If La Furia Roja play anything like this in the World Cup, they are going to take some stopping... as for Argentina, by God are they dire without Lionel Andres Messi in their ranks.
That's all from me, Anirudh Menon, as angry as I was with Messi not starting, Spain's exhilarating brilliance has made me a very happy man. Damn, I love this game.
89' UFF! FEISTY END TO THIS GAME! Pavon slams into Koke with an ugly, ugly tackle that reeks of a red card and several men in white take exception to it. Plenty of pushing and shoving ensues but Koke's calmness helps defuse the situation. How that was not a red card, though, only the ref will know - and Pepe Reina makes sure the fourth official knows what he thinks of it all.
88' Carvajal hands the ball right back to Spain from the freekick - Guests are Gods, after all - but Messrs. Martinez, Meza and Acuna are unable to make much of it
85' Interesting! Martinez gets hammered into by Ramos and Azpilicueta just outside the Spain box, and it's a position that Meza and Acuna like the look of.
84' OOOO! Acuna's first act is to dance past Koke and win a corner off Carvajal... which, like most things Argentina have tried tonight, comes to nothing.
83' Azpilicueta and Ramos almost play themselves into trouble inside their own box but Marcos Alonso steps in to save their hides. Sampaoli throws on Marcos Acuna for a tired, and disgusted looking, Gio Los Celso
81' Lo Celso tries to thread a ball out to Martinez but Koke reads it with absurd ease. The PSG man then tries to bully the Atleti lad off the ball, but Koke laughs at all that nonsense and passes it out to Carvajal - who gets slammed into by a frustrated Meza.
78' Spain are smacking Argentina up their faces now. Vazquez toys with half the Argentine defence before playing in Alba, who's cross is blocked for a corner. Leo Messi's seen enough and he walks off.
OH MY GOOD LORD! SPAIN ARE GIVING ARGENTINA A SPANKING FOR THE AGES HERE! Otamendi gets lazy on the ball, for what joy only he'll know, and Isco closes him down like a starving wolf. The ball bounces out to Aspas, who plays it back to him and Isco makes absolutely no mistake as he passes it into the net for a THIRD TIME! Hattrick Isco, and he's earned that kiss of the boot from Sergio Ramos. What a player, by jove.
Hahaha! ROUTE ONE FOOTBALL FROM SPAIN! We've seen it all now. De Gea pumps it long, it bisects Rojo and Mercado and Aspas has the simple task of running at Cabellero and smacking it into the goal.
71' AH! THEY HAVE! The Wanda Metropolitana stands up to applaud the Catalan as he's replaced by Cesar Azpilicueta. Pique applauds them in return. A nice touch, that
70' OOO LA LA PIQUE! Pavon presses the hell out of Pique and charges in on him as he recieves a De Gea ball to feet, a second and a 180 degree swivel later, Pavon's going one way and the ball the other. What a player this man is. STOP BOOING HIM, FOR F***'S SAKE
69' Argentina win ANOTHER freekick on the edge of the box - this one's sent deep looking for Tagliafico, but Carvajal does well to nip in ahead of him.
67' OOOOO! Things have gotten a bit feisty here. First Carvajal and Otamendi get into a shoving match before Tagliafico and Isco crash into each other and Meza gets involved, riling Isco up further... Ramos plays peacemaker as he carries Isco away from the spot. No, seriously, Sergio Ramos.
65' Meza is playing rather well, though, and he almost plays in Martinez with a peach of a ball; but Pique scrambles it clear. Argentina press high with rabid intensity - much more like Sampaoli this and they win another freekick on the edge of the box.
63' OH! SOME EXCITEMENT FROM ARGENTINA! Lo Celso looks to backheel a through ball into Pavon's path - but he gets upended, just outside the box. Freekick in a promising position...
60' Asensio scoops the ball into the box, but Rojo powers it out... the Madrid man recovers it, though, and sends a peach of a curler from the left - which RAMOS SMACKS INTO THE BOTTOM CORNER! BUT HE'S ADJUDGED TO HAVE PUSHED OTAMENDI IN THE LEAD UP TO IT!
59' Lauturo Martinez gets a run-out for the hapless, toothless, Gonzalo Higuain! Meanwhile, on the pitch, Sergio Ramos plays left-winger in that fantasy world he lives in, marauds down the flank, beats three people and wins a freekick at the edge of the box. What a man. WHAT. A. MAN.
57' OOO! WHAT A TACKLE PIQUE! Meza tries to play Pavon in - the two are 2 v 2 against the Spanish centre-backs but Pique puts in an absolute belter of a tackle to stop the sub's progress into the half
56' Subs aplenty as Iniesta goes off to his customary standing ovation to be replaced by local hero Saul Niguez; while Argentina's joint highest cap record holder, Javier Mascherano is taken off for the exciting Cristian Pavon
OH MY! DID I NOT SAY THEY WERE RUTHLESS? Thiago plays a peach of a ball out to Isco... the dancer in footballing gear draws two to him, before slipping it to Aspas. The Vigo man touches it around Otamendi and into the path of Thiago - who absolutely creams it into the bottom corner. WOOF! WHAT A BALL!
WOOF! Andres Iniesta played an absolute dream of a ball into the path of Iago Aspas - who'd replaced Costa, by the by - who takes it around Cabellero, pauses, looks up, sees Isco and strokes it to him. Just like the first time, the Madrid magician strokes it into the net.
49' Spain look to kill Argentina's early momentum by playing it around themselves for a bit. Alba loses it by trying a surprise through ball behind... but the moment they lose it that high up the pitch, they swarm forward like men on a mission. This time, though, Koke gets pulled up for being a little too forceful on Lo Celso
What an absolute belter of a first half that was. 45 minutes of pure action - from Gonzalo's glorious misses to Costa's sheer determination, from Ramos' charismatic drive to Otamendi's commitment to the cause, from Meza's glimpses of magic to the dancing feet of Isco this has been some half.
The highlight of the half, though? The visceral thrill of the Spanish high press... what a sight that is. Sampaoli must be fuming.
42' Meza, Meza. The debutante has been Argentina's most entertaining player this match, and he glides away from Alba with an easy elegance... but as soon as he hands the ball over to Higuain, Pique senses an opportunity, nips in, and takes the ball away.
41' Tagliafico wins another corner - this time, Pique thumps it clear and Mascherano has to eke out the last dregs of pace in his ageing legs to beat Marco Asensio to it.
41' Isco, though, doesn't need anyone to stand up for him. He takes the ball on the left and with a soft-shoe shimmy of his hips dances his way past Bustos AND Biglia, leaving BOTH of them on the ground, before cutting in and smacking a shot off Otamendi and away from danger
40' Ramos is Ramos-ing... having been outjumped by Otamendi for that goal, he gets into a good ol' fight with Biglia. Taking exception at a particularly hard tackle from the Milan man on Isco
Tagliafico romped forward to win a corner, Banega swings in a sublime ball that Otamendi absolutely thumps into the bottom corner with a belter of a header. WOOF! Game on, now.
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