Xabi Alonso was unstoppable all night
Spain 2 – 0 France
Saturday night’s clash between Spain and France was the pick of the quarter-finals, on paper at least. The impressive Spanish, on course to complete a historic treble of international tournaments, faced off against a talented French side who were yet to perform to their potential at Euro 2012. This game had the makings of a classic, provided both teams showed up on the night.
Unfortunately, this was not the case. Laurent Blanc’s Bleus seemingly left their A-game on the team bus, many of their big names failing to make a noticeable mark on proceedings. Although Spain weren’t completely convincing, they did enough to win, Xabi Alonso’s brace sealing a semi-final showdown with their Iberian neighbours, Portugal.
Although La Furia Roja were favourites going into the game, France were by no means outsiders and a French victory was plausible to say the least. However, on the occasion of his 100th cap, Alonso stole the show; heading a 19th minute opener from Alba’s cross. He then settled any Spanish nerves with a late penalty, after Reveillere had bundled Pedro over in the box. Truth be told, Spain were comfortable at one nil. Manager Vincent Del Bosque, continuing with his unique formation, kept Fernando Torres on the bench and utilised Cesc Fabregas at the head of a very talented midfield six, which interchanged fluidly and kept a monopoly of possession, frustrating a French side unused to seeing so little of the ball. Xavi, Iniesta and Silva showed their customary grace and guile on the ball, but continued Spanish possession in the middle third of the pitch turned a potentially epic clash into a bit of a bore fest in the second half.
This was largely due to France’s inability to click into gear going forward. Even the late introduction of Samir Nasri and Olivier Giroud failed to influence proceedings, Pique and Ramos enjoying a manageable evening against a misfiring French attack. Karim Benzema looked more and more out of sync with his teammates as the match went on, misplacing a hatful of passes and shooting eratically. Yann M’Vila, tipped for big things in Poland and Ukraine, once again seemed either not fully fit or else overburdened by expectations, then again he cannot be blamed for the defeat; more experienced players have tried and failed to stifle this Spanish midfield. At the back, the surprisingly effective Koscielny was hampered by the ineptitude of his centreback partner Adil Rami. Ribery was the only French player who seemed to have the better of his marker, regularly beating Arbeloa and putting balls into the box.
In contrast, although they were far from perfect, the Spanish midfield/strikeforce were comfortable if nothing else. Xavi proved for the umpteenth time why he is the best midfielder in the world, controlling the game as if it were just a kickabout among friends. Although Torres made a late appearance, along with Pedro and Santi Cazorla, it seems that Del Bosque has decided to forego an out and out striker in favour of Cesc Fabregas’ creativity and industry.
So France go out with a whimper, while Spain casually stroll towards destiny and a seemingly inevitable final with Germany, although a certain Mr. Ronaldo might have a thing or two to say about that beforehand. In a tournament that has exceeded expectations with regards to goals and quality of football, as well as unpredictability, this was a rare disappointment.
