Spain & Germany Get Mowed Down By Minnows – Euro 2016 Qualifiers

By Ed Fernandez
10 years Ago

With Europe finding it incredibly hard to shake that general feeling of malaise, what with the economic woes, the political instability and the threat of war looming, the responsibility of cheering up the land fell to sport. The Euro 2016 qualifiers were meant to be a welcome distraction, and they certainly proved to be – especially for the minnows.

If your allegiances lay with Spain and Germany, there was precious little but further disappointment to take home.

Take our Iberian friends, the Spaniards, as a case in point. This was a team that dominated football for over a generation. If you thought France’s 1998 World Cup triumph followed by the Euro 2000 win was special, the Furia Roja were even more impressive. The 2010 World Cup, sandwiched between their 2008 and 2012 Euro wins, meant the red dawn was well and truly upon us all.

And then, as if someone simultaneously reminded Iniesta and Xavi and co. that they were all on the wrong side of 30, the once-champions doubled over in pain, claiming arthritis had done them in and proceeded to embarrass themselves in every encounter they were unfortunate enough to participate in. The 2014 World Cup was a watershed moment – for any team that faced the Spaniards, that is.

A Spanish revival against Slovakia, seemed achievable considering Chelsea’s high-flying duo of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas who were only tasked with bringing a shade of their flair in blue, to their performances in national colors. And yet when it mattered the most, Cesc Fabregas’ inch-perfect pass met Digeo Costa’s head – only for the ball to flash wide. Two minutes later, Slovakia had taken the lead.

Slovakia’s hero of the day, custodian Matus Kozacik brought the goods in the form of a double save – against the luckless Costa-Fabregas yet again. After a stint at half-time in the dressing rooms, Spain started brightly but it took the better part of the half, and more than a hint of offside before Alcacer equalized for the former champions. Slovakia, intent on seeing their domination, bring them something more than creditable draw took the game back to the Spaniards and delighted a partisan crowd with a well-deserved win.

Spain had not lost a qualifier in 37 games. The only team prior to this result, to have beaten the Spaniards was an imperious Swedish side in 2006. For a minnow, such as Slovakia, to score twice against the Spaniards meant that weaker teams have realized that when a more powerful opponent is in the doldrums, all it takes to keep them there is a strong work ethic and plan executed with spirit. Slovakia were far from flawless, but against a Spanish side looking to rise from the ashes and hence saddled with stars seeking a breakout moment, they just needed to function as a team of members looking out for the broader interest.

Dissecting Spain’s recent losses would be a career in itself, if it weren’t for the Germans being kind enough to create a crisis of their own. Having lost 4-2 to Argentina in a friendly “rematch”, thanks to a masterful performance from Angel di Maria who set up 3 goals on the night, Germany needed to assure everyone they weren’t still onAi?? a collective extended break. And what better opportunity than the qualifier against Poland: a nation and ethnicity whose best stars once played for Germany.

That fact was lost on the Germans though, as they crashed to a 2-0 loss against a country that had not beaten them in 18 encounters. The Poles were cautious and only opened the scoring after holding Germany scoreless in the first half. Milik came alive for the Poles in the 51st minute, while Lewandowski tied things up in a neat little bow around the 88th minute, at a time when Germany hoped they looked threatening enough to grab an equalizer.

Prior to this, as far as qualifiers go, Germany had only lost to Czech Republic in a qualifier back in October 2007. Joachim Low played it down, although one imagines he’s got a considerably larger safety net than Vincent del Bosque whose constant defending of under-performing players has gotten tiresome. Expect the clamoring for him, and Casillas, to leave to only get louder.

Portugal too had a rough day out on the field, but in all fairness they did lose to a French side that has grown in strength and will quite likely be the strongest European side in the Euros if Germany continues its descent into madness. As for England, they’re hoping to buck the trend of minnows killing giants, when they meet Estonia. The Dutch needed a late comeback of sorts to beat 10-man Kazakhstan at home; hardly the stuff of legends. And Italy needed Chiellini to create both their goals, in their bid to overcome the might of tiny Azerbaijan. Chiellini took it a step further when he scored for Azerbaijan as well, even if that was not his intent.

But, if intent and performance were related by correlation or causation, England needn’t worry. Roy Hodgson has been telling anyone who will listen that England will go through all its qualifying games unbeaten. Perhaps tempting fate isn’t such a good idea.

Categories: Features, Internationals
Tags: German Bundesliga Spain

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