In pictures: our pick of the best from Spain v France
One hundred caps, two goals and victory against France for the first time in Spain's history. There was also revenge for the last time they were knocked out of a major tournament, six long years ago. Xabi Alonso was on the losing side that night in Hanover. Everything has changed since them; Spain have gone from habitual failures to perpetual winners. And, ultimately, they were comfortable winners here, France were simply unable to truly trouble them. Alonso controlled much of this game. He decided it too.
He scored a first half header and an 90th minute penalty to maintain Spain's hopes of achieving a unique treble. No country has ever won three major tournaments in a row. It always looked that way after Spain took 19th-minute opener. When Alonso coolly took a penalty an hour later, victory was secure.
Vicente Del Bosque admitted that he had doubts before this game and he resolved those in favour of a striker-less formation once more, with Cesc Fábregas chosen as the false No9 ahead of Fernando Torres. Benzema was the only striker on the pitch – and he was yet to score in this tournament. He was one of just two truly creative players to be included in the French line-up, alongside Franck Ribéry. Laurent Blanc insisted that it is impossible to compete with Spain for possession, anticipating that France would only have a third of the ball and presenting Croatia as a model to follow. There were also issues to work through from the dressing room arguments that followed defeat against Sweden. Sami Nasri, the source of much of the conflict, was not included. Hatem Ben Arfa was also left out.
Laurent Koscielny came in to replace the suspended Philippe Mexès and there were two right-backs in the French side, with Anthony Réveillère getting his first minutes of the tournament; ahead of him, Mathieu Debuchy, returning to the defence from midfield five years later. The good news was that France had never lost in the 12 games he had played. France had never been beaten by Spain in a competitive game, either. The plan seemed clear: Garer l'autobus. They did, though, park it rather higher than might have been anticipated. Spain were offered a certain space to seek behind the back line.
When Del Bosque complained that the criticism of his side had been exaggerated, he did admit that there were elements of Spain's performances that had not pleased him. Two words were repeated often: profundidad and verticalidad. He wanted depth to the attacks, principally from the full-backs, and greater cutting edge, more directness. Here Spain looked for the space behind the defence often and after just five minutes, Xabi Alonso swung a curling ball over the top for Fábregas, who tumbled in the area after a tangle with Gaël Clichy. Both full-backs were choosing their runs carefully and often. Largely, the French allowed Alvaro Arbeloa to progress. When Jordi Alba progressed on the left, they paid dearly.
The move began with seemingly little malicious intent, until an almost imperceptible swivel from Andrés Iniesta's hips and a dash from Alba changed everything. Suddenly, the pace quickened; France were opened up and Spain were in the lead. The ball was moved from right to left, Xavi Hernández rolling a simple pass to Iniesta. He moved away from his marker and slotted a ball down the line into space for Alba's run. Alba got away from Debuchy, stumbling to the floor behind him, and was now ahead of the play, space opening up. A perfect ball was clipped towards the back post where Alonso was racing into the area. His header, down onto the turf and back up into the far corner, was impeccable.
So much for two right-backs. So often, it has taken Spain a long time to get the first goal. Now, they had got it early; now, France had little choice but to open up. Spain could keep the ball and few keep the ball like Spain. Alonso had started superbly: he had found Fábregas for the penalty appeal, almost surprised Hugo Lloris from a long, long way out, and now got the opening goal on his 100th Spain appearance. Iniesta and Fábregas then combined with a move that has become typical, the Barcelona midfielder clipping a first-time ball into Iniesta's path. Spain were dominating possession but Iker Casillas was forced to react to make a sharp save from Yohan Cabaye's free- kick.
Early in the second half, Benzema's quick first time pass looked for Ribéry but Sergio Ramos closed him down. A moment later the same two players again combined after Cabaye had won the ball off Sergio Busquets. Just as there appeared to be a gap to exploit, the final pass was poorly hit. Almost immediately, Ribéry was involved once more. Benzema peeled away from him but the pass was mis-hit. These were no more than glimpses but they had come in quick succession: it was clear where France's threat was likely to come from. There was certainly greater intent about Blanc's side and Ribéry's cross found Debuchy to head over. There was half an hour remaining; Spain were no longer in complete control, although Lloris had to be fast off his line to prevent Fábregas from adding a second.
It was all over when Pedro was bundled over by Réveillère and Alonso stepped up to put Spain through. Read More
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