i am writing another blog about soccer i guess because i feel like it. i only get the chance to watch it all the time every four years so why not. i don't need to explain why anyways - i like it.
the final score was switzerland 1 - spain 0. it was a good game and held my attention easily. however, if you were to see the score without having watched the game you most likely would get the wrong idea of how the game played out. spain should have been the winner due to the fact that they were the dominating team.
the first half was not very exciting. spain had their best opportunity to score toward the end of the half. after the offense put together some solid consecutive passes they chipped the ball over the defender but couldn't score. they had a second chance shortly after inside the box again without being able to finish. the second chance could have and maybe should have been whistled for a foul - but none was called. spain got a few good crosses into the box as well as a few shots from outside the box but came up with nothing. set plays were not productive either for the spanish - a couple corners and several free kicks were not executed well enough to score.
halfway through the first half the play began to get a bit sloppy. a foul was called just outside the penalty box and a yellow card was given to a swiss defender. the spanish player on offense went down but in my opinion was more of a flop than a foul. spain took their free kick because of the foul but the shot was deflected by the wall set up by the swiss defenders.
switzerland spent most of the first half on defense. the closest they were able to get to scoring a goal was on a handful of set plays. the swiss had two opportunities on corner kicks and a few free kicks. halfway through the first half switzerland had an indirect kick outside the box. the play was well thought out and could have resulted in a goal but the wall charged after the first quick touch by the player running over the ball and blocked the shot.
before i get started on the second half which was really cool to watch. seriously, it was a good game and i'm glad i was able to see it. on another more important topic - today is youth day over in africa. i almost don't want to write about it or mention it because i am not well educated on exactly what happened. but, basically they dedicate the day to the children that were killed or injured when they stood up for themselves and the situation got terribly violent. much respect to children with huge hearts that united together, got organized, and made a difference.
i feel lousy remembering questioning my parents during the spring season every year as a child - as to why children didn't have a day. the response i got was "everyday is children day". i guess you are not capable of appreciating something that you never had a clue was a luxury. i'm not gonna go on a rant but i feel like the youth in america should be made aware of how much is taken for granted. not only in other countries but in parts of america as well.
the second half was exciting and play a bit dirty at times. the game is always physical but tackles from behind or sliding without aiming to poke at the ball should not be tolerated. the two teams were making full use of the huge field with spain taking four corner kicks in the first five minutes of the half. switzerland was able to get control of the ball after a corner taken by spain on two occasions and break at full speed toward the other end of the field. the swiss offense was able to score about six minutes into the second half on the second fast break opportunity. the spanish goalkeeper had to come out of the goal to make the save by tackling the striker. the tackle was not successful and the ball was fumbled by the keeper resulting in the swiss offense poking the ball into the net.
switzerland spent the next fifteen minutes struggling on defense. spain was able to make numerous crosses but none that were converted into goals. when the spanish offense wasn't getting the cross into the middle they were getting corner kicks. the corner kicks were usually played short with the result being shots from outside the box. the swiss keeper was able to save the shots that didn't go wide or over the net.
the pace of the game began to pick up with the entire field being used and everything happening quickly. switzerland would be on the attack one minute and the next spain would have gotten the ball back and the play back at the other end. the swiss keeper made a couple key saves in a short period of time. the swiss offense had a really good chance to score after carrying the ball the length of the field. several shots were taken in a row but hitting the post was the closest they were able to get.
the last portion of the match was more of the same back and forth with neither team dominating. although my television screen cut to blue briefly i don't think i missed much. there were quite a few free kicks awarded to spain due to fouls. the spanish offense had plenty of opportunities but the swiss defense held on.
two yellow cards were given toward the end of the game, one of which went to the swiss goalkeeper. i'm not certain why the official gave him a card so i'm not going to comment about how or why it was given(i might have been distracted because i thought his goalie jersey was really cool and he was easy on the eyes). he made another great save in the last few minutes after one of the many free kicks spain took. the other yellow went to a swiss defender after he committed a foul just outside the box. a wall was set by the swiss defense and blocked the shot.
spain should have been able to score, but i give the entire switzerland team credit for giving 100% and working hard to secure the win.
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