Euro 2012: Ton-up Xabi satisfied with performance
Coach Vicente del Bosque left Fernando Torres on the bench against France in preferring his ‘false number nine’ Cesc Fabregas as a striker. But it was tough tackling Xabi Alonso who delivered the goods on his 100th international appearance with a header and a penalty to see off France 2-1 in their Euro 2012 quarter-final.
“There’s a lot of personal satisfaction in getting to 100 caps and getting on the score sheet,” said Alonso after the Spanish booked a semi-final showdown with Portugal where he will come up against Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo as well as defender Pepe.
“We are now in the semis and we know all about Cristiano but we’re not afraid. Of course all the games at this stage are life and death.”
Coach lauds ‘complete midfielder’
There has been criticism of the Spanish in some quarters after they drew to begin with in their pool opener against Italy and then just crept past Croatia while del Bosque has been happy to keep Torres in reserve when it suits the former’s game plan. Del Bosque himself dismissed the critics, telling journalists that ‘the debate is more yours than ours’.
He preferred to laud Alonso for bossing the contest and closing the door on the French, whom the Spaniards had not previously beaten in a major tournament.
“He is a player who has a real sense of the value of the team,” said del Bosque. “He makes sacrifices and when he has to lend a hand in defence or out wide he does so and when we have the ball he sets about constructing moves. He is the complete midfielder.”
Published in The Express Tribune, 25th, 2012.
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