Spain V Russia World Cup 2018

Spain V Russia

Synopsis in red

Top bets on today’s game: Spain V Russia

Fancy Spain to win this one. Russia are not much of a team to be honest.

€1.00 Single
Spain v Russia – Spain to Win; BTTS; 4+ corners for each team & 3+ cards for each team 150/1

€2.00 Single
Spain to score in both halves & Spain over 2.5 corners each half 8/1

Full betting previews, read here>

Was never going to happen today, silly bets to be fair, and also Spain are so slow in getting the ball forward.

Beers: Round of 16 Beer World Cup:

Russia won my Beer Group A easy enough, it had no competition. I couldn’t source any beers from Uruguay, and the two strict Muslim nations of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. So I will have a nice tasty kebab to represent SA! On the other side, Portugal (and not Spain) won in my Beer Group B. So today we have a match up between football special Super Bock of Portugal against me munching into a nice kebab, ie a bye to the last eight for Portugal!

Portugal V Saudi Arabia

Portugal eased to the top of my Beer World Cup Group B, while unfortunately Group A had three non beer nations so I since I love kebabs, sure why not have SA as second best of a bad group for beer lovers.

Super Bock Gallas Cerveja

Saudi Arabia!

Read who qualified for my Beer World Cup last 16 here

Enjoyed my football special, Superbock, also really enjoyed my kebab, but beer always wins in these scenarios!

PreGame:

Decided to see the first half of the Spain V Morocco game. A game with a lot of tension. Pique going in with two footed challenges, Amrabat was having a thing with Ramos (my money on Amrabat), and box to box football. Brilliant.

And then a shock, Boutaïb capitalized on a sloppy error by Ramos, was free and took his chance brilliantly to slot home past De Gea, one nil to Morocco. Wow, didnt expect that!

But order was restored after only five minutes, Isco scoring a nice goal from a brilliant pullback by Iniesta. Iniesta was on a different level for most of the first half, its a pity his team mates were away on another planet. Putting it on a plate for Costa to score, missed it, tsk.

But then Pique and Ramos again, fell asleep as Morocco took a quick throw in and Boutaïb was free in again, but, unfortunately for the Atlas Lions, this time De Gea well saved.

First half finished one all, good game but a lot of tension in the air, and I was surprised to see later that no one was sent off.

Second half En-Nesyri scored with a bullit of a header to put Morocco ahead again, but just before the end Spain equalized when Iago Aspas slotted home in what looked like an offside position. VAR called in again, and the goal stood much to the chagrin of the Morocco team. Game ended a draw, but Morocco might find they were unlucky in this World Cup, in a tough group. Spain up against Russia today, should get to the last eight, and I doubt they will have as tough a game as the one they got against Morocco, which was a good wake up call for team.

Only got to see the first half of Uruguay V Russia. From what I saw Uruguay were well on top without having to break too much of a sweat. Stanislav Cherchesov changed most of his team, while Uruguay went with much of the same team they had in the first two games.

Was not long before Suárez got on the score sheet from a free, where he pretty much had a free shot on goal, as the wall didn’t protect the goalkeeper at all. Strange one to let a player of Suarez’s ability take a chance like that.

Cheryshev immediately had a great chance to equalise, but he hit it straight at the goalkeeper when it would have been easier to score. Albeit Muslera in the Uruguayan goals made a great save. But not long after, Cheryshev did indeed get on the score sheet, the only problem was it was for the other team, sticking a leg out he deflected a wayward Uruguay shot into his own net for an own goal. Things got worse for Russia later as Smolnikov was sent off for a second yellow after a silly lunging tackle. Game over for Russia inside about half an hour.

Cavani got another in the end to put Uruguay firmly to the top of the table, while Russia will be an easy touch for Spain today, going on what I had seen in this game.

This World Cup just gets better and better. We have lost Argentina and Messi, we have lost Ronnie and Portugal, we lost the Germans, now we have just lost Iniesta and the Spanish. WOW!

Some people will moan at the negativity of the Russians, but they came with a game plan and it worked perfectly. The Spanish for all their great passing in midfield simply couldn’t break them down.

Of course having your best player on the bench for 65 minutes isn’t going to help. What the fuck was the clown Hierro doing there, totally disrespectful to the Russians. Spain needed Iniesta on the pitch early on, they needed someone to inject some pace into the game, and to pick those incisive passes. No he went for Asensio! Who? Exactly!

Spain scored early when Ignashevich put it into his own net under pressure from Ramos at the far post, from a great cross, after only 12 minutes. Danger already for Russia.

But Spain then reverted to the Tiki-taka for the remainder of the half. They were rightly punished for it when Pique stupidly touched the ball in his own box resulting in a penalty for the Russians, who had put Spain under some pressure at the time. Dzyuba slammed home the peno like the boss he is, one all just before half time.

Still no sign of Iniesta, still no impedance in the Spanish game. They never ran at the Russian defence, were far too slow in the build up, at walking pace, and their wing backs, and particularly Carvajal when he came on, always stopped shot of whipping in a cross, always cutting back in and passing it across the Russian defence. A bit too predictable for any defence, far too easy to read.

Iniesta did come on, and immediately had an affect, nearly scoring himself, close but a good save from Akinfeev. At this stage it felt that Spain were chasing the game, when they should have had it in the bag well before this stage. Russia really gave up with attacking the ball, so they really were there for the taking.

Rodrigo came on with about 15 minutes of extra time left, and his first real chance was to run at the Russians. And guess what it worked (imagine that!) He ran and got himself into the box unleashing a shot from a tight angle that again Akinfeev did well to save. Too little too late from Spain.

Penalties came, and Russia won, Akinfeev saving two to send Russia to the last eight. Who would have predicted that at the start of the tournament, not even Vladimir himself I Guess.

Must also mention that I thought Fernandes from Russia was excellent today, great and solid in defence, and when he was able to, a great release on the wing. Man of the match in my eyes, even if Akinfeev gets all the plaudits today.

Music to get you in the mood

Enrique Iglesias – EL BAÑO ft. Bad Bunny (Spain) V TRACKTOR BOWLING – Шрамы (Russia)