I have read in some old poem by the great Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, “As I have not worried to be born, I do not worry to die”. What made me remember these lines was the master-class produced by Spain in their come-back win over the Tunisians. The sad history of Spanish underachievement in the Mundial is always a hot topic of discussion in the press, but not in the camp. The camp is full of fervent youth who know not to fear of failure, and always ready to put up a show whenever asked to. Lorca’s Argentine connection and the way the Spaniards were passing with a great flow similar to that shown by the Argentines a few days before is natural as well.
As I sat down to watch and cheer for my all time favourite team, I had a fear that they were a bit overconfident after that thrashing of Ukraine in the opening match. No sleep when Spain is playing. Listening to ‘La Marcha Real’ being played in the fantastic Gottelib-Daimler-Stadion in Stuttgart, I wished Luis Aragonés' side could end years of misery for the country at the finals and this young side could make a real impact in Germany. My fears realised when the eagles met their prey as early as in the eighth minute. Jaziri stole the ball from Puyol before holding off several challenges in the area and crossing to Mnari. His first shot was parried by Casillas, but he made no mistake slamming home the rebound from eight yards. The whole euphoria generated from the 4-0 previous result had all vaporised into thin air. Now no other way but to continue attack the opponent. The fluid passing game was occasionally cut down as the Tunisian side hastle and harried each player in a red shirt when they received the ball. Spain continued to press, but at the half way point, it stayed 1-0 to Tunisia.
The game continued in the ferocious pace as in the first half, and the crowd were in to witness a spectacle. Changes were in need, and they were made as Arsenal’s teenage sensation Fábregas on for Senna and Grand Talisman Raúl on for Luis García. Young gunner Cesc made an early impression with a fierce shot only palmed away by the roaring Boumnijel. A similar pattern to the first period was beginning to develop as Spain were allowed to enjoy long periods of possession, while the Tunisians sat back and invited them to try and find a way through their defence. Spain had to be careful not to allow frustration to sneak in to their game if they are to avoid what would be the shock of the first round of matches. But as Lorca put it, they were not worried to die for their cause. The reward for the constant salvo came in the 71st minute. Another substitute Joaquín rolled the ball back across the area where Fábregas' low shot was palmed out by Boumnijel and Raúl holds off the challenge of Trabelsi to lift the ball back into the far corner of the net. When substitutes score managers take the credit, here he had to, as all his changes combined very well to grab the equalizer. The most forgotten figure, who is the all time greatest goal scorer in the Champions league, answered some of his critics with his perseverance in front of goal. Raúl was back among the goals, and that is where he used to reside in the past. Five minutes later, Fábregas provided an incredible pass to pick out the run of Torres who outpaced the Tunisia defence before flicking the ball round the keeper and clipping it back into the net with the outside of his right foot before wheeling away to the corner to celebrate. Spain took the lead as they deserved to do so. The Spain fans were cheering in delight as their team continued their passing game and the cheers should go to them for not passing away their chances when they came. Spain though was on auto pilot then as they used the rain-soaked pitch to play the ball around the midfield, much to the delight of their ranks of fans in the stadium. Just before normal time, Raúl tried to feed Torres, but he was brought down in the box, penalty. Young Torres took responsibility from the spot and fired the ball down the centre of the goal to make the game safe for Spain and made himself the top goal scorer in the World Cup Finals with three goals. Spain had secured their place in the knockout phase after a tremendous fight back against a strong Tunisia side. It was the Spanish passing game that eventually wore down their opponents and gave them a deserved 3-1 victory. It was one of the best games of the tournament so far and it was all Spanish delight in the end.
Even before this game, hosts’ captain Ballack had comments to the press that Spain has earned themselves the tag as one among the favourites after whipping Ukraine. Now after this inspiring win over the hard fought North Africans, that belief is going to strengthen. It may all come down to that quarter final, were every time Spain used to falter. But this time, they have a bunch of youth who doesn’t even think of the past. Maybe the long club success could be turned into International scene this time, it is a hope. But that optimism is growing, and this match against Tunisia is one that I am going to treasure for years to come.
