Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal are out of the World Cup as a defiant Spain beat them 0-1 in the Round of 16. Spain and Portugal decided to throw away an occasion with the most lethargic and fear-ridden first-half we’ve ever seen.
However, as the Spanish proverb goes, no hay mas remedio (there’s no other remedy). In knockout football, there’s no comfort in this kind of passive play. You can’t afford to do nothing in the hope your opposition blunders.
There needs to be an injection of impetus, and there needs to be somebody on the bench ready to take their chance. Luis de la Fuente certainly has that, as in the 74th minute, Barcelona forward Ferran Torres, and on he went, dragging his Spanish side kicking and screaming out of this absolute morass to claim a 1-0 win and a place in the last eight for La Roja.
A pass and pray game from start to finish
This was a game all about conservative decision-making for both manager. Portugal lined up in a defensively solid mid-block structure, refusing to give the Spanish players, especially Yamal and Pedri, any vertical passing lanes through their compact and well-organised midfield. As a result, it was very difficult to see any effective and vertical pass being played, with a lot of the possession recycled horizontally.
As has been the case in most of the matches Portugal have played so far at the World Cup, the Portuguese attacking players are starved of the ball.
Bruno Fernandes was shackled for much of this match. In contrast, Spain had more possession, and with a distinct lack of intention to ever risk giving the ball away. A really frustrating first 75 minutes to watch from a spectacle perspective, this was chess in its truest form; only the pieces are terrified to move!
Ferran Torres changes everything
The game was essentially won in the space of about two minutes on 89/90. However, all the thanks go to Ferran Torres who came off the bench in the 74th minute for the Spanish side, and completely altered the dynamic. In truth, until the emergence of Ferran Torres on the pitch, the Spanish side were passing for the sake of it, lacking any real intent to get beyond a surprisingly porous defence on multiple occasions.
However, the introduction of Ferran Torres immediately allowed Spain to stretch the Portugal defense, get the ball played into forward areas and bring into play more aggressive vertical attacking play.
The best moment from his introduction was obviously his assist for the only goal of the game, but the 26 year old was lively and a definite threat on his introduction. In the 89th minute, he made a fantastic run to drag defenders away and play a perfectly weighted ball through into the path of Mikel Merino who applied the finishing touch low past the Portuguese stopper Diogo Costa. Torres was instrumental, and without his input on the pitch, we cannot imagine the game not going to extra-time.
Portugal go home, Spain marches on!
This single late goal has now seen Portugal eliminated from this year’s World Cup, which in truth reflects their performances more broadly in the tournament so far. It is a stark example that sometimes playing not to lose, can end up leaving you losing all too often. Spain meanwhile, having avoided the fate that nearly beckoned them, have successfully navigated a difficult tie.
As has been the case for much of this tournament, Spain were able to overcome their opposition via a moment of sheer magic from a player off the bench. What's more astonishing is that Spain have yet to concede a single goal in the World Cup.
While the Spanish side now march into the quarter-finals, they will have to step up considerably, both offensively and in terms of creating chances, to challenge for the ultimate prize in this year’s competition.
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