Spains 5-1 humiliation at the hands of the Netherlands on Friday came as a shock to everyone who follows the beautiful game. [url=http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/wholesale-balenciaga-shoes-chi na.html]Balenciaga Shoes Discount[/url] . It also served as a reminder that at the highest level of the

Spains 5-1 humiliation at the hands of the Netherlands on Friday came as a shock to everyone who follows the beautiful game. Balenciaga Shoes Discount . It also served as a reminder that at the highest level of the game, the margin for error is incredibly small. Up 1-0 in the first half after Xabi Alonso had converted a dubious penalty kick, Spain had a glorious chance to double their lead in the 43rd minute. An exquisite reverse pass from Andres Iniesta (pictured below) sent David Silva in alone on the Dutch goal. Unfortunately, Silvas finish wasnt up to the same standard as Iniestas pass. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) Just one minute later, the Netherlands equalized through a spectacular Robin van Persie diving header. With no apparent danger coming from the Netherlands, Spain set up in a very narrow defensive shape. (Spains opponents will do well to take note – exploiting this is a key to success against the reigning World Cup champs.) Yet just two passes later, the ball was in the back of the Spanish goal. The first pass came from Bruno Martins Indi to Daley Blind, who took up a wide position on the left flank. It was a free pass, with no Spanish player in a position to put pressure on Blinds first touch. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) Once Blind received the ball, Spains back four was vulnerable to the diagonal ball over the top to van Persie – because Sergio Ramos, the left central defender, fell asleep and got caught ball-watching. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) With no pressure on the ball, Blind was able to spot that van Persie managed to get a step in front of his marker, Ramos. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) The ball from Blind was exquisite, and it was matched only by the finish from van Persie - a diving, looping header over Iker Casillas in Spains goal. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) So what could Spain have done differently? In this situation, when the ball went wide to Blind, Gerard Pique was tight with Arjen Robben, the first striker – as he should be. His defensive partner, Ramos, needed to be in a deeper covering position, so that he could support Pique while also nullifying the threat of the ball in behind to van Persie. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) It is only a matter of Ramos being 3-4 yards deeper, but at the World Cup, that is sometimes all that is needed to create scoring opportunities. Had Spains back-four been properly aligned (highlighted in yellow, above), Blind would never had played the ball forward for van Persie to run onto because Ramos would have been in a position to head the pass away. This goal, scored right before the half-time break, was a real blow to Spains confidence. From nearly doubling their lead a minute earlier, to conceding a wonder goal to the Dutch, the momentum turned in favour of the Netherlands going into the second half. The Spanish collapse after the break – where they conceded four unanswered goals – should have been prevented, though. The second goal was down to a combination of wonderful skill from Robben and slack marking from Pique and Ramos; the third and fourth goals down to mistakes from Casillas, with the fifth goal a classic counter-attacking move from the Dutch. It would be naïve to presume that this result – as shocking as it was – is an indication that Spains style of play is now ineffective. La Roja still possess a squad full of some of the worlds most talented players, and they will continue to employ their tiki-taka possession game to great effect. Players like Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta and Silva are still a joy to watch, and they will go into their next game with Chile knowing they must win, as a loss will effectively end their tournament. What it does prove, though, is that even the best are fallible on an off day. Jordan Factory Outlet China . The question all fans want to know heading into this light heavyweight affair is will Rua display his true potential. Working with UFC welterweight fighter Demian Maias team in Sao Paulo Brazil and having training partners such as fellow UFC stand outs Fabio Maldonado and Daniel Sarafian, the 32-year old feels very well prepared for Friday nights encounter. Cheap Fake Air Max 90 . Louis Cardinals have agreed to a one-year contract. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/wholesale-air-max-china/max-720-clearance-sale.html . The top-ranked Williams carried her winning momentum from 2013 into the new season, beating No. 2-ranked Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday to defend her title at the Brisbane International and set the tone for the Australian Open.ATLANTA - Brandon Belt, Buster Posey and Michael Morse hit home runs, each to lead off an inning, and the streaking San Francisco Giants beat the slumping Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Saturday night in a matchup of first-place teams. The NL West-leading Giants have won four straight and eight of nine. The Braves, who lead the NL East, have lost five straight, their longest skid in two years. The Giants have hit homers in 10 straight games, matching their longest run in almost four years. The Giants got only four hits. They scored all their runs on homers for the second straight night after hitting two homers in Friday nights 2-1 win. Ryan Vogelsong (1-1) allowed one run on five hits and four walks in six innings. Julio Teheran (2-2) gave up just four hits with no walks in seven innings, but allowed a season-high three runs. Sergio Romo pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth save. Jeremy Affeldt and Jean Machi also pitched scoreless innings in relief. Belt did not start in Friday nights game and was in a 1-for-21 slump with 12 strikeouts before he led off the second inning with his eighth homer. The Braves only run came in the third. Jason Heyward walked, stole second and scored on B.J. Uptons double to the left-field wall. Posey homered in the fourth for a 2-1 lead. His seventh hommer landed in the first row behind the left-field wall. Yeezy Boost China Cheap. Morse led off the seventh with a towering drive into the seats in left-centre. He has five homers in his last 10 games, including back-to-back games against the Braves. The Braves hitting woes continued. They were held to one run by Giants pitching for the second straight game and have scored no more than one run in 11 of 29 games this season. "Weve got too much talent offensively," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said before the game. "We shouldnt be scoring one run, two runs or three runs." Each team wore Negro Leagues throwback uniforms for the Heritage Game — the Atlanta Black Crackers and the 1946 San Francisco Sea Lions. Each ensemble featured high socks. NOTES: The last time the Giants hit homers in 10 straight games was from Sept. 23-Oct. 3, 2010. ... Of Belts eight homers, seven have come on the road. ... Atlantas last five-game losing streak was May 21-28, 2012. ... Gonzalez said he expects to announce a roster move on Sunday to clear a spot for RHP Gavin Floyd, who has completed his rehab from 2013 elbow surgery while with the White Sox. Floyds role has not been revealed. ... The series concludes Sunday when Atlantas Alex Wood faces San Franciscos Madison Bumgarner in a matchup of left-handers. ' ' '