Uruguay — Spain

I-Estadio Akron ibiphefumula ibhola kusihlwa — futhi lokho elikukhiphile bekuyisifundo esibandayo sokuwina kabi ngenkathi libukeka lilihle. I-Spain ishaye i-Uruguay ngo 0:1 kuGroup H. Umphumela ulungile ephepheni. Kodwa nansi into exakayo: iqembu elingalithintanga ibhola licishe lalintshontsha. Umdlalo unqunywe ngomzuzu wama-42. U-Alex Baena, obekhuluma phakathi kwemigqa yonke ingxenye yokuqala, uthole indawo encane i-mid-block ye-Uruguay enqabile ukuyivala. Ukuthinta okukodwa, ukudubula okukodwa, igoli elilodwa — akukho usizo, okusho ukuthi wazenzela umzuzu. Khona-ke, ekuqaleni kwesigamu sesibili, umuntu ofanayo uthole ikhadi eliphuzi. Lokho kungenzi kahle, lokho kungakhathali, kuyingxenye yephakheji kaBaena. I-Spain ithole okungcono kakhulu nokungahluziwe kakhulu kuye ngobusuku obubodwa. Ukhishwe ngomzuzu wama-66 — umsebenzi wenziwe, imizwa ilawulwa. I-xG yase-Spain engu-0.86 uma iqhathaniswa ne-Uruguay engu-0.20 iqinisekisa ukuba phezulu okulawulwayo — kodwa hhayi ukubusa. Amaphesenti angamashumi ayisithupha nesikhombisa okuba nebhola, amaphesenti angamashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nesishiyagalolunye okudlulisela ibhola ngokunembile, amakhona ayisithupha, kodwa ukudubula okukodwa kuphela okuhlosile. Ingxenye yokugcina ibiyisimo sezimoto. U-Lamine Yamal noMikel Oyarzabal bobabili bakhishwe ngaphambi kwemizuzu engama-80 — ukushintsha noma ukukhungatheka, wena unquma. I-Spain yakha uhlaka kodwa ayikwazanga ukulufaka. I-Uruguay ibiqotho ekulinganiseleni kwayo futhi inesibindi enjongweni yayo. Ngamaphesenti angama-26 kuphela okuba nebhola engxenyeni yokuqala, bazivikela ngesiyalo. Amaphutha ayishumi nane, i-low block, uhlelo. Inkinga? I-xG engu-0.20 kanye nethuba elilodwa elikhulu eliphuthelwe. Uma unganikezi lutho ekushintsheni, umzuzu owodwa wekhwalithi — futhi uBaena wawunikeza — wanele. Ingxenye yesibili yashintsha ibhalansi. Ukuba nebhola kwashintsha kwaba ngu-41-59, i-Uruguay yathola amandla ngokushintsha abadlali. U-Manuel Ugarte wakhishwa ngesikhathi sekhefu, u-Federico Valverde waphuma ngomzuzu wama-57 — laba akubona abadlali abancane. Ikhadi elibomvu sekwephuzile lika-Agustín Canobbio ngomzuzu wama-90 lengeza ukuhlukumeza, futhi ikhadi eliphuzi lika-Nicolás de la Cruz ngomzuzu ofanayo lisikisela iqembu elihlakazeka. U-Aymeric Laporte ube yidwala i-Spain elalilidinga — ulinganiselwe ngo-8.19, isikhumbuzo sokuthi ubuhlakani bokuvikela buwina imiqhudelwano njengoba nje nobuhlakani benza. Ku-FootLegion, wonke amagoli izwe lakho eliwashayayo avalelwe phakade — akekho okuthatha lokho. Manje, kuwe: ingabe ukukhipha uValverde ngaphambi kwehora bekuyiphutha noma ubuhlakani? Futhi ingabe i-Uruguay ingakwazi ukulwela indlela yayo eya kuma-knockouts, noma leli qembu selivele lenze isinqumo salo?