Day 11, World Cup 2010: Spain 2 Honduras 0

Running right alongside Brazil 2014, this is my day-by-day story of how Spain won the last World Cup. You can catch up on previous posts.

These stories are from Spain: The Inside Story of La Roja’s Historic Treble, by Graham Hunter

Spain v Honduras

Uno y dos y tres … ganar y ganar y ganar!

A year after this is all over, Iker Casillas will confess: “I had never in my life felt so nervous as against Honduras.”

Before kick-off, Del Bosque’s manner doesn’t betray nerves. He doesn’t reach for hyperbole, nor does he appear tense. As he talks to the players in the dressing room they don’t even cluster around him; one or two are wandering about; in nervous tension, a ball is bounced. Del Bosque believes that the good work is done in the pre match-day team briefing. The dressing room, largely, is for getting changed in. Hence the 69-second team talk in Durban. Again, he’ll underline key points but it will be brief, specific and clear.

“Come on … what we need today is more mobility please. The guy who has the ball needs to have passing options not only beside him but behind him and ahead of him too. That’s not just in midfield but defence and attack as well.

“Nobody needs to have the idea in his head that we are here to thrash this lot and put a huge number of goals past them. What we have to do is win. Nothing else. We must win.

“For that reason it’s important to be aware of our defensive duties because we’ll have to defend, too.

“I’m not asking more or less than you gave the other day. This time we’ll finish our chances, but that’s all I ask.”

Xabi Alonso appeals for: “Corazones y cabezas por favor!” Hearts and minds, please!

David Villa’s opening goal is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. Piqué’s cross-field pass is chested down by El Guaje on the extreme left side of the pitch. He starts off with that hunched-back, scuttling run of his. When faced by Sergio Mendoza and Amado Guevara, Villa takes on the two big defenders like gates on a giant slalom, cutting across Mendoza then changing angles to move between the two men in a blur of red.

Villa has made 20 yards, but he is still isolated at the keeper’s right-hand edge of the penalty box. Osman Chávez makes a move towards the onrushing striker but then stops, allowing Villa to swerve to his right and then throw himself full length as the studs of his left boot give way underneath him. He levers his right leg into a sublime contact which curves the ball into the keeper’s top right-hand corner, via a tiny deviation off the tip of one glove.

For the second goal, Villa’s movement as the ball is sprayed out wide to Navas on the right is exemplary. As everyone follows play towards the Honduras goal, Villa slams on the brakes. It is like a giant has lifted the entire pitch at the other end and tipped everyone towards the far goal, but Villa has gravity boots and he is anchored to the place he wants to be. Navas sees him, cuts the ball back diagonally and Villa’s shot takes a flutter off Chávez’s knee on its way in.

Emilio Izaguirre commits a penalty foul on Navas – Villa misses the spotkick, an error his dad will phone to tease him about later. There is also personal significance to the miss. Villa’s two goals put him on five in World Cup finals, equal with Raúl, Hierro, Fernando Morientes and Emilio Butragueno as La Roja’s all-time top scorer in the tournament and within five of equalling Raúl’s all-time Spain record.

Spain 2 Honduras 0

Spain: Casillas, Ramos (Arbeloa 77), Puyol, Piqué, Capdevila; Alonso, Busquets; Navas, Xavi (Fabregas 66), Villa; Torres (Mata 70)

Goals: Villa 17, 51

Honduras: Valladares; Mendoza, Chávez, Figueroa, Izaguirre; W Palacios, Guevara; Turcios (Nunez 63), Martínez, Espinoza (Welcome 46); Suazo (J Palacios 84)

Read Next Day 10, World Cup 2010: Iniesta a step closer Read Next Day 12, World Cup 2010: "If I came back as a footballer, I’d be Busquets"