonso. The free-kick from midfield is played to Guiza, and eventually Llorente is fouled by Mokoena 35 yards away. The resulting free-kick from Xabi Alonso is played into the box and cleared by Booth.

+22:00 - Cazorla receives the ball alone at the top of the box, but he elects to take a final dribble to get the ball onto his left foot. His shot is sent well wide.

+22:30 - Parker goes down at the top of the box after contact from Albiol, but it was definitely a dive.

+24:00 - Spain are dominating the possession now, and they are contact to move the ball around without pressure. Llorente receives a YC for an unknown offense.

+26:30 - South Africa gain possession through a foul, but they are looked very unsettled. A long ball forward from Booth is easily cleared by the Spanish defense.

+28:30 - South Africa make a final push, but the ball is turned out for a throw-in to Spain. The Bafana Bafana look tired, and are unable to get any consistent pressure out of the midfield.


MATCH OVER! Spain 3-2 South Africa.


Definitely an exciting finish to the match, and an unfortunate result for South Africa. They played extremely well but just didn't have enough gas. Thanks for joining me, and come back later for the USA v. Brazil liveblog!

Read more on "Confederations Cup Liveblog: Spain v. South Africa"...

Confederations Cup Liveblog: Spain v. USA

Running late - let's get this mother going!

No time for subtext, Dr. Jones... LB jr had a doctor's appointment this morning (he's fine), and we're ready for the off.

Big question: how can the US stop this Spanish team scoring? I still love the whimsy of their anthem.

LINEUPS:
SPAIN (4-1-2-1-2): Casillas - Capdevila, Puyol, Pique, Sergio Ramos - Xabi Alonso - Riera, Fabregas - Xavi - Torres, David Villa.
Subs: everyone else

USA (4-2-2-2): Howard - Demerit, Bocanegra, Onyewu, Spector - Clark, Bradley - Donovan, Dempsey - Altidore, Davies.
Subs: everyone else

Vuvuzelas at the ready!

Preamble: It's going to be a long day down the flanks for the US. Capdevila and Ramos LOVE to get forward, and the two guys in front of them, Riera and Cesc, are no slouches with the crossing either. Spain need to keep their shape and hope that the speed of the US team doesn't cause too much havoc in the space the wing-backs vacate.

And we're off!

1 min: Xabi Alonso has some time to spray passes around before it works wide left with some lovely one-touch passing. Riera's low cross is sidefooted away by Gooch.

3 mins: Pressure down the US end, naturally. Cesc gets bundled over by Bocanegra, and the Spaniards take it short. Fabregas has his cross deflected, and as it loops toward goal, Howard does the safe thing in tipping it over. Spain take the corner short, but Xavi's delivery doesn't find his man and a foul in the box gives the USMNT a breather.

Then the US break well down the left, with Altidore winning a corner off Puyol as he tries to square the ball into the middle. Corner doesn't come to much.

5 mins: Landy goes into the book! Seriously, an unfair call, but as 7 EPL players found out last season, you don't fuck with Xabi Alonso as it gets you stamped right into the ref's book. The two arrive at the same time for a loose ball, but Xabi gets the shit end of the contact and the ref rushes for his book. Before that, Casillas nearly screwed up a clearance to put Xabi/Landy in that situation, coming out of his box to shin it clear.

Then he does it again! The Spanish offside trap looks as effective as the Maginot Line (yeah, UFers, I read our email thread from this morning).

7 mins: CHARLIE DAVIES BICYCLE KICK ACTION! Bright start for the USMNT, who are playing with the proverbial "nothing to lose". Getting round the back of those wing-backs is always going to cause problems. As Altidore gets clear in the box wide right, he finds his man on the overlap and the cross reaches Davies in space 12 yards out, but he can't do anything more than bicycle it instinctively and it 's always heading wide. Still, I'm impressed with their fearlessness thus far.

9 mins: Screamer from Dempsey 18 yards out, but it's juuuuust wide of the post. Lots of confidence in all-white thus far today.

@The NY Kid - you don't get to explain the Maginot Line to us. It was rubbish and patently didn't work. Much like Sergio Ramos on defense. Or Damarcus Beasley anywhere on the pitch.

10 mins: Bradley loses Fabregas for a moment, and the mohawked milquetoast volleys from 25 yards, but it's always going over the bar despite the late dip in trajectory.

JP and Harkes are gushing over the USMNT so far, and rightly so... just as they gush a little extra, Spain go close themselves! Torres lurks at the back post and gets to a low cross before his marker, but it's always going wide. Dangerous for a second, there.

@The NY Kid - keep going until you're red in the face, mate. The Line was rubbish.

13 mins: USMNT trick of the day: longballs over the top for Altidore and Davies to chase, chase, chase. Not a bad gambit considering Ramos will always be further downfield, and Puyol's a bit old and thus, the chance to Vidic him (as Torres/Gerrard did during that 4-1 game at Old Trafford, oh yes) is definitely there.

15 mins: A Sepp Blatter sighting! Does anyone else hate him as much as I do? To a man, the least likable person involved in the beautiful game, with that crook Jack Warner a very close second.

Bradley's searching for Davies up the middle, but his pass is too strong. Still, nice to see 'em asking questions of that Spanish backline. After all, it's only human. They're prone to mistakes.

Offside flag goes up against David Villa as he's a step too quick in pursuit of a pretty-looking cross by Ramos. The USMNT are defending a high, high line, which is troubling considering the pace Spain has up front. There's being aggressive, and being foolish. Might be straying towards foolish with that line.

17 mins: ESSENTIAL TRUTHS WITH JOHN HARKES, Pt. 1 of many: "The US is not New Zealand." Indeed they are not. Do you say that because it's not 3-0 already?

Fuuuuck me, close for Spain. Somehow, Torres is completely unmarked in the middle as Onyewu and Bocanegra leave him a nice 10-yard circle of room in which to operate. He gets the ball, turns and shoots, forcing a good save from Howard, but then the linesman flags for offside. On the replay, he was on. C'mon, officials! First the Landy card, and now this. One thing is certain: that high backline is gonna be mauled if they don't switch it up.

@EbullientFatalist - no clue why they seem to think Sergio Ramos is a physical player. He's Spanish! Surely Bornstein could have handled that.

20 mins: Donovan tries to get Davies through on goal when he maybe should have taken a shot, and Spain clear. They break up the left via Villa, who gets to the touchline again and cuts it square, but one of those tall Sequoia-looking motherfuckers in the middle gets it clear.

21 mins: Donovan learns from his mistake 60 seconds ago, cutting in from the left, dribbling freely up the middle and shooting from 20-odd yards. It's wide of the post, but you knew that already.

In a flash, it comes right back down the other end, and some sloppiness from the US gives a couple of scoring chances for Spain... the move ends with Riera dragging his shot across the face of goal from a narrow angle.

Demerit clears another low cross from the left wing. While the US midfield is holding its own, the backline is awfully bunched up, allowing plenty of space for overlaps down the flanks. That, coupled with their dangerous offside trap being so high up the pitch, and I fear the worst. Still, as long as Spain stays scoreless, I guess you could call it successful.

24 mins: Riera looks for Villa in the middle, but Onyewu is there to knock it behind for a corner. Xavi to take.... he plonks it right on Onyewu's forehead and it's cleared, but only as far as Capdevila, and Spain get another corner as Fabregas lurks looking for the ball over the top. It's taken short, and kinda wasted. Once they hoof it upfield, Puyol fouls Davies at the halfway line to give his defenders a breather.

A NOTE OF THANKS: seriously, you guys are great for coming to UF during all this USMNT hullabaloo.

27 mins: GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL.... IN YOUR FACE, LA LIGA! What a move by the Villareal and Xerex reject Jozy Altidore... maybe the Spaniards will give him a run out when the domestic season starts again. The striker gets a yard of room in the middle to spin off Pique with his hip, leaving him for dust, and his shot is right at Casillas, who can only parry it in off his post with Puyol trying in vain to get back. Nice goal, that. What say you folk? Spain 0, USA 1

Well, that was something, wasn't it? Altidore gets booked for taking his shirt off during the celebration, but he gives not a flying fuck. How will Spain respond? Dellacamera is talking about "panic", which is perhaps a bit much considering there's an hour to go. I do, however, fear the gushing from the likes of Galarcep come tomorrow morning... honestly, that worries me more than the US losing 4-1.

30 mins: Spain picks up right where they left off, crowding the edge of the area yet finding no clear scoring chances. Ramos floats a beauty to the back post where Villa controls first-time, but Spector is there to block the shot. Spain do win a corner, and then another one as Spector(?) heads over. Xavi delivers to a US player again, and the Yanks clear.

CLOSE FOR SPAIN! From a broken play, too. Looked like a foul on Bradley in the midfield, but Riera takes it, shoots from distance, and the block falls to Villa. He takes a step to try and get some room, but blasts it over the bar from the edge of the box. Still, Spain keep pushing up the wings.

34 mins: It's been all Spain since the goal, and there's always the danger of trying to sit back and camp on a 1-0 lead, especially when you're angling for the upset. Mustn't forget how to attack, USMNT... so far you're hoofing it right back to 'em. Onyewu stoops low to head it out for a throw after the 2,475th cross from the left wing. Torres is caught offside from the throw, and is incredulous. I kinda am too, as that's kinda impossible.

@Mike Georger - yes, somehow they did. The linesmen have been very creative thus far.

36 mins: Free-kick for the US some 30 yards out as Davies gets bundled over. Donovan puts in a lovely cross to the back post, and Dempsey steals the header from Bocanegra, who was much better placed, to put it over the bar. D'oh. Coulda, shoulda been 2-0 if we're honest.

Boy, how Spain is missing some physicality in that midfield. Too many fleet-footed stepover kings there. Xabi Alonso can't do it all back there. They'd give all the paella in Catalunya for Marcos Senna right now.

As I type that, Spain comes close again! Beautiful passing opens up the right wing for Ramos, and he is able to find Torres unmarked in the box. He can't control, and also looks to pass instead of shoot, giving Onyewu enough time to lean in and knock it away for a corner that Xavi promptly wastes.

40 mins: Nice play by Altidore, who is giving the Spaniards all kinds of trouble on the ball. Capdevila plays it left-to-right to Ramos, and as he tries to cut it in for Xabi Alonso, Jozy is there to intervene and he takes a hard foul from the Liverpool man.

Seriously though: I know Altidore is still a bit rough around the edges and all, but why won't a Spanish club let him play? Is their racism still that bad over there?

Hard to keep up right now; Howard comes out of his area to clear the ball before Torres can reach it, and then Spain get a free-kick (didn't see what happened). Xavi tries to be clever and play it right across the edge of the box, but Donovan clears. It doesn't go far, and Spain set up another assault that almost pays off. Altidore gives it away and Villa gets it on the right via a lovely through-ball... his low cross for Ramos is denied at the last second by Bradley's hard challenge. Trying times for the USMNT since the goal -- they're defending on their heels and hoofing it clear every time, allowing Spain to reset and try, try again. Surely they can't hold the 1-0 lead?

45 mins: The Great Assault on Howard continues... this is becoming as lop-sided as that Assault on Precinct 13 (although Denzel did have some weapons eventually). Torres jinks inside his marker with ease on the right side of the box and shoots low with his left peg, forcing Howard to save with his calf. The ball bounces up and teases David Villa, who fouls as he tries to nudge a header goalward for one of the three Spaniards waiting at the back post.

One minute of stoppage time. And it's quickly gone.

HALF TIME: Spain 0, USA 1
Well, that was unexpected. The US are playing very well so far, at least in terms of scoreline. 25 minutes of positive, attacking football gave them the goal, and the final 20 have brought an avalanche of nearly-theres for the World's #1 team. Desperate defending at times, but Howard's goal remains unravaged by that scary assemblage of goalscorers in red shirts.

Thoughts?

And we're back. My fingers are tired, but this game has lived up to my wildest dreams thus far. The Spaniards are quite flimsy in the midfield despite all their wonderful playmakers, and the USMNT are taking advantage.

Thanks also for the thank yous! Without you lot, we'd be nothing.

Bourbon glass = refilled
Plate of Nachos = refilled

And here come JP and John for more truthiness.

46 mins: Nice, ESPN. You missed the kickoff due to commercials. Had to squeeze one more Mike's Hard Lemonade shout-out in, didn't you?

47 mins: Donovan is, much as it pains me to admit, having a good game. Causing problems on the wings. His latest cross is blocked out for a corner, which he takes himself. It's a good delivery, and Dempsey tries the diving header, pushing it over the bar with Xabi Alonso's boot in attendance.

48 mins: Torres gets space out wide right and floats a dangerous cross to the back post, but Howard's there to punch it out for a throw. From the throw Villa gets some space to shoot, and it takes a wonderful diving save from the Everton man to keep it out. Corner, Spain... they take it short and Xabi Alonso has a crack from 25 yards, putting it just over the bar. Second half has begun much like the first ended.

49 mins: MAYBE A PENALTY BUT ALMOST CERTAINLY NOT! Onyewu came forward and left Demerit all alone to deal with David Villa up the middle. Villa tumbles in the box with Howard coming off his line, but he was always falling over.

50 mins: Spector does well to head yet another Ramos cross away from danger, but he hoofs it right back to the Spaniards and Xabi resets the attack. It's sloppy, but effective, defending from the US to keep their 1-0 lead. Sergio Ramos has set up camp on that right wing.

51 mins: Xavi has room to shoot in that space between Bradley/Clark and Onyewu/Demerit... his shot is deflected out for a corner that amounts to nothing.

Another corner for Spain as Spector blocks Riera's run and cross. Xavi takes it short and Villa gets it, controls it and volleys from a tight angle, but Howard plucks it out of the sky.

Harkes is right for once: every time the US clear, they give it right back to Spain so they can attack again. I'd say that the US has maybe enjoyed a minute of possession so far this half.

53 mins: As I type that, Donovan springs Davies down the right, but his cross is too long for Altidore.

54 mins: ANOTHER PENALTY FOR SPAIN BUT NOT REALLY! Looked like Xavi took a tumble, though in an offside position, under pressure from Donovan. On the replay, it looked like Landy did barge the tiny midfielder down, but the whistle remains quiet.

Riera has a crack from 20 yards, turning neatly inside Spector and shooting wide of the near post with Howard across to cover.

@J - no live feed of the Showdown in Chinatown, sadly. Fear not, as we have a quartet of correspondents there to do interviews, blog it, and also a UF first, some original video content! Stay tuned for Friday when we get the bulk of it up on the site.

57 mins: Howard saves well again from Villa, and the last minute or so has been all down the other end. Altidore's physicality wins the US a corner off Capdevila. Donovan to take...

... he floats it in to the middle, looks like Pique headed it clear, but it falls to Ricardo Clark who volleys it from 25 yards into that proverbial cliche, Row ZZ.

Thought: when will the US get their unfair red card? Soon?

59 mins: For all the shots on goal by the European champs, the US have survived to the hour mark with their 1-0 lead still intact. Squeaky bum time forthcoming.

Pique tries to get free up the right wing, even though he has no business doing so, and Bocanegra picks his moment to put a foot in and toepoke it back to Howard.

60 mins: The 10,118th corner for Spain. Xavi botches it again! Under pressure from Donovan, Xavi then gives up a throw-in. Breather for that US backline, but only for a minute.

61 mins: Wonderful shot by David Villa! Spector loses the ball from the throw-in, and Villa shoots just wide of the post from 20 yards.

NOT A PENALTY FOR THE US! The ball is hoofed forward and Altidore has time to control it. He wants to shoot from a narrow angle, but Puyol is there to tidy up.

63 mins: Villa's been rather wasteful today, missing with another effort and then failing to release Torres up the middle with the goal beckoning.

Ramos puts another cross in that finds Villa in the middle. He leaves for Riera who is galloping in behind him, but Spector's there to block. Assault on Precinct Howard continues.

65 mins: Seriously, are Spain going to score or what? The Siege continues as Howard makes two saves in quick succession, from Sergio Ramos of all folk, and then with the defense bunched, Ricardo Clark makes a tremendous block to keep out Ramos again. The US look exhausted, but still, their goal is virginal.

67 mins: Fabregas takes way too much time on the ball, cutting inside from the right with just one to beat. He dawdles an awfully long time before chipping a rather soft cross into the middle, and Donovan is there again to head it clear.

Del Bosque has had enough: Fabregas off, Santi Cazorla on. A true right-wing option now emerges for Spain.

68 mins: Torres is frustrated once more as the cross is too short and too soft for him to get to, and Bob Bradley's making changes himself.

69 mins: Subs for the USMNT: Charlie Davies off, Benny Feilhaber on. They need that midfield help to keep their shape. Parking the bus now becomes the obvious option, and I am stunned that 20 minutes stand between the USMNT and a massive, huge, enormous fucking upset. To be fair to Spain, they've been rather unlucky too, but that's nitpicking at this point. The US are defending like titans in the face of all this pressure.

70 mins: Donovan has room on the right to try and deliver a nice cross. He doesn't, particularly, though Dempsey does get clattered to the turf by Puyol as the ball comes in. No whistle.

If you're Del Bosque, what do you do subs-wise? Two more to make... David Silva? Sergi Busquets? They need some speed, and Riera is clearly exhausted and settling into that below-average form that he found with Liverpool after Christmas.

71 mins: Xabi Alonso's pass out right is too strong for Santi Cazorla to reach, and it's a USMNT throw-in. Then, Spain get to attack again, but Demerit is there to block off Torres from getting control of the delivery. Tremendous defending by Demerit again.

74 mins: GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL... and I cannot believe it! US strike again on the break! You can hear Harkes laughing in the commentary box as he moves away from the mic. Feilhaber gets it wide right as Altidore breaks up the middle... Sergio Ramos displays some absolutely shocking defending in controlling the ball and teeing it up for Clint Dempsey, who is right there behind him to nip in and tap home with Casillas a million miles away. Pique hugs the post, hoping for the ground to swallow him whole. Ramos is incredulous. Unbelievable! Spain 0, USA 2

77 mins Sorry the update is a little slow... having a spot of technical difficulty at my end.

Mata is on for Albert Riera, and he wins a corner off Spector. They do nothing with it again as the defense holds. Feilhaber then bundles down Santi Cazorla, but Villa puts the free kick right into Howard's arms. For all their bluster and pace, Spain is not really creating too many clear-cut chances. Villa and Torres have been well controlled by Spector, DeMerit and Onyewu today. Unbelievable stuff.

80 mins: Xabi Alonso has another crack from distance after Mata's cut in from the left, but Howard parries it away. All Spain still, and still nothing to show for it. They're lining up in the 6-yard-box for a chance to touch one home, but the US are holding firm.

85 mins: SORRY FOLKS! My computer is struggling under the weight of all these Spain shots on goal. Conor Casey replaces Altidore, and the Spanish assault keeps coming up empty. Capdevila heads over from an offside position, a couple more difficult chances, and then the inevitable... US RED CARD! They have to be consistent. He goes in late and low on Xavi, I think, and the ref shows a straight red. Bit harsh, that, and a tarnish on their titanic performance.

From the free-kick, Onyewu is there again to impede David Villa.

86 mins: The pattern continues: Spain cross, US deflect/head clear. Spain cross, US deflect/head clar. Spain cross, US clear.

Final sub for USMNT... the tireless, peerless Clint Dempsey off, replaced by Jonathan Bornstein.

88 mins: Time to start discussing the end of Spain's almost-record unbeaten streak and winning streak?

89 mins: Pique gets a yellow card for Chelsea-ing the referee. Respect the Ref = not dead just yet! Conor Casey chases the ball into the corner and looks to hold off Capdevila, but he can't. Spain break again up the left, but David Villa, who's been rather selfish and rubbish today in equal measures, is offside. Will this cut his price tag enough so that Liverpool can buy him on the cheap?

Three minutes of stoppage time.

90 mins: THE BUS IS PARKED! Epic defending at the back by the US today. This time, Howard skips off his line to rob Mata who was lurking at the near post. Today, the little pigs' house was made of brick, and the Big Bad Spanish Wolf was left a-knocking at the door.

I don't know how much credit Bob Bradley can take for this; simply put, his XI showed up today. I eagerly/not-so-eagerly await the USMNT soundbites after the game.

90 mins + 2: Still a whole lot of nothing from the selfish douche, David Villa. Seriously, he's been crap today. 40 seconds to go! Alexei Lalas has enough time to jerk off to completion before the live feed cuts to Bristol, CT.

FULL TIME: Spain 0, USA 2
Wow. Just, wow. Have a drink tonight, fellas, as you earned that one. Not only did they successfully defend, albeit desperately at times, against that frightening Spanish attacking corps, but they took their smattering of chances when prompted and made 'em count. Just, wow.

I repeat: wow. Holy fucking wow.

Thanks for playing along, folks. Gush at will! You've earned it! A stupendous, phenomenal win by the US today. We can kinda ignore those blips last week v. Brazil and Italy, not entirely mind you, but somewhat. Beating Spain counts at atonement, right?

Also, sorry the updates got a little slow at the end there. My computer was literally dying.

Read more on "Confederations Cup Liveblog: Spain v. USA"...

Confederations Cup Liveblog: Spain v. South Africa

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Vuvuzela.

The Group A standings are as follows: (1) Spain - 6pts, +6 GD; (2) South Africa - 4pts, +2GD; (3) Iraq - 1pt, -1 GD; (4) New Zealand - 0pts, -7 GD. If Spain beats S. Africa 1-0 and Iraq beat New Zealand 2-0, then South Africa and Iraq will be tied on pts, GD, and goals scored. This means that there will be a random draw to determine the 2nd team to move into the seminfinals from Group A. That would suck for everyone involved, so let's hope for a different outcome.


Spain will run out a 4-4-2 featuring:
GK - Reina
DEF - Albiol, Pique, Puyol, Arbeloa
MID - Riera, Sergio, Fabregas, Xavi
ST - Villa, Torres

Eh, that's not bad, I suppose.


Bafana Bafana counter with a 4-5-1 featuring:
GK - Khune
DEF - Gaxa, Masilela, Mokoena, Booth
MID - Mhlongo, Sibaya, Pienaar, Modise, Dikgacoi
ST - Parker



There are rumours that the Iraq v. New Zealand match is possibly on Telefutura. It may also be available on ESPN360. If it is available and one of my comrades is able to get to it, we may have dueling liveblogs. Feel free to jump back and forth between the 2 if that happens.


NOTE: If this liveblog ends mid-match, you should be aware that I have most likely been killed by the largest fly that I have ever seen.

In your WC 2010 qualifying news, there were several CAF matches. Those scores:

Algeria 2-0 Zambia (Final)
Kenya 2-1 Mozambique (Final)
Morocco 0-0 Togo (Final)
Sudan 0-2 Ghana (Final)
Burkina Faso 3-2 Ivory Coast (Final)
Tunisia 0-0 Nigeria (Final)


In your pre-game festivities, Magnus Samuelsson defeated Richard Skog 13 reps to 11 in the log lift on World's Strongest Man.

OK, kids - since there is no CWS game necessary, the Spain v. South Africa (my match) is on ESPN, while Iraq v. New Zealand is on ESPN2. Enjoy accordingly.


00:00 - And we're off!

01:30 - Spain using the width of the field, as a pass from Puyol to Xavi is cleared by Booth.

03:00 - Free-kick for Spain taken by Riera elicits a nice save from Khune.

05:00 - Spain is absolutely dancing around the Bafana Bafana, and we see a YC for Sibaya for a late challenge on Cesc. Seriously, the last thing he needs is another hard tackle.

05:40 - Xavi takes the free-kick and it is headed over by Villa.

06:30 - A quick counter from Parker takes too long to get across the field to Modise, and Spain clear.

07:35 - Free-kick for S. Africa on a push by Arbeloa. Modise drives it in and it is flicked on, but the defense clear after Booth has a semi-chance. On the counter, Cesc attempts to slip a pass to Xavi but comes up short.

08:40 - Masilela attempts to dribble the entire Spanish defense but he is eventually dispossessed.

09:50 - A soft pass drifts back easily to Khune, who clears it to midfield. Spain make another run on the right through Puyol but his cross goes over the endline.

11:00 - Riera does some excellent work coupled with Villa in the middle, and he is fouled at the top of the box. The free-kick hits off the wall and is gathered by Khune.

12:45 - Parker is down after a challenge from Pique. He pops up and limps around for a bit while play resumes.

14:00 - Another free-kick for Spain, as Modise commits the foul. The ball is played quickly but is cleared.

15:20 - Puyol plays Fabregas into the box. Booth clears it out, but only as far as Puyol, who sends it on to Torres, whose shot is deflected.

16:20 - A cross from Arbeloa is too close to Khune, who comes out and takes it easily.

17:00 - Foul on Modise by Fabregas for a free-kick at the top of the box. The kick, taken by Modise floats over the bar harmlessly.

19:50 - Some nice interplay between Torres and Fabregas, but Torres doesn't continue his run, allowing the ball to run out over the endline.

20:40 - Gaxa to Pienaar, who sends the ball a little too far down the line for Sibaya, resulting in a deep throw-in for Spain.

21:50 - Xavi with a long ball to Torres, who brings the ball down on his chest (arm?). The shot appeared to be going wide, but Khune gather it up anyway.


ED NOTE: I refuse to make a "Biko" joke in response to Georger's query.


24:00 - The first offside of the match comes on Parker, and after the action Albiol manages to get himself a YC - it appears to have been for grabbing Parker's jersey, which is a fairly soft booking.

25:00 - A dangerous cross is cleared by Mokoena, resulting in a throw for Spain. The ball is played back out wide for Puyol, who finds Fabregas. The ball moves easily, but Sergio loses control and then commits a foul.

27:00 - Sibaya is caught in the corner with the ball against 2 defenders, but manages to earn a corner. The ball is played short and results in a throw after a deflection. Gaxa puts the ball into play and a horrible clearance from Sergio comes directly to Modise. In the chaos, Pienaar is fouled by Sergio (settle down, man!). The free-kick is taken by Modise but goes directly into the wall.

29:40 - Sergio goes down as Gaxa gets up to head the ball over him, but miraculously gets up to defend the throw. Albiol heads it out for a corner, which is taken by Pienaar. Spain look to have cleared, but the ball winds up with Pienaar. A pass to Dikgacoi results in a cross/shot that goes wide.

32:20 - Pienaar goes down in a heap after Pique gives him a boot in the thigh. I can't tell what happens next, because ESPN drops the damn feed yet again. We get switched to Iraq v. New Zealand for 2 seconds, and then back to our match. Congrats, ESPN! Your streak of losing the feed during EVERY match is intact.

34:30 - Best chance of the match as Fabregas streaks through and finds Torres. The attempted chip is turned away by Khune and Booth cleans up the mess.

36:20 - Spain dominating the match, but the Bafana squared are acquitting themselves well here. Good defending has resulted in only 2-3 legitimate chances for Spain.

37:45 - A nice run from Pienaar is wasted as his pass to Parker is shot well over the bar.

38:30 - A quick counter finds Villa at the top of the box, but the ball is just inches beyond his foot and rolls over the endline.

39:10 - And S. Africa should be up 1-0, as Pienaar finds Modise on the left side of the box. His curled chip shot barely goes wide of the post as Reina looked on.

41:00 - Fabregas finds Torres, who dribbles past Masilela and Booth. His pass finds Villa, but the shot is well off-target.

42:00 - Some nice passing from S. Africa goes the width of the pitch across the midfield and ends with a scuffed shot by Parker. Fabregas begins the counter with a pass to Riera. The ball comes back to Fabregas, whose chip is almost headed into an OG but Khune is there to collect.

43:30 - Xavi with a shot/cross that goes wide.

44:50 - Fabregas dances with the ball and eventually finds Puyol. The return pass is cleverly back-heeled...over the endline.

45:00 + 02:00 - Some sloppy play by both sides ends the half, and we are tied 0-0.



HALF-TIME NOTES: As I mentioned, S. Africa are doing well defensively, outside of some minor lapses near the end of the half. Xavi has been a non-factor for Spain, and he needs to regain his midfield dominance if they are to make something happen.

On the Group B front, the studio analysts tell us that the USMNT needs to exhibit some heart in their next match against Egypt. No shit, Sherlock.



45:01 - And we're off again!

45:30 - Well, JP, if I'm Spain I'm wondering: (1) how can I be a whole country; and (2) why the fuck am I on a couch in Michigan?

46:20 - Sergio goes down holding his knee after having been grazed. The resulting free-kick from Xavi barely misses wide, although Khune appeared to have it covered.

48:20 - A long ball from Pique is out of reach for Torres, but El Nino gives him the thumbs up anyway. It's a self-esteem building exercise.

49:50 - Fabregas running into the box, and he is taken down! Mokoena gets in a late challenge after Cesc was past him for an easy decision. Villa is STOPPED on the PK! Khune guesses right and makes the save, and then saves the rebound from Puyol as well. Outstanding work!

51:20 - GOAL! Spain 1-0 South Africa Villa atones for his miss by chesting down the ball from Riera and slotting it at the far post.

52:30 - A YC to Modise for a late tackle, as the Bafana Bafana may be coming undone.

53:20 - Dikgacoi and Puyol get into it, followed by a hip challenge from the former on Albiol, which earns him a YC.

55:50 - Yet another YC, this time to Pique for a very late challenge on Gaxa, as things are getting a bit heated.

57:00 - Good work through the middle, played out wide to Gaxa. His cross fails to find Modise or Parker, but earns a corner. The short corner results in nothing, as Puyol heads it out. The counter finds Villa offsides.

58:20 - Pique struggles to control a ball down the side and S. Africa earns a throw. However, Pienaar commits a foul after the ball is played in.

60:00 - Hernandez on, Villa off for Spain. Llorente on, Torres off for Spain. This is clearly a decision based on preserving Villa and Torres, health-wise.

61:00 - A ball to Hernandez from Fabregas results in a corner. Xavi puts it into the box, and it comes back out to Pique. Pienaar dispossesses but loses the ball again. S. Africa unable to clear until Modise tracks back and takes charge of the situation.

62:40 - A long ball from Pique is too far for everyone and winds up in the hands of Khune.

63:40 - A short kick from Reina comes back in through Modise, but Sergio takes control and sends it up to Hernandez. The ball comes back out to Xavi, but the next touch is too far and goes over the touchline.

66:10 - Booth down the wing finds Masilela, who plays Modise through. His shot is blocked by Puyol, but is tracked down by S. Africa. Gaxa eventually sends in a ball at the 6, which Parker heads wide.

69:00 - Spain use some brilliant passing on the defensive end to avoid some trouble from Sibaya. The ball comes back into Pienaar, but his pass for Parker is just a bit too heavy and Reina pounces on it.

70:20 - GOAL! Spain 2-0 South Africa. A free-kick for Spain after a Mhlongo (where has HE been all match?) foul on Fabregas. Played quickly, and the ball is moved well around the midfield. Modise gets called for a foul after he catches Puyol in the face with an elbow. The resulting free-kick from Xavi is played low to Fabregas, who mis-hits it through for Llorente to get a touch on it for a goal.

73:40 - Parker is down on the pitch, so Fabregas puts the ball out of play. South Africa return the ball as Parker is able to shake it off.

75:50 - Free-kick for South Africa directly at midfield. The Bafana Bafana are still providing some pressure on the Spanish defense


ED NOTE: According to JP Dellacamera, Brazil, Argentina, and France are "clubs" that are tied with 15 wins in a row. Yeah, those are national teams, buddy.


79:50 - Excellent ball played to Pienaar, who pushes it through to Parker. The attempt comes off a bit weak, and dribbles to Reina for the easy collection.

80:20 - Cazorla on, Riera off for Spain.

82:20 - Mashego on, Sibaya off for South Africa.

83:10 - Gaxa finds Parker in space, and he gets off a good left-footed shot that Reina gets down to save.

83:50 - Fabregas lays off the ball for Cazorla, who has his shot pushed wide by Khune. The corner goes out for a throw, which is played up the line for yet another throw for Spain.

85:30 - A well-taken Cazorla cross is headed out by a Booth, triggering a break. Mashego has his pass played out by the defense, but it comes back in to Modise. Sergio gains control and is fouled by Parker.

87:00 - Yet another pass from Cazorla is headed out by Booth, and the ball makes its way down the entire pitch to Reina. Spain is content to play with controlled, passive passes.

88:20 - Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, JP just referred to Xavi as "Xabi." I am surprised that it took this long.

89:50 - Alright, maybe it's just JP's accent, but it sure sounds like he is saying "Xabi."

90:00 - 00:40 - Sergio is taken down for a Spain free-kick, and the cross from Cazorla is mistimed by Hernandez, rolling out for a throw.

90:00 - 02:00 - The ball is in the back of the net for South Africa, but Modise was about 172 yards offside.

90:00 - 03:00 - Tshabalala on, Parker off for South Africa.


FULL-TIME: Spain 2-0 South Africa. Both teams will advance into the semi-finals, as the Iraq-New Zealand match has ended in a 0-0 draw.

Thanks for joining me. Tune in again tomorrow for liveblogs of the US v. Egypt, and Brazil v. Italy matches. For now, go out and play (unless it is pouring rain there).

Read more on "Confederations Cup Liveblog: Spain v. South Africa"...

Confederations Cup Liveblog: New Zealand v. Spain

Announcing the Ceschawk

If it's a Sunday than it must mean that Cesc has issued another not-so-veiled "Come Get Me" to Barcelona. But we're not here to discuss that now, are we? No, we've got international football on tap!

Here is your preview. Spain Good. New Zealand Bad. More insight of that caliber after the jump.

Preview: Okay, here's a little bit more high-caliber insight. Spain are undefeated in 32 straight matches. New Zealand have been in two previous Confederations Cup and have never earned a point. Although, to be fair, the All-Whites (ha!) almost beat Italy last week. So, the big question for today's match is whether Spain are going to show some pride and try to win this tourney, or will they just be happy to show up? Today, Spain has the opportunity to make a statement one way or the other.

Lineups: Remember, no Iniesta or Senna for Spain.

Spain (4-4-2): Casillas (c); Albiol; Puyol; Capdevila; Ramos; Riera; Xavi; Fabregas; Alonso; Villa; Torres. Subs: Pique; Marchena; Pablo; Sergio; Diego Lopez; Llorente; Guiza; Arbeloa; Cazorla; Silva; Mata; Reina.

NZ (4-3-3 make that 4-1-3-1-1): Moss; Lochhead; Viceleh; Mulligan; Boyens; Elliott; Brown (c); Bertos; Smeltz; Killen; Brockie. Subs: Paston; Scott; Oughten; Sigmund; Barron; Christie; James; Old; Wood; Bright; Smith; Bannatyne

I'll be back in a bit!

-6: ESPN2 is still showing tractor pulls. I think that shows you where football ranks on their priority list: Tractor pulls... football... reruns of World Series of Poker.

-3: Over-under on David versus Goliath references: 12. Lalas made the first one already. He also seems to really love Torres, but hey we do too so fair play to him!

-1: Wow, stadium is maybe 25% full. Looks like a Houston Dynamo match (hey-yo!). But of course those damned bumblebee trumpets are out. My least favorite thing in football at the moment.

0: Spain kicks off and as expected control play.

3: Thank God no Tommy Smyth on this one. Lalas Harkes is doing color commentary. NZ has touched the ball once when the goalkeeper took a long through to Torres. This is going to be a bloodbath.

5: Punch save by Moss on the counterattack, Spain gets a resulting corner and another shot by the Spaniards, which goes well wide.

6: GOAL TORRES 1-0 Spain Made it look so easy. NZ kept diddling around, Torres took a trademark shot just outside the box. Early lead and probably the first of many in this match.

9: NZ actually string together a few passes and make a shot on goal, that's easily stopped by Casillas.

10: By the dearth of comments I assume that you are all out running errands right now, or maybe asleep!

12: Torres tries to chip a ball in the box that goes out of play. Could've done better. He probably will before this one is over.

14: NORWICH CITY REPREZENT!

15: GOAL TORRES 2-0 Spain: Give and go, Riera to Villa to Torres into the right corner. Beautiful play. This is a cakewalk but Spain are absolutely showing their class. Guess they came to play!

16: Wow, almost 3-0 clear off the line by a defender and Moss made a catch save off a Torres header. Spain are still surging. Not sure if I'll be able to catch up.....

17: GOAL TORRES 3-0 Spain Capdevila into the box, Torres scores the header. Make. It. Look. So. Easy.

Uhhhhh... Technical difficulties. No idea what's going on. I think the New Zealanders just pulled the plug. *cough cough* Guys??? Anyone???

Oh jesus, it's funny because it's true. Why is football treated like a Third World sport? (To clarify, ESPN just lost the feed for three minutes. Cue clown music.)

21: Feed is back. Spain didn't score in the intervening 3 minutes. So disappointing!

22: Riera forces a good save, nothing comes of the resulting corner.

24 GOAL FABS! 4-0.: Riera to Capdevila to Fabregas. So, so, so easy.

26: I'm starting a movement to ban all bumblebee horns at international matches... who's with me?

27: A halfway decent chance for NZ, shot by Brockie off the mark and is promptly subbed for Christie. Brockie was getting slaughtered on the lefthand side.

29: Long freekick for NZ, a couple half chances but nothing too serious. ESPN has its stats wrong and shows 8 shots for NZ to 2 shots for Spain. Pretty sure that's not right.

31: Just noticing that Spain's new kits are very smart looking -- part-matador part-Franco-era Army uniform.

32: Meanwhile Spain still pressing for more goals.

33: Xavi almost picks out Fabregas in the box. So far, missed passes and offside flags are the only things that are keeping the score at 4-0.

35: Villa is tripped just outside the box but no foul called. I think the mercy rule has come into effect.

37: Harkes and JP have begun to discuss La Liga, the Iraqi national team coach, the weather, Harkes' vacation plans,....

39: Header on goal by Killen for NZ, easily caught by Casillas. Meanwhile, the stats graphic is STILL wrong and says 8 shots for NZ to 3 shots for Spain. Uh, tech guy, are you watching the game? Spain has four goals.

41: Puyol to Ramos in the box, who heads it a million miles into the air. Yup, Spanish defenders are trying to get goals now.

43: Spain turns the ball over four times in a row in their own end, yet New Zealand can't get a clean shot off.

44: Albiol takes down Smeltz for a freekick about 10 yards outside the box.

45: Decent curling shot by Mulligan, avoids the wall, but is wide. NZ saving a little bit of face here with their first bit of controlled play.

Halftime Whistle: 4-0 Spain: Yup, it's a rout. I'm going to go cut up some mango (no, that's not a drug reference!) and I'll be back in a bit.

Half: Well, mango was a bit tart, probably sat in the fridge for too long. Anyhoo, thanks to everyone joining me for this very, very competitive match. I'm guess that Spain lets the foot off the pedal and only manage one or two more goals.

Even if they are destined to be played to death, I'm loving the Messi-Zidane Adidas ads.

46: No changes for either side. Bet that was a fun teamtalk for NZ.

47: The All-Whites (ha!) come out in this half and control the game, earning a freekick just ouside the box to the right of the goalie. But a poor setpiece results.

48 GOAL VILLA 5-0 Spain: High comedy. Boyens (who plays for RBNY) completely misses on a clearance, Villa is there for an easy, easy poach goal. *sigh*

51: That was truly a spectacular whiff by Boyens. The stuff of nightmares.

52: NZ look completely deflated now. Spain can score more goals if they want to put forth the effort.

53: Well done Harkes, second David v. Goliath reference of the night. Spain makes a couple subs.... Cazorla for Xavi, Arbeloa for Ramos.

58: Spain can't convert off some great play in and around the box, with Capdevila skewering the shot off the mark.

60: More from Spain, nice give and go but Villa's shot goes wide.

61: Wulp, 30 more minutes of this one. JP and Harkes sound bored, the bumblebees are still buzzing, the crowd are doing the wave, and Spain are now peppering the goal with long shots.

65: NZ whip a ball into the box, but Spain defends well and Casillas collects. Pretty much the story of New Zealand's night on offense.

68: Long pass by NZ goes out of play, and David Silva is about to come on.

69: Nando off, Silva on.

71: Elliott forces a save from Casillas. Spain seem content with the current scoreline, might get another one on a breakaway or counter but aren't looking to run up the score.

75: Long ball by Silva to Villa, who can't quite get a clean header.

76: NZ make a sub. James on, Smeltz off.

78: Fabregas gerrards the ball out of play after New Zealand again fail to clear. Then the Spaniards fail to convert another chance, with Villa turning and striking the ball directly at a New Zealand defender.

81: Half-chance for NZ on the long pass, again well defended by Spain.

83: Riena gets a phantom offside call when he was cleanly put through by Silva. Ref must still feel bad for NZ.

85: About a dozen passes in a row for Spain, with Silva creating much of the play and making his case for playing time. Killen off, Bright on for NZ.

87: It's dying embers time.

89: Alonso tries to chip the ball over the goalkeeper from the midfield mark. That was cheeky, but Moss easily gathers the ball. Two more minutes of this one.

Fulltime: 5-0 Spain. Well, David didn't slay Goliath in this parable! Spain just totally and completely outclassed New Zealand. Could've been 12-0 if Spain really wanted, but they'll be quite happy to take this result. New Zealand have a lot to think about.

Co-men of the match: Capdevila, who torched New Zealand on the lefthand side, and Nando Torres, who converted the hattrick.

Thanks for joining me!! More liveblog coverage tomorrow with the USMNT, Italy, Brazil and Egypt playing.

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Confederations Cup Profiles: Spain

Simply the best.

It's been 32 games and nearly that many months since the Spaniards lost a football match. In that time, they've won their first international tournament since the 1964 European Cup (which they hosted) and established "La Roja" as a model of attacking, attractive footy. So it's little wonder they enter this spring's Confederations Cup as favorites, and not just speculative or fashion favorites like in the past. Spain in 2009 are the book's pick, the conventional wisdom, currently listed at 6/4 to win a trophy in South Africa.

Fernando Torres, David Villa, Xavi, Sergio Ramos, David Silva, Iker Casillas... what could possibly go wrong??


The Spanish team at Euro 2008 earned its Champagne reputation. They were fun to watch, even as they scratched their way past the killjoy Hun in a tight final. Ask ten fans which player they remember most fondly from that team and five will say Villa (all those early goals), two will pick Xavi (voted best, the maestro), two will say Torres (the cup final winner as a lone striker)... But just one (me!) will say Marcos Senna.


I'm not there.

Yes, Marcos Senna. With a suspect center backs behind him, attack-minded full backs shooting up his flanks, and quick and brilliant but small attacking midfielders playing in his path, Senna was the rock, the guy who let Xavi and Iniesta conjure up their tricks.

How good was he? I mean, Luis Aragones loved him.

But Marcos Senna will not be in South Africa. He's injured, and for that matter, so is Iniesta. Spain have enough playmakers to push on through the Barca man's injury, but one has to wonder if they have the metal to replace Senna. Neither Busquets-- a good ball-winner, but young-- or Xabi Alonso can play "the Senna role."

That said, they don't need to be as good, or play the exact same game to repeat last summer's result. They have some options now. The first possibility is that someone steps up Senna's absence. Not an impossibility, but again, who? Convince me. Another is that they score more goals... kick it around like Barca... the Cruyff Defense. This squad is built to score and with the confidence they're likely to build against the Group A minnows, it could be enough to carry them on their way.

And speaking of.. That draw is of a particular advantage to the Spaniards. Their group includes Iraq, New Zealand, and hosts South Africa, who'll likely be eliminated from a semi-final place by the time the teams meet on June 20, in the final group match.

Managing it all is Vicente del Bosque, a quiet fella who knows how to handle supreme talent, as evidenced by his supreme results with Real Madrid galacticos teams from 1999-2003. Del Bosque has brought his "A" team to Africa, and given Spain's recent run of international success-- the Euros, then Barca-- you have to think they are serious about keeping the streak alive.

Prediction: An easy first round draw sees Spain matched up with the second seed in Group B, which I think will be a surprise Egypt or USMNT. No matter, it will be on to the final and a matchup with... Italia! And like in Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadion a year ago, the Spaniards will prevail.

More predictions from the UF squad later in the day.

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Behold The Power of Democracy!

Voting rules. Ahh... see what I did there?

Anyway, this was mentioned in Backpasses (see post below) but The Offside is asking for your input. They want to know which is the most exciting league in Europe.

We're mostly EPL over here, with a smattering of France and the Scots but we're actively trying to consume more Italy and Spain (Mmmmm... Spain).

And frankly we all should. Why? Because Spain has been awesome this season. Easily the two most exciting matches I've seen this season were the 3-3 Valencia v. Villarreal tilt, and this past weekend's 4-3 win by Atlético over a suddenly shaken Barcelona side.

On top of that, having less emotional attachment seems to make watching, uhm... what's the word? Enjoyable. That's it. Watching Spanish football is kind of fun. They score even (fucking Arsenal).

We're not big believers in the "scoring = excitement" premise, but the EPL does lag behind Spain by about a half goal per match.

More interesting, the EPL is barely ahead of Italy, which gets abused for its supposed boring and defensive football. That link above takes some going through, but if you scroll down you'll see the current scoring hierarchy goes: Germany > Spain > England > Italy > France.

Our cursory theory on the low EPL output is threefold: A) The relegation battle is so tight with so many teams, they they are playing to not concede anything to anyone. A 0-0 draw is a fantastic result for a bottom-table team. B) Arsenal alone is responsible for this low average scoring. C) There is no need to explain, this season's average is pretty much in line with the scoring averages for the last 3-4 EPL seasons.

Anyway, go vote (*cough* Spain *cough*), it's your duty as a Netizen. And if you don't, the terrorists win.

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Barca Is Super, Thanks for Asking

Well F.C. Barca might be in a bit of a slide on the pitch as the race for La Liga tightens, but a certain group of supporters thinks that the Blaugrana still look fabulous.

The first gay and lesbian football supporters' group to be officially accepted by a Spanish club has pinned its shield to the wall of Barcelona's stadium and vowed to fight prejudice in one of the world's most homophobic sports.

To celebrate, the fans then pinned each other. Hey-O!

Anyway, Barcelona has gay supporters. They're official. And they're pissed.

Continues the Guardian: "When England's football players took on Spain in Seville a fortnight ago, journalists were watching home fans so hard for racist abuse that they failed to notice how Beckham was subjected to a barrage of homophobic insults. 'They spent more than a minute chanting "Beckham maricón" ("Beckham faggot"), said the peña's spokesman, Josep Ribes. 'We lodged a complaint about that.'"

Ooh, I bet that complaint was strongly worded, but on just the loveliest stationery you've ever seen.

Anyway, if you check the video above, Ribes is right. You can clearly hear the chant, and it's far more musical that any of us would have thought.

We're pretty tolerant around these parts. If two guys want to do each other up the pooper, God love them for it. We're also a little surprised because we'd think that mere homophobia is a step in the right direction from abject racism. It's almost as if Spain is maturing before our ears.

Also, why the hell are Barca supporters, even gay ones, upset about this? A) You're Spanish. Becks is English. That's your opponent, you're supposed to hurl insults at him. B) You're a Barca fan. Becks played for Real Madrid, your rival, you're supposed to hurl insults at him. Finally, "Beckham, tus zapatos son feos" doesn't have the same catchy simplicity as "Beckham maricón."

Spain already has some of the most progressive same-sex marriage laws in Europe (or the world or that matter), not that that makes up for a stadium-wide chant, but on balance, they gays in Spain are probably already ahead in the game. Oh, and Becks is kind of gay. So there's that too.

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Drug Trafficking Isn't Just for Mexican Clubs

That's a lot of blow.

You may remember the story a few months ago regarding Mexican club Mapaches de Nueva Italia which was linked to several drug cartels. Well, now it seems that those involved in La Liga want in on some of the action.


Court proceedings began today in Madrid against 11 people who were arrested for cocaine smuggling after Spanish police made arrests on Thursday and seized 600 kilos of cocaine. Um, that's a shit-ton of powder, worth around $100 million after cutting (don't ask how I know these things). The drugs had allegedly been shipped from Argentina (can anyone account for Maradona's whereabouts?) through Tangiers, Morocco into the southern Spanish port of Algeciras. The shipment was then taken by truck to Madrid where the police made their raid before it could be unloaded.

The alleged ringleader of the operation is Serbian-born Zoran Matijevic, a football agent who currently holds French citizenship (oh, I see - blame the French). Even better, Matijevic was once in charge of recruiting for OGC Nice in Ligue 1 - presumably he lured younger players with the promise of copious amounts of blow. His partners in crime also had ties to football, as had recruited (HA! Get it?) Pedrag Stankovic, formerly of second-division club Hercules, and Carlos de la Vega Diaz, a current player for second division club Rayo Vallecano (who are currently in 3rd place).

Given the fact that Spain acts as a port of entry for a significant amount of the drugs entering Europe from South America, the Spanish police have been cracking down on these quasi-cartels over the past few years. I think that Zoran and his boys are in for a bit of quiet time.

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Hey Look We're Exprets, Too

That was intentional.

Anyway, we're going to milk the Euro for all we can, because once we run out of related posts, we're going to have to think of things to write about.

Sure there's the transfer market, but Liverpool is holding Crouch hostage for a fee that is almost exactly what they need to buy Gareth Barry. So their financial situation is fairly transparent and any move they make will be similarly telegraphed. As for the Gunner contingency among us, we will simply plug our ears—la la la la not listening—place faith in Wenger, and conveniently forget that it hasn't really worked out the last two seasons.

So as futbol's hot stove heats up, we go to eleven and present our best squads from Euro 08.


Of note, only one of us put Xavi, the UEFA player of the tournament, in their starting XI. By our collective accounting, Marcos Senna was probably the Spanish midfielder of choice, as he made every single list.

In fact, I'm just going to call out UEFA's panel of nine technical experts as collectively 'tarded up for their choice. Not that Xavi was at all bad, but it's pretty clear that Senna was the main reason that Spain went through the knock out stages without conceding a goal.

He so disrupted the Russian and German midfields that Casillas didn't even have that much to do; and the reflex kick-save on Camoranesi in the quarters turned out to be the most title-saving save he had to make.

Anyway, David Villa and Carlos Puyol were similarly lauded. The latter made every list but one and the former all but two (and the two he was absent from had striker partner Torres instead).

As for players not from Spain (or naturalized Brazil-born Spaniards) there was lots of love for Andrei Arshavin.

It's tough to poo poo that choice after he riddled the Dutch silly, but I'm going to try anyway. Arshavin only played in three games, and in one of them he was completely shut down—like NYC November '65 shut down—by Senna. So Arshavin had one nice game against Sweden, and a superb game against a Dutch team that, pre-tourney, everyone thought had a suspect back line that was waiting to be exposed. So maybe don't believe the hype.

My personal favorite squad? Not even mine. The NY Kid went genius crazy on us and cooked up a formidable 4-5-2.

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Time to party in Madrid

Congratulations to Spain on winning their second European Championship today. Aside from the first 20 minutes of the game, Germany were never really in it, and Spain controlled play easily. The finish from Torres was top drawer, and will provide ample spank bank material for LB for the next few months. Senna once again marshaled the Spanish defense, and hopefully the rumors linking him to Arsenal are true. 

We'll have some more meta tournament thoughts tomorrow, but certainly Euro 2008 was a huge improvement over the past few World Cups and European Championships. For the most part, everyone tried to play attacking football, and negative cynical bullshit teams like Italy and Greece got what was coming to them. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for the upcoming season, and looking a bit further, to South Africa in 2010. 

And here is the rest of it.

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Euro 2008 Liveblog: Germany v. Spain

Okay kids, this is it! You know where we stand in terms of predictions, but we have yet to hear from you clowns. Let's get some suggestions in early, before the match gets too far underway. Germany v. Spain! Wienerschnitzel v. tapas. Berlin v. Barcelona. BMW v...Oh well. Hopefully you are in a good mood and ready for today's match. Personally, I am ecstatic, as I have been watching Landon Donovan cry in HD thanks to the abuse heaped upon him and the LA Galaxy by DC United. After the jump, all the details.



The starting XI for Joachim Low's German squad:

GK: Lehmann (tee-hee; all EPL fans assume at least 1 howler is in order)
DEF: Friedrich; Mertesacker; Metzelder; Lahm
MID: Hitzlsperger; Ballack (C); Frings; Podolski; Schweinsteiger
ST: Klose

Notes on Germany: Obviously, the big news here is that Ballack is fit and will start, although talk has immediately turned to whether he was simply providing a pre-made excuse in the case of a poor performance. Germany plays a modified 4-5-1, which in practice resembles a 4-3-3, with Podolski and Schweinsteiger both acting as offensive midfielders/defensive forwards.

The starting XI for Luis Aragones' Spain squad:

GK: Casillas (C)
DEF: Sergio Ramos; Marchena; Puyol; Capdevila
MID: Senna; Iniesta; Xavi Hernandez; Silva; Fabregas (finally!)
ST: Torres

Notes on Spain: The Spanish side plays a 4-1-4-1, with Senna acting as the lone defensive midfielder. Also, Aragones is a racist.

The match is being played at Ernst-Happel Stadion in Vienna, Austria.

Centre official: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)
Assistant referees: Alessandro Griselli (ITA); Paolo Calcagno (ITA)
4th official: Peter Frojdfeldt (SWE)


Is anyone out there, or am I blogging with myself?


00:01 - And we're off!

01:00 - Throw-in from Torres put out, resulting in a throw for Ze Germans.

01:50 - The boobirds come out as Spain opens up very timidly, moving the ball in their defensive third of the pitch.

02:55 - Bad touch from Ramos forced by Schweinsteiger, but Klose is unable to get off a shot.

03:43 - Long ball from Silva, but Torres is offside.

04:27 - More offense from the Germans, as Podolski plays Lahm at the endline, but he is unable to cross the ball in-bounds.

05:56 - Sergio Ramos pushes forward, and the ball eventually gets to Capdevila, who is about 28 yards offsides.

06:59 - Ballack gets loose on the left around Puyol, but the ball served across the goal doesn't find anyone waiting for it.

08:24 - Klose pushes the ball into the middle for Hitzlsperger, but the quiet midfielder gets off a very weak shot. Too easy for Casillas.

09:16 - The Germans are moving the ball much better than the Spaniards. The crowd is still booing, although that might be residual from Enrique Iglesias' performance.

10:54 - Poor ball forward for the Spaniards, and Torres and Mertesacker get tangled up. No foul, as the ball was already firmly in Lehmann's hands.

11:10 - Klose earns a corner. The resulting kick by Schweinsteiger is punched out by Casillas, straight to the Germans. Frierich delivers a ball into the box which is grabbed by Casillas.

12:29 - Torres is fouled by Lahm, but the Spaniards play the resulting kick back into the midfield. They are very tentative.

13:50 - Torres drives the ball into Iniesta, but it comes off Metzelder, which forces Lehmann into an excellent save. The corner is played short to Iniesta, back to Xavi, who puts forth a poor cross.

16:09 - Spanish free kick from 35 yards, and the ball goes directly to Lehmann. Very poor effort.

Ed's note: I am not impressed by Torsten Frings' tale of pain. I once broke 3 ribs in the first game of my rec season, and played 3 more games before I realized it. Suck it, Torsten!

18:51 - Deep ball from Silva to Torres, and Metzelder hacks at Torres resulting in a free kick. The ball from Xavi finds Torres, who heads it over the goal.

21:26 - Ballack fouls Xavi as he passes the ball to Cesc. The free kick is played back to the Spanish midfield, and then back forward for Fabregas. He gets it to Torres, who puts it off the post and Sergio Ramos and Capdevila both muff chances at the follow.

24:11 - Podolski earns a corner. Schweinsteiger puts in a ball that is too low, but his second ball comes out to the far post. Ballack receives the ball and fires the ball into Xavi. On the Spanish break-out, Lehmann goofs and has to put the ball out. The resulting throw-in leads to a low shot taken cleanly by Jens.

26:23 - Klose plays the ball through to Podolski, but he is unable to find Hitzlsperger in the middle.

During discussion of NASCAR, we find out that Andy Gray was treating a lady-friend to some shopping yesterday. Fascinating!

28:28 - Ballack is fouled by Senna, and Lahm takes the free kick quickly, but the Spanish take control.

28:51 - Torres gets loose, but Metzelder is able to track him down and put the ball out. The corner kick is played in, but the Spaniards are called for a foul in the box (Sergio Ramos).

30:21 - Silva plays the ball out, resulting in a throw for Lahm. Silva has some words for the AR, who doesn't seem interested. The ball comes back out to Fabregas, who puts in a low shot that is taken cleanly by Lehmann.

32:20 - GOAL! Spain 1 - Germany 0. Torres gets loose once again, this time darting between two German defenders (Lahm and Mertesacker). Lehmann comes out for it, but Torres pokes it over him.

34:10 - Iniesta gets forward and plays the ball to Silva, who puts it way over the goal. The Spaniards have their tails up.

35:11 - Ballack is bleeding, although it's not clear where the cut came from. Ah, it appears it was a head-butt from Senna.

36:01 - Schweinsteiger draws a free kick at 30 yards out. The kick is played into the box, but it skies over the bar.

The replays really demonstrate just how brilliant the goal was from Torres. He beats 2 German defenders (one of whom, Lahm, is arguably the team's best) with his speed, and then beats Lehmann with a smart touch.

37:49 - Ballack fouls Fabregas, and is then sent off again for blood streaming down his face.

39:11 - Schweinsteiger is fouled by Capdevila, although it's a soft call. Hitzlsperger plays the ball into the box, but the ref calls it back since he hadn't blown the whistle. The stoppage actually gives Ballack a chance to get back in. The second kick is played into the box and put out by Senna for a corner. The third kick of this series is played out by Casillas, directly to the Germans, who earn another corner. That ball is played out to the top of the box, and played out by Xavi before Hitzlsperger can perform the bicycle kick.

41:31 - Ballack gets involved in an altercation, and Casillas comes flying out of net to push him away. They both earn a yellow card for their trouble.

43:18 - Free kick for Spain near midfield, and it gets played all the way back to Casillas. Fabregas moves forward with the ball, but is dispossessed by Schweinsteiger. The ball is played into Metzelder, but the Spanish respond well, and get the ball up to Iniesta, who earns a corner. The resulting kick is played short to Senna, who eventually plays it into the box. Sergio Ramos goes down trying to earn a PK, but the ref waves it off.

45:00 (+01:00) - Halftime. Spain 1 - Germany 0 on a brilliant goal from Torres.

u75 has posited that all which Ballack has contributed today is chipping at the ankles of the Spaniards, which is a bit unfair. He has also bled on them.

45:00 - Friedrich off, Jansen on for Germany to start the half. CORRECTION - It's Lahm who is off.

46:01 - Klose goes down in a heap after a pass from Frings, but he was offsides.

48:09 - Fabregas to Iniesta, but Frings recovers the ball and is then fouled. Andy Gray isn't happy with the call.

49:01 - Torres is taken down, but no foul is given. Andy Gray disagrees with this call also.

50:09 - Torres is caught offsides, and Klose takes a boot to the coinpurse.

Signal to Noise has put in a vote for Senna as "best under-the-radar player" for the tournament. Luis Aragones doesn't think that he should be eligible, since he is black.

52:46 - Fabregas to Torres to Xavi, who puts the shot wide.

53:29 - Corner for Spain, as apparently Lehmann got a hand onto the ball. The kick comes out to Silva, who puts a shot on goal. Sergio Ramos tries to redirect the shot, but it goes wide.

54:43 - Xavi slides the ball through for Torres, but Lehmann comes out quickly and manages to make the save this time.

56:58 - Frings tackles Iniesta, who goes down in a heap. Looked worse than it actually was.

57:22 - Karanyi on, Hitzlsperger off for Germany. Karanyi will play up top with Klose.

57:49 - Good build-up from Spain, and ends up with Sergio Ramos putting the ball across the goal mouth and over the endline.

59:00 - Puyol coughs up the ball, and it comes to Schweinsteiger who touches it for Ballack. The shot goes just wide, hitting the side netting.


59:11 - Karanyi is called offside, but he looked to be even.

60:01 - Torres goes down after a kiss from Metzelder, and the crowd boos. No foul is called. The counter-attack comes out to Ballack, who crosses for Karanyi. Casillas barely manages to get to it.

61:23 - Schweinsteiger plays a beautiful ball for Klose, but Sergio Ramos guides it out. The Spanish counter-attack results in Torres being taken down, but the free kick goes nowhere. The Germans attack again, but Schweinsteiger puts the ball out off Klose.

62:54 - Fabregas off, Xabi Alonso on for the Spaniards in a defensive move.

63:01 - A bit of the argy-bargy as Silva and Podolski jaw at each other. Silva barely moves his head, and Podolski immediately grabs his eye. The ref ignores everyone, particularly Ballack who is trying to get a red for Silva.

65:49 - The ball comes off Metzelder's hand, resulting in a free kick. The ball is played into the box, and Sergio Ramos gets off a blistering header that is stopped by Jens.

67:01 - The resulting corner is played quickly, and the shot comes tearing in but Frings clears it off the post. The ball makes its way back to Iniesta, who pokes it towards Jens. The save is made, and Spain earn a throw-in.

69:40 - Jansen earns a free kick by running into Sergio Ramos' back. The ball is played by Frings into the box, but Casillas punches it clear.

71:48 - Casillas is bent over in some pain. It may be stomach or groin pain, but it's more likely a jammed finger.

Apparently, I missed a substitution, since Cazorla is running around the pitch for for Spain. Possibly on for Marchena.

73:33 - Torres earns a yellow card for an accidental headbutt of Metzelder. Poor decision by the referee.

75:00 - Torres gets loose, but his touch to get around Mertesacker is too heavy and goes directly to Jens.

76:10 - Good pressure from Spain, but Torres is unable to get past the German defense. The ball is played out for a corner, which results in nothing.

77:25 - Guiza on, Torres off for Spain. Gomez on, Klose off for Germany.

78:00 - Lehmann gets away with playing the ball off his arm just outside the box. The ball bounces around midfield, and the Spaniards come back with Iniesta to Xavi to Capdevila, who puts a shot low directly at Lehmann. The Germans try to counter with Schweinsteiger in space where Capdevila should be defending, but it comes to nothing.

80:50 - The Spaniards attack again, and Guiza heads the ball back toward Senna, who just misses scoring the killing goal.

82:00 - Guiza comes down 1-on-4, and draws a corner. The resulting kick is useless. Germany play the ball out, but it comes back to Senna who is fouled. Xavi puts the ball over the bar.

86:00 - Karanyi offsides as the Germans continue to push.

87:01 - Yellow card for Karanyi for a late tackle.

89:58 - Late German pressure, but Gomez fouls Capdevila.

90:00 (+00:55) - Podolski takes the ball off Capdevila, but is unable to find Gomez.

90:00 (+01:24) - Xavi takes the ball into the corner, and then to Cazorla, who lays it off to Xabi Alonso. Long kick from Lehmann and the Spaniards earn a free kick.

90:00 (+02:25) - Throw-in for Germany in their own end. Lehmann almost gives the ball right back to them, but Schweinsteiger plays the ball long. Puyol gets a head on it, and sends Metzelder to the turf at the same time. No foul called, and the whistle blows after Casillas' kick.

90:00 (+03:00) - FULL TIME. Spain 1 - Germany 0.

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