Despite not being televised in their home country Spain laid on an exhibition in Minsk with a goal from Jordi Alba and a hat trick from Pedro.
Juan Jiménez | 12/10/2012
The Spaniards back at home couldn’t watch it on the television, and the World Champions, to make amends, decided to give an HD exhibition of football. Imagining it wouldn’t have made it better. The radio commentary wasn’t hyperbole. It was as real as the two European Championships and the World Cup won by this team. Spain rolled Belarus over in Minsk with a forcefulness that wiped out the images of their suffering against Georgia. Not even the three goals from Pedro, tonight’s individual hero, could avoid the conclusion that the spotlight on this team shines as brightly on each and every player. This, surely, is the greatest success of this group of winners. It is the fact it is a team game that makes football what it is, despite what some people insist to the contrary.
Del Bosque also found help in the unknown Belarus coach, Guegorgui Kondratiev. He condemned his team by organising them in a manner that simply allowed Spain to play to their virtues. He pushed his defence up and appeared not to have thought about his midfield. Spain, who had the two Xavi’s out (the great Hernández and the wonderful Santi Cazorla) as well as Silva, were able to canter to victory without making excessive effort. With three midfielders to spray the passes around and two footballers, Jordi Alba and Pedro, who are excellent at finding space in and behind the defence, the result was devastating. Spain went ahead quickly with two gorgeous bits of play. For the first Xavi, Pedro and Alba combined for the latter to score, though admittedly he was offside. Alba’s goal, his second for the team took Spain back, smiling, to the final of Euro 2012. Alba is a bullet. Just afterwards Pedro got in behind the Belarus central defenders and Silva picked him out brilliantly. The Canary Islander, possibly in the finest form of his career, (when he’s fit he’s uncontainable), took the opportunity with clear-sighted ease in the one on one against Veremko. 0-2 to Spain and Belarus had run up the white flag.
The match was of little use to evaluate Busquets in his debut for the national team in the centre of defence. Both he and Ramos walked through the match. The only bad news for Spain was the yellow card Silva picked up, and a couple of wasted chances that would have put the result absolutely beyond doubt sooner. Casillas saw the local heroes Hleb and Rodionov about as much the TV audience in Spain did i.e. not at all.
The second half was there simply to see how strong the Spanish team was, and to get a perspective on things for next week against France in the Calderón. Del Bosque gave Silva a rest and put Iniesta out. Some players however have no knowledge of the concept of “rationing”. Pedro ran towards glory once again after Arbeloa won the ball in the midfield which led to another masterful pass from Xavi. The latter is maybe, with Zidane, the footballer who has best understood the game for a very long time. But that wasn’t enough for Pedro, who scored the fourth and should have had a fifth. A spectacular show.
This game wasn’t televised and that is a terrible, terrible shame, because this isn’t a Spain team whose performances should be missed. The wonderful fantasy that is their football can’t last forever.
