Spain 4-1 Russia

Spain got off to a great start on Tuesday, living up to their billing as Group D favorites. Long lamented as underachievers on the international stage (think Phil Mickelson and the Red Sox before 2004, Peyton Manning before last year's Super Bowl), the Spanish got out of the gate quickly on a rainy Austrian night. They launched attacking runs that allowed star striker Fernando Torres to roam free up top, where he beat overmatched Russian defenders in the first half and either distributed to guys running on at the top of the box or got clean looks at the goal. Spain possessed the ball well, able to play quick square balls just as easily as they were able to pinpoint the long ones to Torres. David Villa put La Roja on the board in the 20th minute, making a smart run from the left midfield toward the top of the box, where he received a pass from Torres, who had beaten his man off the dribble and charged in toward the Russian keeper, and put it into an open net. The second of Villa's scoring troika came just before the halftime whistle, in the 44th minute; it was another example of the power of a counterattack, just like we saw in the Holland-Italy game from yesterday. A botched short corner from the Russians turned into a Spanish counterattack, and the Russians never touched the ball again until they were fetching it from the back of their own net. Villa took the last of several stringed passes in the box and went five-hole on the keeper to give a 2-0 edge going into the locker room. Spain was content to play a possession game in the beginning of the second half; they didn't pack it in, but they weren't attacking with the same ferocity from the first half, either. Villa's third goal was a great display of his individual skill, one where he took another through ball inside the box, beat a Russian defender (sensing a theme from this game?) with a stepover, and beat the keeper for his hat-trick. A sloppy header in injury time from Cesc Fabregas was the icing on the cake, or the garnish on the tapas, or whatever you'd like to call it, a product of the Russians pushing their squad up for a final surge.

It should be noted, however, that the score in this game was misleading. The Russians had plenty of chances in this game, from a shot that hit the left post in the first 10 minutes that would've given the Russians the lead to a poor attempt to finish in injury time (the Russian forward had time to settle it in the box, onsides, had the entire goal to pick his spot, and shot it right at the Spanish keeper, Iker Casillas). Their fans should be encouraged by their ability to string passes together in the offensive half throughout this game; neither team played very good defense, and both could be very entertaining in their final two games. Roman Pavlyuchenko's sizzling header off a corner in the 86th minute was too little too late, but wonder-coach Guus Hiddink's boys should be able to get past Greece and set up a do-or-die third match with Sweden next week. The defense definitely needs to be more sound and not turn the ball over so much, but they won't be against an offense that is anywhere close to as talented as Spain's when they take on Greece on Saturday. It should come as no surprise that a national team essentially made up of all stars from the Spanish league gives its opponents problems.

Group C and D "Re-Previews" will be coming before the second match.