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Spain vs. France: Tiki-Taka Masters Lull France out of Euro 2012 Quarterfinals
Published: June 23, 2012
Ho hum? Maybe so, but for a team chasing unprecedented success, there's nothing boring about winning.
Granted, it was hardly a hair-raising spectacle, this latest dish of death and dismemberment by means of pitiless Spanish passing. But much like a coarse black cloak for a sworn brother of the Night’s Watch, it’ll have to do.
There’s a larger purpose here, see?
For Spain, Saturday's simple 2-0 victory over France felt as much like a placeholder as a statement of intent. Chasing an unprecedented third straight major title, Spain dispatched France the way a picnic-goer might swat away a fly buzzing around the German potato salad.
It was ruthless, it was pedestrian and it was probably the least competitive knockout match so far in a Euro 2012 quarterfinal round that's seen little in the way of suspense.
Midfielder Xabi Alonso, distinguished principally in his previous 99 international appearances as a slick passer and a diligent steward of defensive midfield duties, scored in the 19th and 90th minutes. And that, really, was just about it.
Before and after and all in between, Spain lulled the life out of both France and the viewing public with a devastating dose of tiki-taka.
Still the team to beat at Euro 2012—as if they were ever anything less—Vicente del Bosque's squad has now won three straight games by a combined score of 7-0 while going 300 minutes without conceding. All in all, not a bad day out on the pitch for Xabi Alonso, his increasingly glorious beard and most of his success-spoiled teammates.
But it was a bad day indeed for the entire chasing pack, from Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese superstar chasing his career-defining mo...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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