Spain didnât play a single pass into the Portugese penalty area in that second half.
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Spain didnât play a single pass into the Portugese penalty area in that second half.
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[quote=âchewy louie, post: 690220â]
I never said play two passes but I felt as the Spanish defence had all shifted over to Ronaldo wary of his threat there was more space right and if the ball wasnât perfect there was always the opportunity to pull it across goal to the onrushing Ronaldo. Again I wouldnât blame Meireles for going left but I think the fact it was Ronaldo to his left was the reason he played the pass[/quote]
I think heâs right to take account of the fact itâs Ronaldo. Heâs the most likely of the options to score. He can shoot with either foot and heâs the player you want to put in that situation.
I donât think he could play it right and remove the leftmost defender from the equation.
Decision 8/10
Timing 9/10
Execution 5/10
Still Ronaldo should have done much better.
Bloody hell Chewy, âdâ and âmâ arenât even close to each other on the keyboard.
Shocking error that
Another shocking decision in Spainâs favour.
How much were tickets for this game and how many months salary is that for the locals?
With that fluffed pass to Ronaldo, Meireles demonstrated why Kenny Dalglish was so right to dispense with his services last summer in favour of a really top quality ball player like Jordan Henderson.
Not sure and depends how much the locals get paid.
Pepe is the king.
Rocko, itâs time for your penalty potentials analysisâŚ
Have that Pedro you cunt.
Pepe has been the best player on the pitch tonight.
:rolleyes:
In fairness, this is fairly fucking boring
Some fucking save that
That was the chance of the match, good save but Iniesta should have scored. Great work from both Pedro and Alba there, made something out of nothing
Yeah, Spain playing like Spain all of a sudden
Portugal running on empty here. Iniesta really taking the game to them
Thereâs a touch of Rafa Nadalâs âdoctorâ about Spain getting a second wind here.
It might surprise you that Fernando Torres has not taken a penalty in a top level match in five years, but he is raring to go. Looking for redemption after being overlooked in the CL final, we think he will take one here. No early movement at all, he will pick up on that. Wait until his right foot swings back, then dive to your right.
With David Villa out, Xabi Alonso is Spainâs top penalty taker. He is very successful and his only two misses have come at the highest possible level (the 2005 Champions League final, although he did tap in the rebound, and the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup). He is sophisticated, you will have to trick him. Make a motion as if you are preparing to dive, then return to your line. He will line a floater down the middle, right into your hands.
Also a very good penalty taker and a fascinating research object. His run-up will reveal his strategy. If it starts outside the box, he has got his mind made up. And he will put it to his right, like he did against Italy at Euro 2008. If his run-up is short, he will try to catch you off balance. If that is the case, treat him like he is Xabi Alonso. Fake the dive.
Xavi has few doubts and will try to despatch it to his right side. So dive to your left.
Will he have another try, having missed his last three? We think he might. A left-footed player, he has put his last two to his right and both were saved, including Chelseaâs only miss in the shootout in the Champions League final. We think he is therefore going the other way here. Dive to your right.
He is capable of making it simple for himself by trusting that the goalkeeper will dive to either side and sending his kick straight down the middle. Just stay where you are and call his bluff.
Much has been made of his CL semifinals penalty against Bayern that went into orbit. He clearly wants to entice the goalkeeper to make an early move and when the keeper does not flinch he will try to lift the shot enough to make it harder. Make a high dive to your right.
He has missed four of his last six, so we wonder where is confidence level is at. Under these circumstances, he will look for his favourite bottom left corner. So dive to your right.
Greetings from Marbella. TFKs Spanish correspondant reporting.
The reverence the locals here have for Ronaldo is something to behold. They were shitting themselves when he was taking those free kicks earlier. Lots of gesturing and blessing themselves. Doing a Karagounis if you will.
'Hon Portugal on penalties.
As much as all of you hate Alba and his antics he has been very good tonight.