Spanish football arrives on a roller coaster to the appointment with the medals: semifinals.
On a roller coaster where he derailed, right at the end of the game, but he knew how to get back on track with the minutes stuck like thorns.
Rafa Mir
took advantage of his, the only one he had had, so that the extension knew a victory.
Then he sealed it with two more, a hat trick after taking the field in the 90th minute. Not even in the best film, which takes him from a bloody descent with Huesca to the prelude to the Olympic podium, would he have witnessed it.
The 'thriller' only lacked one actor, the VAR. He saw it as it was, a penalty for Spain.
Bailly
crossed himself for his mistake after an impeccable meeting of the Ivory Coast, an entire team leaving the Games. It is also the one that continues. "It's us, it's us ...", shouted the players, on whom the giant Rafa Mir came out, chanted by 5,000 Japanese, because in Miyagi, in the north of Japan, the restrictions of Tokyo do not operate. We are us, we are Spain.
After this 5-.2 over the Ivory Coast, the medal is one shot away; the dream, two. The first, silver in Sidney, 2000, was obtained by the generation of
Xavi
and
Puyol
; the second, gold in Barcelona 92, that of
Kiko
,
Guardiola
and
Luis Enrique
, the head of all this, with the permission of
Luis de la Fuente
. Six of his players in the Euro have not missed a start at the Games. That means something. But it is not only Wembley Spain, in spirit and in legs, that reaches Yokohama, where on Wednesday it will play one of the semifinals against Japan or New Zealand. It's more. Miyagi's scorer is the proof.
Ivory Coast is not inferior to what is to be found.
Absolutely.
They were a very tough opponent, who took the lead twice, thanks to Bailly and
Gradel,
and led Spain to the moment of extreme rites, since the latter did so in the 90th minute. But Spain was not dead and wants party.
Olmo
and Rafa Mir, the desperate resource, drew successively and
Oyarzábal,
on the penalty spot, sealed a classification that had something redemptive for the San Sebastian, due to his failure in the same place against Italy, in the semi-finals of the Euro.
THREATENING HOME
The start, however, was not like the end, in which the Ivory Coast already felt emotionally overwhelmed, after Rafa Mir's goal in the added and Oyarzabal's penalty. It was too much. In the simplest way, the team felt threatened at the start, subject to Unai Simón. Côte d'Ivoire is not at all pretentious, but it is well run, it knows its flaws and how to put its arguments to good use. If it is worse with the ball, then that the ball goes directly to the space where his forwards run like no other. This is the case of Gradel, a veteran, or
Kessie
, the Milan footballer. If he is strong, to find a place on the set piece, where skills are reduced and forces are equalized. By the first way, they provoked fear; for the second, the advantage
Gradel and Kessie looked for their left, which was the right wing of Spain, turned into an Achilles heel.
Mingueza
started
, but a Mingueza without healing from the injury that had to leave his place to
Vallejo
after eight minutes.
Two later, the problem: goal.
The defensive coverages did not work and the center-back who reached the outside area, won the place over his Spanish counterparts,
Eric García
and
Pau Torres
.
Together, they pushed the ball into the net.
The goal was given to Bailly, an acquaintance of Spanish football now at Manchester United.
Of all the players in the Côte d'Ivoire eleven, only one plays in his country, goalkeeper Ira Tape.
The rest in England, Italy, France or Belgium.
It does not have a big star, it is true, but few jokes.
When De la Fuente's men wanted to get serious, they were already behind on the scoreboard, misplaced by a scenario they did not contemplate, especially after seeing how easily they had achieved a triangulation between Oyarzabal and
Mikel Merino
to leave the second on goal line.
Failure.
It was the first time in the Olympic tournament that they were behind on the scoreboard.
It was not time to row, it was time to play, because by force they had the power to lose.
Also under pressure, exerted by the Ivorians at the start of the Spanish game.
Afterwards, they retreated.
AFRICAN ERRORS
Spain needed to speed up the ball, but as they tried, every Ivory Coast counter posed a tremendous threat. If they managed to connect the center, the mobility and power of their forwards represented a sure danger. However, in their area they lacked the necessary security to make their strategy good and protect the treasure of their goal.
Singo's
error
, when he gave his chest to his goalkeeper after a Mikel Merino cross without noticing the presence of Olmo, cost him the goal.
Despite giving up the draw against a technically superior rival, the virtue of Côte d'Ivoire was not to break down. Spain, then yes, began to have the initiative, asking more actively and with more depth on the left, where
Miranda
, tireless, and Olmo
alternated
. If the Euro put the Leipzig player in the showcase, these Games project the Betis player.
A clarification for Olmo, who shot high, and a shot to the crossbar by Mikel Merino, after another error in the Ivory Coast exit, could give Spain the initiative on the scoreboard, but the equalizer allowed not only the Africans to hold on , but to counterattack, with the departure of
Diallo
, a footballer to follow. He already shone against Germany. The selection of
Souhalio Adiaree
maintained its lines, with a 4-4-2, without decomposing tactically, something that was depleting African teams a long time ago. That time passed.
De la Fuente actually did the same thing as his counterpart, opting for an unbalanced player like Bryan Gil. It was time to create the spaces. Neither team succeeded, on the way to extra time, until the game unexpectedly exploded. Gradel received a ball on the left, apparently covered, but the forward knew how to make space to connect a cross shot that Vallejo's leg deflected slightly to outwit
Unai Simón
. Minute 90 and Spain was out of the Games.
The coach then called the 'tank' Rafa Mir to the race.
With the first ball hanging, the centrals did not know what to do, they bounced in the area and the Huesca striker made room to stir.
A childish mistake that the Africans who left Spain already mentally in the semifinals.
In case there were doubts, after Oyarzabal, Rafa Mir made it clear again before the end with two placement goals.
The football gods who did not accompany him with Huesca are now on his side.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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