Spain vs. South Africa

2-2, Confederations Cup, Bronze Match, South Africa, 29/6 -09
3-2 after addition time.

From now on, i'm gonna write in my blog on english, so this will be the first of those 'new' blogs that i will publish (;
I will also broadcast this game live from the tv, since i have been in Rome this game is a little late, but what difference does it make? Here goes then;

Cesc starts the game on the bench, it isn't many of the original spainiards who will start this game, they will go for a little more youthful side or something.
We can expect quite many goals, if you would listen to previous records that is to say, and with that, South Africa kicks off the game.
It is quite funny how everyone at the arena shouts 'booth' as soon as he get's the ball, it sounds like they are booing him.

The first couple of minutes where a lot up and down, but in the fourth minute Villa takes on a good shot which the African goalkeeper is forced to box out to a corner.
Many times over in the African corners the spainiards have skipped the marking of Booth, which sooner or later is gonna cost them, since he already has been free in the box two times from corners or free kicks.
Cazorla has been making a lot of wrong passes already in the game, so it would be a possible place for Fabregas to enter, since it is his usual place in the squad.
South Africa has been having a lot of good counter attack possibilities, but they just haven't been clinical enough, while Spain is getting closer and closer to a break through, when Torres get's a good chance on goal, but didn't get his foot right on that one in the 22nd minute.

And after another corner in the 31st minute, an African shoots, Casillas gives return on the ball, and an unmarked Booth shoots just outside one of Casillas posts.
In the 35th minute Spain get's a fast counter-attack which Riera shoots wide across the African goal.
Busquets makes an unnecessary tackling and get's the first booking of the match, another possible place for Fabregas to take on, which I definitely hope for.
And with that the referee finish the first half of the game, and I can sum up the first half as a very even game, and no team has had a really good chance to score, and I hope for some changes in the Spain team to the next half.

When the players are coming in for the second half, Cesc is sitting alone on the bench with a shirt in his lap, hopefully, he will now join the game!
But it seems like he is gonna have to wait a while more, but I belive he will come in soon, rather than later, and with that Spain kicks the second half to life.
And when Spain's Xabi Alonso is taking a freekick, Steven Pienaar from Everton is running forward too early to cover the shot, and get's the games second booking.
And then comes the action, Alonso puts the freekick to Villa this time, and Villas shot got really nice pressure in it, so when the african goalkeeper is giving a return on the ball, three spainiards is right in front of it and Sergio Busquets scores, unfortunate for Spain, the referee is blowing for offside, which was very right judged.

But when Spain makes two changes in the team in the 57th minute, it is both Villa and Torres, who goes out and it is Silva and Guiza that enters the field! And after this change, I seriously doubts that Cesc will enter the field today.. But now it is just to wait and see..
Directly when the two new guys has entered, they feature in a nice cooperation, Silva passes the ball towards Guiza, who isn't fast enough this time.
And in the 62nd minute Guiza passes the ball very nice to Riera who is running perfectly but doesn't really get the ball right, and now Spain takes over the game.

And the offside guy Mphela, who stood at the wrong sida at least five times during his nine minutes playing time gets a perfect ball and can just slowly poke in 1-0 for South Africa, now the pressure is laying on Spain, will they go for 1-1 now?
Minutes after the goal Gerard Pique talks himself to a booking, the third of the game, and I start to wonder wether Del Bosque should make his last change soon.
And in minute 80, Llorente the Villareal forward comes in instead of Busquets, and now it isn't much time left for Spain, but it could be expected when Spain chose not to play with so many of their greatest stars.

And as Spain starts to get pressed by time, Raúl Albiol makes a hard tackle and recieves another Spain booking.
But Daniel Guiza, another substitute, gets a perfect ball by Cazorla, and shoots for goal!! That happened in the 88th minute, and just a minute after that, Guiza gets a ball on the end of the box, and lobs it into the goal, legend!
So Spain turned the game around in less than 2 minutes! That really proves that you shall never give up in football, and clearly, Spain never did.
But then again, South Africa never gave up either, Mphela shoots a freekick from very far away, and it goes straight in the net! And that happened in the 93rd minute.

That means that we got another half hour to look forward to.

And so, South Africa kicks the addition time to life (;
Spain starts with a great chance, but Llorentes shot is blocked by at least five africans, who is determined now that they got the late addition goal.
After 7 minutes South Africa gets an excellent freekick spot, but they couldn't make it good enough, so Spain could easily get it away.
Mphela got another free position, but Casillas made an excellent save, so the chance died away, and then it was time for Spain to get som chances.
And that pretty much sums up the first half of addition time.

Then Spain can kick forward another 15 minutes in this highly exciting bronze match, and as soon as Spain gets a very good position for a freekick, Xabi Alonso manages to curve it perfectly which means, 3-2 Spain.
Llorente earned himself a booking as well with 5 minutes to go, but South Africa didn't manage to bounce back this time.

And that's how Spain managed to win the bronze match without their numer 10, who they would definitely have needed.
And the winners of Confederations Cup were Brazil, and second place did go to USA.