By Simon Baskett
INNSBRUCK (Reuters) – Although Spain fielded almost a complete shadow side against Greece in their final Euro 2008 group match, the late 2-1 victory over the 2004 champions proved Luis Aragones’s side have developed a powerful winning momentum.
The team have chalked up nine wins on the trot to beat the mark set by Javier Clemente’s lineup a decade ago and are now on a 19-match unbeaten streak as they head into their quarter-final showdown with world champions Italy on Sunday.
Spain crushed Russia 4-1 in their opening match of Euro 2008, they edged a late 2-1 victory over Sweden and the substitutes made it three in a row with their 2-1 win over already eliminated Greece.
For the pessimists there are clear parallels with the last World Cup when they team racked up a 4-0 win over Ukraine, left it late to overcome Tunisia 3-1 and then fielded a reserve team which beat Saudi Arabia 1-0.
They then came up against a France side that had started poorly only to end up being comprehensively beaten 3-1.
But the comparison is misleading.
At the World Cup, Spain were a far greener outfit. They were full of talented young players who had little experience of major international tournaments.
Although they are still a young side, the players have two more years of competition under their belts, with every member of the first-choice lineup having played in the Champions League.
SETTLED TEAM
Two years ago, there was no clear agreement over what was the best team and Luis Aragones appeared to be unsure over whether or not to play Raul. At Euro 2008, the 69-year-old has a settled team.
In Germany there was an atmosphere of euphoria surrounding the team after the first-round victories. This time, the team is quietly confident but has been careful to keep its feet on the ground.
“We have faith in our own ability, but we are aware that Italy are the world champions and even though they have started poorly, their quality is beyond doubt,” midfielder Xabi Alonso told reporters after the Greece match. “This is the moment of truth.”
Spain have invariably had a talented midfield but they now possess what is probably the most dangerous strike partnership in the tournament in the shape of Fernando Torres and David Villa.
Torres’s pace and athleticism perfectly complement Villa’s close skills and opportunism and between them the pair have notched up five goals in two games.
There are question marks at the back, particularly given the difficulty of the centre-backs to cope with the aerial threat from bigger sides, but this Spain team appears better equipped to deal with any setbacks than its predecessors.
Six of the last seven matches have been won with goals scored in the last 13 minutes of the game. The side’s never-say-die mentality is reminiscent of that of another team — Italy.
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