Football is never as easy as it seems. Spain fell to Japan 2-1 after leading at the half, but it still advanced to second place, setting up a last-16 match with Morocco. The very real potential that the two former champions could lose in a World Cup group that included two other nations generally regarded as minnows in the game and two former winners of the coveted award was just inconceivable.
With a 1-0 advantage at the break, Spain looked confident. The legendary Ritsu Doan and a somewhat contentious goal from Ao Tanaka helped Japan rally and take a 2-1 lead at the break. Whether or not it was fair, Japan held an advantage over the 2010 global champions after defeating the 2014 champions in Qatar. Japan and Costa Rica both advanced at the expense of Spain and Germany for a (very) small period of time while Germany faltered against Costa Rica elsewhere in Group E.
In order to prevent that from happening, Kai Havertz scored 2-2, saving Spain’s face and ensuring their advancement to the knockout rounds, albeit in second place. Germany would ultimately triumph 4-2, but in order to advance, they required a favor from the Spaniards that never materialized. Germany was eliminated from the World Cup as a result of La Roja’s inability to break through and return to their old, toothless ways against a Japan team that you can’t help but love.
The Performing Side:
David de Gea: De Gea is sitting on a couch in Manchester with his feet up, Christmas decorations up, a hot beverage in hand, and Spain firmly off the television, all while sporting a wry smirk. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that De Gea has very few options when the ball is at his feet and that La Roja’s strategy under Luis Enrique is total football. Erik ten Hag has already come up with the solution. It only takes a few times of watching him try to loft a pass to his full-back to get the idea.
He can, however, consistently and frequently save and bail out a team who is under siege. With the benefit of hindsight, De Gea can see that he didn’t pass in a way that would put his rookie full-back under undue stress and that he very certainly would have stopped Tanaka’s shot.
Ritsu Doan: Doan’s World Cup campaign with Japan, where he has swiftly become a hero for the national team, does not reflect on his thus far mediocre 2022–23 campaign for SC Freiburg. The 24-year-old scored in their tournament-opening triumph over Germany, contributing significantly to one of the World Cup’s biggest surprises. And if that wasn’t enough, he came off the bench and put Japan ahead of Spain right away.
Alvaro Morata: Almost his whole professional life, Morata has served as the punchline or the fall guy when things go wrong. He hasn’t always been the productive forward that many anticipated he would be, and there’s a reason for that. His performance for Spain serves as a reminder that he has also received a great deal of vitriol.
At Qatar 2022, three goals have been scored in as many games, the most recent of which was a stunning poacher’s effort. Stick your head on it after doing a little shuffling in the box to get in between the defenders. There’s no need for successive chances. Select that one. The unsung hero of Spain In 60 appearances, that amounts to 30 goals.
The Losing Side:
Chelsea fans: Finding the half-space, Azpilicueta placed the ball on a dish for Morata, who was on fire. what might have happened at the Bridge. In 2017, there was a lot of enthusiasm when Chelsea acquired Morata. However, the Spaniard was cursed with the number nine in his first season, and the next few seasons in English football were disastrous.
Morata never really hit his stride, despite being a charming character. However, everyone wanted it to succeed and was aware of the talent present. Fans’ hearts would have been a little tugged, to put it mildly, watching him head home courtesy of a Chelsea club legend’s assist, especially given that they haven’t been able to find a striker replacement since.
Barcelona: Xavi groans at the television more as Spain advances in the World Cup. The manager of La Blaugrana pours another glass of wine every 90 minutes the all-Barcelona midfield trio plays for La Roja, just out of concern that one of his three most treasured assets would sustain an injury that could end their season.
Despite recent setbacks, Barcelona has a number of crucial players who could help Spain have an incredible World Cup run. However, it also means that they can all falter after the competition owing to fatigue and injuries. You might understand his trepidation when they were attempting to unseat Real Madrid in La Liga and faced Manchester United over two legs in the upcoming season.
Alejandro Balde: The teen had a difficult night at work, but he will undoubtedly learn from it and return stronger. The first half seemed to be going smoothly. Spain was on autopilot while Japan stood by and watched. But the balance was drastically altered by a severe team talk at halftime, which caught young Balde off guard.
His lack of experience became abundantly apparent. Sure, his goalkeeper got him in trouble when Japan tied the game, but under the Spain system, he is supposed to handle that pass. When the ball sped along the area from his flank for their second goal, he was then turned and twisted into oblivion.
Germany: Against Costa Rica, Germany gained the lead before being beaten. Amazingly, they then fell behind and were forced to depart with Spain, which was a huge setback. Despite their many flaws, Hansi Flick’s team displayed resiliency and immediately leveled the score thanks to Kai Havertz. They then regained the lead and won 4-2.
However, as long as Japan led Spain, their victory wasn’t enough to advance them to the knockout rounds. Germany was eliminated from the competition despite their best efforts to come back into the match because giant-killing Japan defeated another World Cup champion.
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