When you concentrate on it, even the personal purpose was spectacular.
Sure, Spain scored fives instances in its 5-1 victory towards Switzerland on Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Sure, the targets had are available every type, a veritable tapas menu of learn how to put the ball within the internet: nifty passing, fancy footwork, opportunistic finishes.
However even the personal purpose, the one which Spain defender Laia Codina needs she had again, the one which ensured that Switzerland’s humbling exit from the World Cup was not a shutout, was a looker — a easy end by which Codina caught her personal goalkeeper out of place and beat her cleanly from close to midfield.
It was a self-inflicted wound, however not a lethal one. Spain was again on high six minutes later due to Alba Redondo.
Aitana Bonmatí made it 3-1 with some wonderful footwork that left not less than two Swiss defenders mendacity on the grass round her. Codina atoned for her personal purpose with one into the right internet simply earlier than halftime, and Jenni Hermoso pounced on an errant backpass to make it 5 halfway by way of the second half.
However Spain knew it was over lengthy earlier than that. It can transfer on, to face the winner of Sunday’s Netherlands-South Africa sport within the quarterfinals, the most recent step in a reconstruction challenge that started after the workforce almost broke aside in a mutiny towards its coach, Jorge Vilda, final 12 months. That challenge now will proceed for not less than yet another sport, and with the gamers brimming with confidence.
The victory was the workforce’s first within the knockout rounds of the key event. Given how complete it was, it may not be its final on this World Cup.
