Day 19, World Cup 2010: Spain 1 Portugal 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 Portugal – World Cup last 16

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

Since Euro 2008 these players have been telling us: “Tournaments are won by the lads on the bench.” Firstly, every player is responsible for maintaining a fun, professional and supportive atmosphere. Secondly, those who will not start and may not even come on must work flat out to ensure the coach has the maximum choices and to keep the starters on their toes. Finally, and most obviously, substitutions can change matches.

After some fun sparring in the first half, Portugal are being pinned back but Spain can’t make the breakthrough. Portugal’s centre-backs, Bruno Alves and Ricardo Carvalho, have been mugging Fernando Torres and moving forward with the ball. Del Bosque wants them subjugated. A technically talented Navarran, who also happens to be 6ft 4ins and 14 stone, is just the ticket. Fernando Llorente comes on and the sky seems lower.

There are 55 minutes on the clock when Llorente, in full training kit and sitting on the bench, is told he is going on. By the 58th minute he is in play and by 59 minutes and 57 seconds, after a 15-pass move, Ramos curves a cross which drops between Alves and Carvalho. Llorente throws himself full length, heads on target and forces another fine save from Eduardo. Spain smell blood.

Llorente ties up two, sometimes three players, head-flicking another cross just inches wide, holding the ball up, pushing Portugal further back and Spain further forward.

David Villa: “I’d never seen such overwhelming power in my life. He just gobbled up both their centre-backs for the last half hour of the game, drawing them to him and opening up space for those of us around him. That’s no mean feat because both of them are big guys, very physical in the one-on-one clashes, particularly Alves.”

When the breakthrough goal comes it is down to the disruption Llorente has caused Portugal’s defensive structure. The move starts when Piqué sends a marvellous 40-yard pass for Villa, wide left. The ball is moved to Alonso, who pings an audacious pass to Iniesta, despite the midfielder being covered. Iniesta turns and tries to nudge the ball into Llorente’s feet. Carvalho stretches a leg to intervene, but there are now six Portugal defenders within a metre and a half of Llorente. It’s ludicrous. Carvalho’s intervention comes straight back to Iniesta and the Barça man can see that because even the right-back, Ricardo Costa, has been dragged to Llorente, Villa is now completely free on the left of the box. Iniesta nudges another pass, but Xavi is in the way.

Xavi: “I’d seen Andrés’s eyes, I knew that there must be a player behind me and that was who he was aiming for, so I didn’t take a touch, I just flicked it on.”

This is the half-touch football Xavi and company have been taught since they were kids at Barcelona’s La Masia academy. Charly Rexach, legendary winger and Johan Cruyff’s assistant, often roared at his apprentices, “just use a halftouch!” when he wanted the ball to circulate still more rapidly than their fabled one-touch football.

David Villa: “I was going to hit it with my right because that’s how the ball looked like it would arrive, but Xavi’s touch sent it longer and on to my left.”

When Iniesta passes, Villa is onside. When Xavi flicks the ball it’s tight as hell – television pictures have him offside by centimetres, but the flag remains down. Eduardo, who has a heroic match, blocks with his knees, but they must be made of marshmallow because the ball flops back down in front of Villa and he stabs it in, off the crossbar, this time with his right boot.

As the whistle goes I’m at the mouth of the tunnel, called to stand in for the on-pitch international television interview with Del Bosque and Casillas if reporter Sara Carbonero does not make it round from her match position in time. As each of the Portuguese pass by, the pain of defeat is more obvious. Some are crying, one kicks the wall, another is swearing at the top of his voice.

Spain 1 Portugal 0

Spain: Casillas, Ramos, Piqué, Puyol, Capdevila, Alonso (Marchena 90+3), Busquets, Iniesta, Xavi, Villa (Pedro 88), Torres (Llorente 58) Goal: Villa 63

Portugal: Eduardo, Costa, Carvalho, Alves, Coentrao, Tiago, Pepe (Mendes 72), Meireles, Simao (Liedson 72), Almeida (Danny 58), Ronaldo

Read Next Day 18, World Cup 2010: Piqué v Ronaldo Read Next Day 20, World Cup 2010: Silva pays the price