World Cup 2022: Santos made history and Enrique paid for his mistakes | Blog – Yannis Siritis

Yiannis Siretes writes about the historic match in which Fernando Santos Cristiano Ronaldo sat on the bench and about Luis Enrique’s big mistake in a tired and tired Spain.

They asked him about it once, twice, thrice… The entire stadium was chanting “Ronaldo – Ronaldo”, almost begging, after Guerrero made it 4-0 in the 55th minute! “Well, don’t start it, but don’t leave it for…80,” the Qataris tell you. It makes sense that they don’t know what Fernando Santos is. How “stubborn”, but flexible genius. They know Messi and Cristiano… That’s it. He finally got it. As he planned, not when the public demanded it. In the 74th minute, with two other teammates, Vitinha and Ricardo Horta. Replace the first two of the race. The amazing Joao Felix who looks transformed in the hands of Santos (compared to that poor ‘little’ thing saying goodbye to Atletico Simeone) And the wonderful and terrible Gonzalo Ramos. Not even an order to the former coach of AEK, Panathinaikos, PAOK and the Greek national team! Because Santos made history today!

6-1 will be quickly forgotten. Especially if Portugal confirms the title of favorite over Morocco and finds itself in the semi-finals against France or England. But everyone will remember the first World Cup match in which Cristiano Ronaldo was left on the bench. Obviously for competitive reasons, but also hidden for disciplinary reasons: if Cristiano is forgotten, then the greatest success of his career has been signed by Santos. Neither Ferguson nor Mourinho nor Ancelotti nor Zidane nor Allegri. Santos! And if you stare at the 65th minute in an insignificant match against South Korea, in your 194th match for the national team, you will also eat your seat! And everyone will be looking forward to seeing if you run with the rest of the bench to celebrate your 21-year-old substitute’s goal!

Portugal opened the scoring in the second stage (17), finished the match in the 33rd minute and produced an amazing football performance! Four of its six targets are truly masterpieces. It’s better than… Brazilian, great! Against a 2-0 downed Switzerland, who clearly thought they were going to beat the game and crumbled morally in the first half, they played their best match in a major tournament against Santos. And we have introduced not only the fantastic Benfica striker in only his fourth cap for Portugal, but also an artist called Joao Felix: he is hated – perhaps rightly so – by the €127m Atlético Madrid fans three years ago (Benfica) and never “Come out” … 27! However, he is only 23 years old, all football is ahead of him! Let’s see Felix in the next matches, because it’s not just those who score, but (maybe more) those who create! And that aerial dribbler wasn’t playing tonight. And that aerial dribbler wasn’t playing tonight. he was dancing!

Not like Moroccan dances, of course. They … spread the dances throughout their country, throughout Africa, Where do Moroccan immigrants live! Did they deserve it? To be fair, it wouldn’t be unreasonable nor “unfair” in terms of football if they qualified against Morocco today. Zig’s team had its moments (especially in extra time), but the Spaniards had the control and the best stages. Without giving us anything new at all in their gameplay!

Spain paid dearly in the final game of the group for underestimating Japan (although the Japanese did beat the Germans by an explosive quarter), conceding two goals, and failing to “turn it around” because they didn’t try as hard as their own. could. What did they pay today? The completely incomprehensible decision of Luis Enrique to leave on the bench the player who scored in all three matches of the group! Change with Costa Rica, goal. Change with Germany is a valuable goal. Basic with Korea, goals again. But today, in the knockout match, on the bench? For Asensio to play forward! Incredible things!

This time Morata, who scored 30 goals in 60 matches for the Spanish national team, did not put her on as a substitute. And when the bouquet goes to penalties, Everything is open. Bono “swinging” with stunning waist splits and with one foot above the line, Morocco celebrated. Not in…a random national team. In the team of a country he belonged to… in half with France until 1956. A team that has perhaps the best defenders in the competition. The 25-year-old Mazrui from Bayern Munich and the 24-year-old Hakimi, who a few years ago fell victim to … Real’s balance sheet that continues with Dani Carvajal.