A disappointing exit

I don't know if it was memory of the 4-1 drubbing in the group stage that led lucky Guus to change his side's swashbuckling style, or if it was the torrential downpour that prevented the Russians from displaying the counterattacking flair we'd come to love, or maybe it was just Spain being too damn good at retaining possession, but whatever the reason it was a disappointing exit. Sure, they conjured up an odd chance in the first half, but it will be a shame if Russia were remembered more for this game than the fantastic attacking displays they put on in the rest of the tournament. Guus Hiddink had his team working together moving forward and it was great to watch. Once again he took an unlikely contender to the semi-finals of a major tournament, and if he doesn't continue on with Russia I hope that US Soccer was watching. Well done Russia and congratulations on an impressive run.

Spain now move on to the final and despite my dour outlook on their team spirit, they seem to be clicking together quite nicely right now from the starters right on through the subs bench. Some of the goals they scored in this tournament have been exquisite, and i'm excited to see how they handle themselves against Germany. I think they will cope just fine without David Villa especially now that Cesc Fabregas is displaying some of the qualities for Spain that have made him so invaluable to his club side. One key question in Sunday's match for me are if Spain can keep up their pretty passing display with a worker like Frings in the German midfield. They struggled to break down Italy, but in general were able to retain possession. It will be interesting to see if they can do the same against Germany while improving on that final ball. I don't expect Loew to have his club pack the box the way Italy did, so I am hopeful for an entertaining second half at the least. For the spanish defense, it will need to be seen if they can deal with the not only the German areal threat, but also the blistering pace and unreal determination of the in-form Bastian Schweinsteiger. I was amazed to see him on the bench early in this tournament and he's really shown the world why he should probably be considered amongst the top wingers in the game (Portugal having at least four of the other top ten).

I'd like to make it known as well, that while I predicted an ignominious early exit for the Spaniards that was far from what I wanted for them. They are always a fantastic team to watch. They have always, as far as I remember, played the game the right way, with great flair and attacking intent, and I am very happy to see them in the final. Germany too, have been playing some crowd-pleasing football since Klinsmann took over the team for Germany '06 and I hope to see both teams most entertaining games on display Sunday.