Spain passed and passed again ( 1029 TIMES ) now their hopes are in the past
(1-1 after extra time; Russia win 4-3 on penalties)
Passed to death. That should be spain’s epitaph at this World Cup. They tried to pass Russia into oblivion but succeeded only in extinguishing themselves. They set records, collectively and individually, for passes made, but what did they amount to? Their goal was an own goal and when it came to a cruder, simpler discipline from 12 yards, they were found wanting.
If Russia coach stanislav Cherchesov actively played for penalties, maybe he is the tactical genius of this World Cup. He won a game against one of the favourites — albeit one that entered in disarray and never met expectations — with a team of inferiors, based on little more than heroic resistance.
Yet, for all the pressure, his goalkeeper made roughly as many saves in the penalty shootout as he did in the two hours that preceded it, and Russia never missed from the spot during normal time or after. They won the afters 4-3, but it is worth noting their equaliser was a penalty, too. Cherchesov found five individuals who could hold their nerve against spain; Fernando Hierro could not muster more than three from a stellar cast. at the end, when the left boot of Igor akinfeev saved the kick of Iago aspas, players who had been as good as on their knees moments earlier, sprinted across the turf like a Russian cavalry charge.
When the final whistle blew to conclude extra time, many in the Russian crowd celebrated as if their team had already won; which, in a way, they had. This was a squad it was feared would embarrass the nation; would exit at the group stage, maybe without winning. Yet here they were, taking the mighty spain to the limit.
Not toe to toe, admittedly. Cherchesov’s tactics had every last man behind the ball and stopped at little more than dogged resilience. Yet it was effective, the organisation quite superb if, at times, the tactics were primitive.
We have all seen games like this, however and to emerge triumphant was, in its own way, magnificent. Russia played as if down to 10 men, while looking as if they had 20 on the field.
They were everywhere, smothering, clearing, blocking, tackling, then regrouping. Russia saw the ball no more than 20 per cent of the time and, when they did, they hoofed it. spain, meanwhile, rewrote the record books for passing and possession, but looked crushed by their inability to break down such average opponents.
spain made the most passes of any team in World Cup history, first in 90 minutes, and then beyond. In addition, sergio Ramos completed more than any individual, which might be a clue about the worth of this approach. Ramos is a great defender, but no andres Iniesta. Most of his 141 passes in normal time will not have taken
Spain very far. Round and round they went as if the game was a training exercise. In total, Spain made 1,029 passes — 21 fewer than Russia have made in four matches. But sometimes less is more. Russia striker Artem Dzyuba has had three shots on target at this World Cup — and each has ended in a goal.
AND if Chercheshov gambled on dragging Spain into a random decider at the end of two hours’ play, Hierro’s great gamble backfired. Iniesta has started 33 of the 34 games in Spain’s last nine major tournaments, but was left on the bench here. It didn’t work. Spain were a mish-mash of ideas and concepts. They had Diego Costa up front but never gave him the early service he requires. And if the aim was to pass, pass and pass again, why was the genius distributor in the team not part of that? Iniesta was absent for the first 67 minutes, by which time Spain were in a rut. Rodrigo made some difference when he came on 14 minutes into extra time, forcing saves from Akinfeev, but by then nobody fancied Spain to make a breakthrough.
Quite how Spain got into this mess is a mystery. They controlled the game without creating chances, and five minutes before half-time, had only one touch of the ball in Russia’s penalty area — and it wasn’t the goal.
That came about through Russian defensive failings, not any great skill on Spain’s part. It was started by a mistimed challenge by Yuri Zhirkov, resulting in a free-kick. Whipped in by Liverpool target Marco Asensio, it was diverted into goal by Sergei Ignashevich, who was trying to mark Ramos at the time.
For once, the Spain and Real Madrid controversialist could not be blamed for events. Ignashevich was too focused on holding his man, not focused enough on proper defending or the trajectory of the ball. He had his arms gripped around Ramos’s upper torso, both men falling in the melee. The ball hit Ignashevich on a heel and diverted into his own net. Justice done. If he hadn’t saved Spain the trouble of scoring it would surely have been a penalty anyway.
After, for a significant spell, Spain dominated. Pass after pass, backwards, forward, square, backwards again. They were in control, but they weren’t working Akinfeev. So when Aleksandr Golovin curled a shot just wide after 36 minutes it served as a reminder that nothing could be taken for granted. And then, from nowhere, the scores were level.
Aleksandr Samedov took a corner which Dzyuba met with a header. Gerard Pique had jumped with one arm in the air, and the ball hit that. It looked harsh on Pique, who wasn’t even looking in the direction of the ball but referee Bjorn Kuipers had no doubt. Dzyuba stepped up and sent David de Gea the wrong way.
The quality of Russia’s penalties throughout was outstanding. They didn’t miss one, of five, even if Golovin got a little lucky in the shootout with one that appeared to pass through De Gea, as much as under him.
Spain, by contrast, were jittery once Akinfeev had saved the third by Koke. By the time it came to Aspas in the anchor role, he had to score to keep the match alive. It wasn’t a good penalty. Akinfeev committed himself right, but left enough in the heart of goal that he could get lucky. Aspas’s shot struck his left boot and disappeared like a clearance.
The roar was deafening. The pitch invasion thunderous. In many ways, the penalty summed up Spain’s World Cup. They have been unconvincing. The sheer weight of passes may look impressive but it was for show, not purpose. John Terry will be pleased, though; his miss in 2008 is no longer the most famous penalty at the Luzhniki Stadium, and by some distance. SPAIN (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6; Nacho 6.5 (Carvajal 70min, 6), Pique 7, Ramos 7, Alba 6.5; Koke 5, Busquets 5; Silva 4.5 (Iniesta 67, 6.5), Isco 7, Asensio 6.5; Costa 6 (Aspas 80). Scorer: Ignashevich 12 og. Booked: Pique. Manager: Fernando Hierro 5. RUSSIA (5-3-1-1): AKINFEEV 9; Mario Fernandes 7, Kutepov 7.5, Ignashevich 7, Kudriashov 7, Zhirkov 6 (Granat 46, 7); Samedov 6.5 (Cheryshev 6, 61), Zobnin 7, Kuziaev 6.5 (Erokhin 6, 97); Golovin 7; Dzyuba 7 (Smolov 65, 6). Scorer: Dzyuba 41 pen. Booked: Kutepov, Zobnin. Manager: Stanislav Cherchesov 9.5. Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Holl) 6.5. Attendance: 78,011.