FIFA U-20 World Cup: Spain goes home

I just finished watching the quarter final match in which Czech Republic defeated Spain. It wasn't a great match but I guess it was worth watching. I said this because by watching the game today you could see in practice what an old say professes: soccer games are won with goals and not with desires to score goals. Spain dominated practically all game. They had the best chances (even missed an incredible one), but they did not score. Czech Republic got one chance and scored. After that, they score one more penalty kick than Spain and so, they won the game. That simple.

I remember talking to some Spain's fans some days ago. For them Spain was by far the best team in the world cup and it was a sure thing that Spain was winning the tournament. Of course, this is true for all soccer fans and their respecetive teams but what I disliked a little bit about Spain's fan was the way they said it: they weren't the best because they played the best soccer, but they were the best team because all the others were inferior. However, as it's almost always the case for Spain, they are usually the best in the paper (with the press helping them make the fans believe that they are actually the best), but when they have to demonstrate what they've talked about in the field, they simply fail. Too much pride? Too little modesty? I don't know but they should start thinking about talking less and playing a little bit more. Anyway, I have to admit Spain played a soccer nice to the view of the spectator but there are also other teams (Argentina, Chile, Mexico) that play beautifully and, contrary to Spain, win their games. After watching Spain defeats Brasil, I noticed something that today was crucial: Spain creates tons of chances to score but scores only a few (very few indeed). Contrary to what happened agaist Brasil were they deserved to won by far more than 4-2 (I have to say that Brasil had had one of the worst teams I've ever seen), Czechs did manage to keep the nill almost all the game and took advantage of the only chance they got in the whole game. I do agree with anyone who says that Spain was the only team to actually play today, because aside from the goal, the Czechs did almost nothing to win the match, but once again: in soccer the winner is the team that scores the most, not the one that almost score the most. Today, Spain learnt this the hard way.

One last thing to say. Spain was a team of contrasts. They have an excellent player: Diego Capel. Capel is a guy who makes soccer seem easy. He is fast, smart and flexible but he lacks something really important in soccer: he does not know how to score. But, in his defense I should say he is still a young player and I am sure he will become a soccer start very soon. But, as I said, Spain was a team of contrats; they also have a player who, in my humble opinion, is the wort player of the tournament: Gerad Pique. He is Capel's opposite: slow, lacks resources to play with the ball near his feet and does not know how to command his defense. Today more than ever Spain needed someone better than Pique on the field, someone able to carry the team on his back...in any case, this time Pique's way of feeling soccer prevailed and so, Spain has to go home (one more time) with empty hands.