The match
Portugal went out in flames in this one. I honestly believed they could have done it had they been able to keep up with their game plan. They were frustrated by an offside goal and some strange decisions by their head coach. Spain was the just winner, but they still haven’t convinced me. But if they keep on getting wins, they won’t need to convince anyone.
The teams
Portugal is a team lost between two generations. Queiroz, the manager, has a reputation for being an excellent youth coach, so we’ll see if he is capable of finding the right balance next time, since it seems like he’ll be staying. In the end, I believe they were thwarted by injuries of several key players before this World Cup, namely Nani, Bosingwa, Varela and Ruben Micael. I wouldn’t put Deco and Amorim in the list, not just because they were injured during the Cup, but because ultimately, I don’t think they are first team material.
Spain will progress to play Paraguay, a technically inferior opponent than Portugal. Plus, the South Americans played extra time, meaning the Spanish may have fresher legs. I hope to see Spain flourish and start showing us the kind of football they’re capable of playing.
