World Cup Qualifiers 2014 - Spain vs. Finland 1-1

[Maksimov]

Team Finland has been woeful in these qualifiers, so when we get a good result (1-1) against a big team, it's definitely a reason to be cheerful. Apparently we're only the second team in seven years to avoid defeat away against Spain.

 

[Jonty]

They needed Torres.

[Maksimov]

They needed Torres.

OK, you got the obligatory Torres post out of the way, so is there someone who wants to whine about Benitez and/or Mikel in a thread about a match they weren't involved in?

[Mike Carefree]

Spains draw f**ked up my bets for this weekend

[Teritus]

The TD Law hasn't been forgotten about, I see.

[Maksimov]

The TD Law hasn't been forgotten about, I see.

What's TD Law?

[moi]

Well done Finland!  Who's this Torres bloke people are talking about?

[moi]

What's TD Law?

 

 

Tommy Docherty's Law of Torres Inevitability

[Teritus]

The longer a thread goes on the higher the chance of someone mentioning Torres in any way there is. In this case it was in the very first reply.

Edited March 23, 2013 by Teritus

[bluegraham]

Well done Finland. Did they deserve a draw?

[bluegraham]

Just watched the clip,that was a lovely move and goal.

[Maksimov]

Well done Finland. Did they deserve a draw?

Spain were the better side and had ridiculous amounts of possession, but we just did pretty much what Chelsea did at Nou Camp last season (Finland didn't have a player sent off, mind you). Defend, defend, defend and wait for the chance to punish the opposition. Spain wasn't able to capitalize on their dominance. I think they had only four shots on target and were reduced to shooting from distance for large parts of the match. It wasn't pretty, but damn it, I'll take it!

[BlueBeard]

Very good result for Finland - I thought of you when I saw the result last night, Maks, and could imagine you getting totally pissed and running amok on a reindeer

[Maksimov]

...getting totally pissed and running amok on a reindeer

That was the plan for the night had we won...

[Scott Harris]

Oh man nice one Finland. If France can beat Spain then Spain will be in real trouble and may not qualify. The best 8 group runner ups qualify for the play offs and Spain are struggling to be in that best 8 right now, it will be even harder for them if they do lose to France. I can't believe i will be cheering on the French.

[That Boy Brandinho]

Spain were the better side and had ridiculous amounts of possession, but we just did pretty much what Chelsea did at Nou Camp last season (Finland didn't have a player sent off, mind you). Defend, defend, defend and wait for the chance to punish the opposition. Spain wasn't able to capitalize on their dominance. I think they had only four shots on target and were reduced to shooting from distance for large parts of the match. It wasn't pretty, but damn it, I'll take it!

 

Spain always have ridiculous amounts of possession, though. If they only scored once against Finland, were they really dominant?

 

That said, credit to you lot. I always enjoy when Spain loses with their hideous football. 

Edited March 23, 2013 by That Boy Brandinho

[Maksimov]

Oh man nice one Finland. If France can beat Spain then Spain will be in real trouble and may not qualify.

We may not have qualified for the World Cup or Euro final tournaments, but we do manage to make it tougher for the big boys every now and then. In 2002 English fans remember Beckham's free kick that took them to the World Cup as group leaders. Not many of them remember that if Finland had not taken points from Germany (England and Finland were the only teams to do so in that qualifying campaign) That Beckham free kick wouldn't have been worth anything. Well, ok... Finland took points from England as well (0-0), so we made it harder for England, but we also played a 2-2 draw at home and 0-0(big thanks goes to Antti Niemi, one of the most underrated keepers in recent past in my opinion) against Germany. Back then Forssell was still a Chelsea player and he scored two goals against Germany in the home match(against Oliver Kahn, who was probably the best keeper in the world back then). Oh, the amount of booze we drank that night(just to calm the nerves)! Strong cider, lager, brandy, Long Island Iced Tea... Gloriously wasted! I dare to think what would have happened if we had won...

[Maksimov]

Spain always have ridiculous amounts of possession, though. If they only scored once against Finland, were they really dominant?

Well, they kept the ball, but failed to capitalize on their dominance. We scored from pretty much our only shot on target. They didn't create all that many clear cut chances and this may sound biased, but I think we really shouldn't have conceded from a corner against them. Don't get me wrong, if someone had offered me a 1-1 draw before the kick off, I would've grabbed it with both hands, but with a bit of luck, we might have got a win. Nah, who am I kidding... A draw was an awesome result, Spain very rarely drops points at home in competitive matches and Finland's barely in the FIFA top 100, so that match was almost like a win for us.