Brazil Wins Third Straight Confederations Cup with 3-0 Win Over Spain

Last June 30, Brazil did more than pull the rug underneath Spain’s feet. The team set records for itself, and destroyed some of Spain’s own.

The 2013 Confederations Cup is Brazil’s third since 2005, and its fourth in the entire history of the competition. This makes Brazil the team with the most number of Confederations Cups. Also, this is the 57^th consecutive home match since 1975 that the Canarinho have won—an impressive feat.

On La Roja’s part, this is their first competitive match defeat in three years. Spain had been on a roll since first battling Switzerland in the 2010 World Cup, and has never been defeated by 3 goals since April 1985. This makes Sunday’s loss humiliating for the Spaniards—to say the least.

La Roja was unable to stop either Fred or Neymar from giving their best shot, despite employing their usual tactic of ganging up on opposing scorers. All of Brazil’s goals were made during the first and last minutes of the match’s halves—which are critical times for scoring. Additionally, the red-and-yellow team paid dearly for fouls, one of which ejected Gerard Pique at the 68^th minute for tripping Neymar.

With this win, Neymar holds the Golden Ball, an award given to the tournament’s top player. The 21-year-old striker and his team, armed with a sense of confidence that only comes with defeating a football giant like Spain, now has their eyes on another prize: the 2014 World Cup.

Will Brazil replicate their 2013 Confederations Cup finals performance for the World Cup? Sound off in the comments section below. 

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2013 Confederations Cup Finale Preview: Spain vs. Brazil

It’s a match made in heaven: the defending champions versus the 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2012 UEFA EURO Cup holders.

This may come as a surprise, but Spain seems at a disadvantage in the finals. La Roja barely escaped the clutches of Italy in the semifinals when the latter forced them into a penalty shoot-out. If it wasn’t for Leonardo Bonucci’s mistake, Gli Azzurri might’ve taken the victory.

Also, Brazil’s playing style could pose a problem for the Spaniards. Neymar and Co. are known for their creative yet fast-paced play, which makes up for the fact that they have a slighter build than the Europeans. The Canarinho will likely not allow the game to extend to a drama of penalties like Italy did.

Another point against La Roja is the gap in preparation time between them and the Brazilians. According to the FIFA website, midfielder Juan Mata admitted that playing twice a week for one year has “physically diminished” them, while Iker Casillas said that the match against Gli Azzurri was a wake-up call.

Should Brazil win the Maracana match on June 30, it will be their third straight Confederations Cup. As for Spain, they’ll improve upon their third place finish in the 2009 competition no matter what happens. 

Photo credit: Zimbio  

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2013 Confederations Cup: Spain Overturns Italy 7-6 in Penalty Shoot-Out

Spain burst Italy’s hopes of appearing in the 2013 Confederations Cup finals with an anticlimactic victory last June 27.

Neither team was able to score for 120 minutes, forcing a penalty shootout which Spain won 7-6. Jesus Navas’ spot-kick, combined with Leonardo Bonucci’s failure to score in the shoot-out, sealed the fate of Gli Azzurri.

Italy looked crippled without Mario Balotelli, with the likes of Christian Maggio, Daniele De Rossi, and Claudio Marchisio missing several opportunities to shoot in the first half. Fernando Torres flew past Andrea Barzagli to try and convert a point, only to be intercepted by Gianluigi Buffon.

At the start of the second half, La Roja regained control of the ball, but Buffon’s excellent goalkeeping skills ensured that the match would be at a stalemate. Also, Xavi’s goal in the last few seconds was blocked by De Rossi before Howard Webb blew the whistle, signaling the beginning of extra time.

Despite the increased pressure from Spain in the second half of extra time, La Roja was still as goalless as their opponents, necessitating the penalty shootout. Ironically, Buffon was unable to sustain his momentum in this round, letting Spain score 7 of 13 points made there.

Spain will face Brazil on June 30. 

Photo credit: Zimbio

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2013 Confederations Cup Match Preview: Spain Vs. Italy

Venue: Fortaleza
Date: 28 June 2013

Prediction: Italy Exits Brazil

Injuries, weak defence and poor scoring caused Italy to lose its campaign in the Confederations Cup. On the other hand, the all mighty Spain is comfortably looks forward to securing the only international trophy that it lacks.

Spain and Italy will continue their rivalry in the Confederations Cup. After losing the Euro Cup to Spain last year, Gli Azurri seeks revenge. Yet, Italy’s present form foresees a repetition of failing to clinch the coveted silverware.

First off, injuries bogged down Cesar Prandelli’s side. Adding to his list of injured players is the striker Mario Balotelli. Super Mario suffered a thigh injury after a heart-thumping encounter against Brazil.

Prior to Balotelli’s exit, the Italians are already missing the presence of Andrea Pirlo and Ricardo Montelivo. The same thing holds true for Ignazio Abate who dislocated his shoulders early on in the tournament. Although reports say that Pirlo and Montelivo will be seeing action in Fortaleza, this does not guarantee a knock-out performance knowing that Prandelli still has the World Cup qualifiers to think about. Italy’s head honcho might resort to a 3-5-2 formation and El Shaarawy making his debut in the tournament. El Shaarawy’s entry is Prandelli’s way of countering the Spaniard’s invincible defence.

Now talk about Spanish defence, Vicente del Bosque and his men had conceded a single goal in the tournament. Italy conceded four (4) against Brazil—the lowest that the team ever had. This perspective exemplifies Spain’s scoring strength.

Since the Confeds Cup kicked-off, La Roja had already scored fifteen (15) goals. Ten (10) of them was against the minnow, Tahiti. Nevertheless, far more important is the scoring appetite of David Villa, Fernando Torres and Roberto Soldado. Aside from the three, David Silva, Juan Mata, Pedro Rodriguez and Jordi Alba can rip the Italian’s net in the match. 

Spain stands as heavy favorites for this match with Asian handicaps already handed over to Italy.



Photo Credits: Zimbio

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Spain Advances to Semifinals with 3-0 Over Nigeria

Despite an aggressive first-half play by their opponents, Spain cruised to the semi-finals with a 3-0 win against Nigeria last Sunday in Fortaleza.

Nigeria, led by Ahmed Musaab, kept Spanish goalkeeper Victor Valdes on his feet with seven scoring opportunities, an incredible feat against La Roja. Spain wasn’t its usual formidable self, and missed several goals in the first half.

The red-and-yellow team was fortunate in that Nigeria couldn’t take advantage of their scoring opportunities as well. Still, the green team’s defenses were no match for the Spanish attack led by Jordi Alba and Fernando Torres.

Alba scored the first goal in the match three minutes into it after a superb pass from Andres Iniesta. Striker Roberto Soldado, for his part, failed to extend Spain’s 1-0 lead over Nigeria at halftime.

On the Nigerian side, Jospeh Ideye took a dribble from Efe Ambrose, but couldn’t convert it into a goal seven minutes before halftime. Also, Mohammed Gambo missed a scoring chance courtesy of Musaab at the 73th minute.

Soldado was replaced by Torres at the 60^th minute. The Chelsea striker caught a well-executed cross from Pedro to score the match’s second goal, which is also Torres’ fifth out of six goal attempts in the 2013 Confederations Cup.

In no time at all, Spain took over the role of aggressor. At the 88^th minute, Alba sealed Nigeria’s fate with a goal that was his second and Spain’s third.

Coach Vicente del Bosque’s team will face Italy Thursday evening for the semifinals.

Photo credit: Steindy (talk) 13:11, 13 July 2010 (UTC) (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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Spain Scores Record Breaking Win Over Tahiti

Estadio Do  Maracana saw the World Cup titleholder, Spain lambasted the brave Tahiti with an all-time high 10-0 win last Thursday. The victory earned the football giants a spot on the semis and a world record.

The Spaniards was off to a scoring rage during the match. Fernando Torres missed a penalty, but scored four (4). Davild Villa mad a hat-trick, while David Silva had two (2) and Juan Mata scored a goal.

Nevertheless, Tahiti unleashed a good fight in the second half and even managed to come up with several saves.

La Furia Roja’s performance is the biggest victory ever made in any FIFA tournament. The previous record belonged to Brazil, which thrashed Saudi Arabia with an 8-2 win in 1999. This was not the first time that Spain pulled off a wide victory gap against its opponent. In 1933, the squad trampled Bulgaria with a 13-0 win.

Meanwhile, despite of Spain’s record-breaking feat, Team Fenua remained as crowd favorites. Brazilian spectators cheered for the minnows while the power team was welcomed with taunts and jeers, much to the delight of Team Fenua’s boss, Eddy Etaeta.

Etaeta expressed his team’s disappointment for not scoring. Nevertheless, he stressed that their loss became more meaningful since they “won the hearts of the Brazilian republic.” He added that the team is now more popular in Brazil than in its own territory.

Prior to match, Team Fenua gave lei garlands to their opponents as a sign of friendship and respect.  Tahiti will soon meet Uruguay in Recife.



Photo Credits: Zimbio

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Spain Topples Uruguay, Takes An Early Lead In The Group Stage

Spain is off to an early start in their 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup when they snatched a 2-1 victory against Uruguay. 

The exciting battle in Recife might serve as a premonition to what Spain plans to achieve in the tournament. The match saw La Furia Roja dominate. Fabregas had his early attempt, but to no avail. However, Pedro’s right-footed shot sealed the first goal of the match. Unfortunately for La Celeste, the Spaniards are in the mood to score.

On the 30th minute, Soldado converted a through ball from Fabregas that left Uruguay trailing. Tabarez and his men rallied for an equalizer. Yet, the shot came late. On the 88th minute Uruguay finally hit the net, thanks to Suarez’s precise free kick. With only 2 minutes left, it was evident that time was in favor of the Spaniards.

Despite of losing to Spain, Uruguay’s head honcho saw the squad’s improvement during the match. Oscar Tabarez admitted that the result was “catastrophic,” yet, Uruguay’s evident progress was enough to salvage its “professional image.” It can be remembered that La Celeste previously lost their 2010 World Cup bid after a 1-0 loss against Switzerland in the group stage.

As for La Furia Roja, the win puts them on the top spot of Group B. Spain’s big boss, Vicente del Bosque described their triumph as their ticket to the semi-finals. Bosque, however, admitted that the match’s last minutes kept him on his toes.

Described as a preview to the World Cup, the Confederations Cup shows how a squad will most likely perform in the most awaited sporting event.



Photo Credits: Zimbio

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A Peek at the Confederations Cup Match Between Spain and Tahiti

It may sound like a harsh and unfair assessment, but it’s quite clear in this June 20 match-up who’s the favorite and who’s the underdog.

Tahiti qualified for the 2013 Confederations Cup by virtue of being the 2012 Oceania Cup winner. They managed to win five straight matches and clinch a victory over New Caledonia in the finals. However, they’re out of the running for the 2014 World Cup, as they only won one game (2-0 against the Solomon Islands) in the qualifiers. Tahiti would need to work on cranking out a consistent winning performance against New Caledonia and New Zealand, among others, if it can truly be considered a good opponent against Spain.

Spain, on the other hand, has the psychological advantage over Tahiti, and possibly over every opponent it will encounter this year. The Spaniards hold both the 2010 World Cup and 2012 Euro Cup championships, and it hasn’t lost any of its last five matches: 5-1 against Panama, 3-1 against Uruguay, 1-1 against Finland, 1-0 against France, and 2-1 against Haiti. Even legendary ex-striker Ronaldo bets that Spain will win over his native Brazil in this year’s Confederations Cup.

The best thing Tahiti can hope for in this match-up is that it will be a great learning experience for them. The home-grown players have likely never seen action outside Oceania, and the foreign environment provided by Brazilian stadiums can prove disorienting for them. Still, the likes of Lorenzo Tehau, Stephance Taatiaru, Raimana Lee Fung Kuee, Xavier Samin, and Axel Williams should do their best not to let Coach Eddy Etaeta down. 

Photo credit: Football.ua [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

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2013 Confederations Cup Match Preview: Spain vs. Uruguay

Despite winning the Copa America 15 times, Uruguay still has most of the odds stacked against it in the match versus Spain this coming June 16.

For one, the country is going up against the reigning 2010 World Cup and 2012 Euro Cup champions. Spain has been dominating world football ever since they took the 2008 Euro Cup.

Uruguay also currently ranks sixth in its qualifying group, which is a precarious position behind the likes of Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, and Venezuela. Even if a miracle happens and Uruguay somehow defeats Spain this Sunday, it would still have to keep up its winning streak for four more games. In contrast, Spain has it easy as it is leading its group, and is just flushed with its 0-1 victory over France.

Lastly, as far as Spain is concerned, Uruguay has yet to win against them. The former clobbered the latter with a 3-1 win in their last meeting earlier this year. Given that the February 6 match was a friendly, it’s still pretty telling about how the Uruguayans would fare against the Spaniards.

To be fair, Uruguay does have Edison Cavani and Luis Suarez in its roster. If Cavani and Suarez fire up their goal-scoring abilities on Sunday, they might at least save their country from a humiliating loss.

Meanwhile, Spain can rest assured that the likes of Andres Iniesta, Juan Mata, Sergio Ramos, Fernando Torres, and Xavi will carry the team smoothly all the way to the World Cup—and maybe down to the finals as well. 

Photo credit: Jimmy Baikovicius on Flickr

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