Spain stumble in Confederations Cup shock

A shock result at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final in South Africa: US 2 Spain 0

I saw the match on SBS & was, of course, supporting Spain. The result is sad & a little embarrassing for the Spaniards. To a certain extent, it happened because Spain had a "off day". They played below their usual high standards. They still managed to create some chances but they just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. A few Barcelona players represented Spain: Xavi, Puyol, Pique. However, there is one Barcelona player who was absent. Iniesta (a key midfielder for club & country) was not at this tournament due to injury. But his absence is no excuse at all - a half-strength Spain should still have been able to beat the US.

The loss to the Americans is the first time Spain lost a match since November 2006. It brings an end to a long unbeaten run - 35 games without loss, equal with Brazil's record. Spain would have set a new record of 36 if they had not lost against the US. It also means that there cannot now be a dream Spain v Brazil final. Both teams could still meet, but only in the third-place playoff & that is only if Brazil loses to South Africa in the other semi-final.

Spain may have had an "off day". But by gosh, the US were very good! They were so disciplined & organised, & they can play a bit too. They played the counter-attacking game very well. The fact that Michael Bradley (son of US coach Bob Bradley) got sent off 4 minutes from the end made no difference to the final result. It is a sensational result for Team USA, & they are now through to the Confederations Cup final. Who would have predicted this? Credit to them for a strong performance. Whether they play Brazil or South Africa in the final, the US will certainly be no pushovers, based on their semi-final performance against Spain.

The result, while not what I had wanted, does remind me of why I love football - it can be unpredictable. In football, upsets/surprise results are possible, unlike some other sports where 1 or 2 teams constantly dominates.