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| Fernando Torres scored a Brace Against the Irish-Mens |
Spain Out-Classes Ireland On Match-day 6 Of Group C As Torres's Brace Routes Ireland Out Of The Euro 2012.Two goals in one game from Fernando Torres, rather than the most famous victory in the Republic’s football history, proved to be the fairytale that few had anticipated as Spain reminded the world why they are the outstanding team of this generation.Outpassed and outplayed for the entire ninety minutes, Ireland succumbed to their heaviest defeat under Giovanni Trapattoni – and their biggest at a major tournament – as they became the first team to being eliminated from Euro 2012.Yet while the dreamers had yearned to see football’s equivalent of Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson, Spain had other ideas and they ended Irish hopes with goals from Torres, David Silva and Cesc Fabregas doing the damage.The innocent optimism of the Irish which preceded Sunday’s 3-1 defeat against Croatia was replaced by the dawning of harsh reality as they approached this clash against the world champions.One hopeful banner, an Irish tricolour carrying the message ‘Come on you Boys in Green – Miracles do happen,’ summed up the magnitude of the task facing Giovanni Trapattoni’s players, but even the author probably didn’t believe it.For Ireland to secure the result which would have kept their Euro 2012 ambitions alive, Gdansk would have to usurp the likes of Stuttgart, Genoa and New Jersey – scenes of previous glorious Irish triumphs – as the reference point of Ireland’s ability to defy the odds.But dreams of the miracle in Gdansk lasted a mere four minutes – a minute longer than against Croatia in Poznan – before Torres delivered the perfect response to his critics by putting Spain ahead.Two minutes earlier, Simon Cox had forced Iker Casillas into a full-stretch save with a left-foot strike from 20-yards which helped justify his controversial selection by Trapattoni.
Cox, who qualifies for Ireland through his Galway-born grandmother, has not scored a Premier League goal for West Bromwich Albion since Apr 2011, but his selection ahead of Kevin Doyle and Jonathan Walters was due to his work-rate and willingness to become a fifth body in midfield.Trapattoni’s plan was to flood the centre of the pitch and stifle Spain’s creativity, but better teams have tried that and failed and Ireland would be no different.The Ireland coach admitted prior to the game that Spain are ‘Real Madrid and Barcelona, without Lionel Messi,’ so Cox, Keith Andrews and GlennWhelan deserved sympathy for their task of having to shackle Xavi, Andres Iniesta and David Silva.Sadly, it was like watching a practice game involving ten green traffic cones at times as Spain cut Ireland apart and Torres’s goal was the perfect example.Iniesta’s sublime pass to Silva found the Manchester City man in the penalty area, yet Richard Dunne’s challenge was perfect, but for the clearance dropping to Torres, who lashed the ball past Shay Given from six yards.Torres, overlooked in favour of Cesc Fabregas against Italy on Sunday, had a point to prove and his cupped ear to the Spanish fans suggested he had made it.Poor Given. The Ireland keeper was in goal when Torres ended his six-month Premier League drought for Chelsea against Aston Villa in March and, almost two years since the forward last scored for Spain, Given was on the receiving end again.There were just four minutes on the clock and, ten years after being eliminated from the World Cup by Spain in Suwon, Ireland were facing déjà-vu all over again.Having gambled on Cox in his starting line-up, Trapattoni strangely replaced the forward with Walters at half-time, despite him arguably being Ireland’s best player in the first-half.The change did little to alter the Irish approach, however, as Keane and Walters were still totally isolated up-front, with Spain practically hiding the ball from their opponents.Whenever Ireland did win possession, they resorted to hit and hope and, in truth, their tactics were as dated and redundant as Gdansk’s crumbling, grey Lenin Shipyard.Spain, guilty of over-playing in the first-half, continued to pass the ball to death, but Silva’s 49th minute goal gave them the cushion which enabled them to toy with the Irish.
Given, at fault for two of Croatia’s goals in Poznan, was once again culpable as Spain doubled their lead.The 36-year-old inexplicably punched Iniesta’s close-range shot rather than catch it and the ball dropped to Silva on the penalty spot, who dummied Sean St Ledger and Stephen Ward before passing the ball through Dunne’s legs and into the net.Typical Spain. Why shoot when a pass will do?Silva, as magical as he had been at times for City last season, then rounded off his stunning performance by releasing Torres for his second, a right-foot strike from 15 yards, on 70 minutes.It was finished in the fashion of the Torres of old. Maybe *El Nino* still has it in him, after all.Vicente del Bosque, mindful of the forward’s fragile confidence, treated Torres to the applause of the stadium when he replaced him with Fabregas in the closing stages.But rather than play out the final ten minutes, Fabregas joined in on the act by scoring Spain’s fourth moments later.
