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Spain lives to fight another day
History-making Senegal getting stronger as Cup goes on
Posted: Sunday June 16, 2002 12:56 PM
Updated: Sunday June 16, 2002 3:21 PM
CNNSI.com's World Cup analyst Gabriele Marcotti is covering every kick of the tournament, with a "91st Minute" column filed each matchday. Click here to submit a comment or question to Marcotti's mailbag.
Wow... Spain and Ireland served up 120 minutes of sheer excitement, heroics, nerves and might-have-beens on Sunday, the second day of the World Cup's single-elimination round of 16.
For neutrals, it wasn't always pretty, but it was the kind of game you wished would never end. Penalty kicks can be cruel, and they certainly were today. Both teams showed tremendous heart in difficult circumstances. In the end, there had to be a winner and it was Spain.
Spain boss Jose Camacho introduced Ivan Helguera into the backline to counter the speed of Damien Duff and Robbie Keane, and the Real Madrid man responded with a monstrous performance.
Spain took the lead after just eight minutes, but then, strangely, seemed more preoccupied with slowing the game down rather than adding to it. Early in the second half, things began to look especially bleak as veteran Steve Staunton came off injured and was replaced by Kenny Cunningham.
Irish boss Mick McCarthy sent on Niall Quinn, and the big man proved decisive. The Spanish defense struggled to deal with his height as Ireland pressed on. And, in the 62nd minute, McCarthy's men had a brilliant chance when Juanfran brought down Damien Duff and referee Anders Frisk pointed to the penalty spot. Replays seemed to indicate that Duff actually took a dive (so much for the idea that only Latin players cheat). Divine justice intervened, however, as Ian Harte's weak spot kick was saved by goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Camacho responded by inserting a defensive midfielder, David Albelda, for a striker, Morientes. Soon there after, Raul picked up an injury as well, and had to be substituted by youngster Alberto Luque.
Ireland threw on another forward (David Connolly) and laid siege to the Spanish goal. But Quinn was playing a decisive role, as the Spanish defense struggled to deal with his sheer size and, in the very last minute, Ireland got the equalizer it deserved.
Hierro yanked Quinn's jersey with both hands, nearly ripping it off his back, and the referee again awarded the penalty kick. On the one hand, shirt-grabbing is common in penalty areas these days. On the other, Hierro, given his experience, should have known better, especially since it was obvious the ball was going to Quinn and the referee was going to be looking straight at him.
Robbie Keane, a thorn in the Spanish side for most of the game, coolly slotted home the penalty, sending the game into extra time.
Disaster struck for Spain as Albelda, who had been injured for most of the week, was unable to continue do to a groin injury. Since Spain had already made its three substitutions, it was forced to continue with 10 men. At this point, the match became somewhat surreal. Ireland found itself with four forwards (Duff and Keane, plus the two who came on, Quinn and Connolly), whereas Spain was not only a man short, but its only remaining striker was the inexperienced Luque.
It was inevitable then that Ireland should have the initiative for most of the extra-time periods. Spain, so often criticized in the past for folding at crucial moments, hung on and this incredible match went to penalties.
Both teams made it difficult for themselves. Matt Holland's kick hit the crossbar, while Connolly and Kevin Kilbane had their efforts saved by Casillas. Meanwhile, both Juanfran and Juan Carlos Valeron hit their efforts wide. In the end, it came down to Gaizka Mendieta. He looked nervous -- he was coming off the worst season of his career -- but he proved to be an absolute professional, nailing the kick that took Spain into the quarterfinals.
Give credit to both sides for an outstanding performance. Holland (who seemed to be everywhere), Kilbane, Duff and Given stood out among a magnificent team effort, just like Casillas (the youngest starting goalkeeper in the tournament, he not only saved the penalties, he made a number of exceptional stops), Helguera, Ruben Baraja and Carles Puyol.
Ireland goes home with its head held high after the turbulent buildup to the tournament following the Roy Keane incident. They proved that team spirit, intelligence and work rate can overcome limited individual talent -- only five of the 11 Irish players on the pitch when Robbie Keane equalized start for top-flight teams.
Spain lives to fight another day, showing that perhaps it has attained that ability to finally fulfill its immense potential.
Twelve years ago, Cameroon came within seven minutes of the World Cup semifinal, going out only to two late England penalties. Now, thanks to a dramatic extra-time golden goal by Senegal against Sweden, a second African team has reached the quarterfinals with a chance to make history. Sweden lost Freddy Ljungberg to a late fitness test, so Niclas Alexandersson got the starting nod down the left. Senegal, already without the suspended Khalilou Fadiga and Salif Diao, went with a two-striker formation, with El Hadji Diouf joined by Henri Camara.
It was to prove an inspired choice by coach Bruno Metsu, though it did not necessarily look that way at first. Henrik Larsson fired Sweden ahead after 11 minutes, heading home a corner kick. The Scandinavians tried to settle the game, but Senegal turned it up a notch, with Diouf and Camara testing the Swedish back four. After 37 minutes, Camara, the little man with the big heart, leveled the score.
Sweden's coaching tandem of Lars Lagerback and Tommy Soderbergh shuffled the pack in the second half, introducing the outrageously gifted (but inconsistent) Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It was he who botched a golden opportunity, attempting to beat Swedish goalkeeper Magnus Hedman himself, rather than laying the ball off to an unmarked Larsson.
Sweden started the extra-time period brightly with Anders Svensson hitting the post after a brilliant turn, but as so often happens in these situations, when you miss a chance at one end, you get punished at the other. And that's exactly what happened as Camara slotted it past Hedman in the 104th minute.
Senegal seems to be getting better as the tournament progresses, adding another dimension to its familiar counterattack. And, with the return of Diao and Fadiga, it will be even more dangerous. Sweden bows out after some excellent performances. The one regret may be Ibrahimovic. Had he played a greater part earlier on, perhaps things would have evolved differently. Having said that, he is still raw as a player, especially mentally, and perhaps the Swedes wanted experience. His time will come.
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Henri Camara (Senegal).
His first goal was brilliant, his second was more important as it pushed Senegal into the next round. A sterling performance from a man who started the World Cup on the bench.
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Ian Harte (Ireland).
You simply cannot miss such a crucial penalty and escape unscathed from criticism. He had a golden chance and he wasted it.
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Robbie Keane (Ireland).
With all the pressure in the world on him (especially after Harte's miss), he scored the last-minute equalizer that kept the game going.
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Jose Antonio Camacho deserves praise for giving Spain newfound self-belief and unity, the very same qualities that were missing in the past. Having said that, his substitution strategy failed miserably on the day. He took off an offensive wide man (Javier De Pedro) for a more defensive one (Gaizka Mendieta). It might have made sense, but why play Mendieta on the left when he's right-footed? Why not put Mendieta on the right and switch Luis Enrique, who has played much of his career on the left, to the other flank? Taking off a centerforward (Morientes) for a holding midfielder (Albelda) might have made sense in some ways (it provided extra cover), but in other ways it was ill-advised. First of all, there were 24 minutes to go, it might have been early for a defensive substitution. Secondly, Albelda had been injured most of the week -- why risk an injured player?
As it happened, it backfired on both counts, especially since Raul was injured shortly thereafter and the inexperienced Luque was thrown on (that's another thing: Why bring just four strikers to the World Cup, while most nations took five?). With Luque on his own up front, Spain lost most of its offensive punch. To make matters worse, Albelda's groin injury started acting up again and he had to come off, leaving Spain with just 10 men for both extra-time periods. |
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Mexico has been excellent so far, but the U.S. can draw some solace from the fact that it has done well against its neighbors recently and that Mexico is a very familiar opponent. Bruce Arena will be without the suspended Frankie Hejduk and the injured Jeff Agoos (which, according to some, may be a blessing in disguise). Spirits are high in the Mexican camp after the fine performance against Italy.
Belgium will need to believe in miracles to get past Brazil. Luiz Felipe Scolari's troops are the tournament favorites at this point, and Belgium has looked shaky in the first two matches before bouncing back against Russia.
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Mexico:
1. Cuauhtemoc Blanco. He can win games single-handedly with a moment of genius; he can also disappear for long stretches. He needs to be at his best.
2. Use territorial supremacy to create chances. Against Italy, Mexico dominated possession, but managed just one shot on target. Javier Aguirre's men need to be more direct against the U.S.
3. Control the midfield and the tempo. The slower the better for the Mexicans. Gerardo Torrado, Braulio Luna and Johan Rodriguez need to stifle the opposition and keep Spain ticking.
United States
1. Forget Poland. Bruce Arena can't allow any hangovers from the loss to Poland. It's done, it's over, this is a whole new ball game.
2. Use your speed on the counterattack. DaMarcus Beasley, Landon Donovan and Clint Mathis are as quick a counterattacking threesome as any trio in the tournament. They can punish the Mexican back three.
3. Keep it tight at the back. Jared Borgetti is an aerial threat, but most of Mexico's attacks will come on the ground with quick one-twos and through balls. The U.S. defenders can't get caught flat-footed.
Belgium
1. Pressure the defenders up the pitch. Whoever plays up front with Marc Wilmots -- whether Mbo Mpenza, Branko Strupar or Wesley Sonck -- will need to run his socks off hurrying the Brazilian back three when they have the ball. This will not only increase the chances of winning possession deep in Brazilian territory, it will also take away the option of a quick ball over the top to Ronaldo.
2. Exploit set-pieces. Belgium has excellent dead-ball strikers and enough big men coming up on corners and freekicks to be a threat.
3. Marc Wilmots. In crucial times you look for guys with that little bit extra, and Wilmots is very much the magic man. He doesn't look impressive, but he has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and his leadership is invaluable.
Brazil
1. Don't over-commit the wingbacks. Cafu and Roberto Carlos are wonderful coming forward and they are a constant threat, but with a 3-5-2 formation it's important that when they do come forward somebody covers their flank.
2. Mix it up. Moving it around to create space is fine, but when you've got a guy like Ronaldo, it's good to throw in some quick balls over the top for him to run on to as well.
3. Run at Belgian defenders. Whether it's Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Denilson or Ronaldinho there are plenty of guys who can dribble. Engaging the Belgian defenders one-on-one is a sure way to get freekicks in dangerous positions.
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Claudio Reyna (U.S.).
He's the midfield general, and he will have a difficult task against Mexico. On the one hand, he needs to ensure the U.S. keeps the tempo high. On the other, he'll have his hands full with Gerardo Torrado, who'll be pressing him the entire match. He can't afford slip-ups.
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This was the year that African countries were going to excel in the World Cup. Out of 5 countries that qualified, only 1 made it to the second round.
South America with its football tradition had five teams qualified to the World Cup and one was favored to win it all, but only two made it to the second round.
Asia which had 4 representatives in this years tournament only had two (host countries) make it to round two. The other two countries came in 32nd and 31st place.
Europe had its 15 countries represented in the World Cup and only 8 made it through. Of those 8, two countries (Italy and Turkey) had must-win situations.
North America had only 3 representatives. Overall record was 4 wins, 2 loses, 3 draws. All three countries controlled their destiny and played well in the World Cup. It is too bad that Mexico and U.S. will meet in the second round and only one representative will make it to the last 8. But do you think for Germany 2006, FIFA will allow more CONCACAF representatives and less European, South American or Asian representatives? How will Oceania play a role in allocation of slots? Does overall confederation performance play a role in slot allocation?
--Rafael A. Hernandez, Miami, FL
Answer: Actually nine European teams made it to the second round. And Italy was not in a "must-win" situation, as proved by the fact that it did not win and still made it to the second round.
The allocation of World Cup spots will definitely change in 2006, since there will be only one host nation and the previous champion will not qualify automatically. This means that there will be 31 spots available, compared to 29 this time.
Last time, the 29 slots were allocated like this:
UEFA (Europe): 13 + 1 playoff (against AFC)
AFC (Asia): 2 + 1 playoff (against UEFA)
CONMEBOL (South America): 4 + 1 playoff (against OFC)
OFC (Oceania): 0 + 1 playoff (against CONMEBOL)
CAF (Africa): 5
CONCACAF (North and Central America): 3
To some degree, of course, performance in this World Cup will affect the re-allocation of spots. However, FIFA is well aware that performances in a one-month tournament (where luck and chance can and do play a part) will not necessarily reflect relative strength in four years' time. Ultimately, politics and economic concerns have a lot to do with it as well.
Asia will definitely get one more spot, plus a playoff, maybe even two spots, if South Korea and Japan do well.
Africa should stay the same, just like South America. Europe may lose the playoff spot, if Oceania gets a tournament slot (given the OFC's staunch backing of Sepp Blatter).
I think CONCACAF could well get an extra playoff spot, maybe even an extra spot in the tournament.
Politics will definitely play a part though, and those who opposed Sepp Blatter before the last election (UEFA's Lennart Johansson and CAF's Issa Hayatou) may well find their confederations penalized.
Click here to read Marcotti's most recent mailbag, and here to submit a comment or question.
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