The Niklas Landin theater that decentralized Spain: "I have not hit him in the face"

• Chronicle It was impossible to go further: Spain falls at the last minute against Denmark

There will be a hundred plays that can be analyzed like this: they were decisive.

Between Denmark and Spain, in a World Cup semifinal, any action matters.

But really a moment of the game, a strange moment, changed his future.

It was a play by

, the Danish goalkeeper, perhaps the one who had the least need to do so, who dismantled the Spanish comeback and unbalanced the result forever.

It happened in the 25th minute of the match, with 10-12 on the scoreboard.

Before Landin, considered the best player in the world in 2022, had already claimed all kinds of things from the referees: from the top of the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, while Spain was attacking, he could be seen yelling and gesturing towards the referees.

But in that 25th minute the culmination of his performance came.

In a tense moment, after a set against him (from 7-11 to 10-11),

He launched point-blank from six meters, hit him in the chest and unleashed.

A punch in the air, a nervous run and, suddenly, he was face to face with the Spaniard.

What did he claim?

That he had shot her right in the face.

In fact, he asked the referees for the direct expulsion of the little Dujshebaev and forced them to review the video.

The match stopped.

It was all a lie, clearly everything was a lie, and the replays proved it, but Landin had already changed the atmosphere.

In the next five minutes, Spain, still stunned by what had happened, was off center and Dujshebaev himself missed the next shot opportunity he had.

From that 10-12 they reached the break with 10-15 and the feeling that another comeback was impossible.

In the second half, the team tried, wholeheartedly, unable to give up, and even had a chance, but the disadvantage to turn around was exaggerated.

LISELOTTE SABROEAFP

In the mixed zone, later, Dani Dujshebaev spoke with EL MUNDO about what happened.

"I have not hit him in the face; if they have not expelled me, they surely have not hit him. He has bled from the nose, but I do not know if it was from the rebound or what. I have asked him for forgiveness and that's it. It is what there is", commented the side, the most crestfallen among the crestfallen in the selection.

The atmosphere in general was sad, but the defeat was different for those who have just won an Olympic medal and two European Championships than for young people like Dani Dujshebaev who still have everything to conquer.

The fight for bronze this Sunday against Sweden will be a very small consolation.

"We all wanted to play for the gold and we were one step away. We have to get mental, rest and be at 100% for the last game of the World Cup," proclaimed Dujshebaev,

The penalty saved to Solé

"We have made mistakes at key moments, we have rushed, we have missed important passes and shots. Against this Denmark you cannot be so weighed down," analyzed the Spanish full-back who did not want to name Landin's show as a decisive factor.

Neither the theater nor his stops.

Because there were also and they were many.

Among the essentials, the penalty that stopped

at the last minute at 23-25, but there was more, specifically 14 more.

According to statistics, he finished with 43% saves, 15 of 35 attempts against, with special animosity towards the Spanish wingers.

Neither Ferrán Solé nor

managed to mark him from the corners.

Landin is the best player in the world, perhaps the best goalkeeper in history, who had the least need to mount the number.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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