Well you at least have to credit their timing to lose.
Spain lost for the first time since the World Cup ended in humiliating fashion to a hungrier Argentina squad. The final score of the match was 4-1 in favor of Maradona’s former side and La Furia Roja experienced their first loss since that shocking 1-0 defeat to Switzerland in their debut match of the World Cup. The 4-1 defeat would be the Spanish side’s worst loss since losing to Germany in a friendly match played in 2000.
And Barcelona star Lionel Messi would get the best of his Spanish league teammates by starting off the scoring run with a textbook lob into the net in the 10th minute. The world’s best footballer was often criticized this summer for his lack of goals, but under new coach Sergio Batista the little Champions League MVP from a year back would set the tone early and the rest of the Argentina national team would follow his lead. Gonzalo Higuain would immediately put the side up two goals three minutes later with the second goal of the match and Carlos Tevez would capitalize off of a crucial clearance mistake made by backup Spanish keeper Pepe Reina with the third in the 34th minute of action.
Reina is considered the best backup keeper in the world and several of his national team teammates expressed their interest in the Liverpool man starting last fall before the start of the Cup, but after his poor form yesterday i think it is safe to say that the job will likely belong to Golden Glove winner Iker Casillas for quite some time. Fernando Llorente would try to spark his Spanish team to a late comeback with a goal in the 84th minute to bring the score to 3-1, but the three goal halftime deficit would prove to be too much for the World Cup champs to overcome and Sergio Aguero would erase any hopes of a comeback with a fourth goal for the Argentine side in injury time.
Interim head coach Sergio Batista was obviously pleased with the result and the coach who replaced Maradona was given some support last week when the Argentina Football Federation admitted that the coach would likely be retained unless something would go horribly wrong in the next month. I think it is safe to say that yesterday’s performance assured that he will remain the side’s manager and Batista made the following statement after the 4-1 shock victory.
Argentina was the reason that Spain was not the Spain we are used to seeing. We beat a great team, and things went like we had hoped.
