Looks like Saenz will start the following players for tomorrows game against Ecuador in the Vicente Calderon: Cañizares; Míchel Salgado, Marchena, Iván Helguera, Aranzábal; Joaquín, Xabi Alonso, Baraja, De Pedro; Valerón y Morientes Saludos y Viva Er Beti Manque Lopera! Pichi
It's good that Morientes gets to play for the National team again, although I'd think he works better with a partner up front instead of being alone up there...meh, maybe he'll score 3 goals in this setup and I'm full of it. First chance for me to see Alonso in a full game.
Spain-Ecuador Friendly Pre/Post Game Thread (R) half way through the first half here is the scoreline: Spain 3 Ecuador 0 DePedro 14' Morientes 20 Morientes 22 Pichi
Morientes got the hat trick in the 64th minute. Here is latest list of subs for Spain: Minute 45 Raul Bravo for Aranzabal Cesar for Helguera Gabri for Salgado Minute 65 Guti for Baraja Sergio for Xavier Alonso Jose Mari for Morientes Pichi
Oscar he scored 3 goals and your are indeed full of it!! ;>) Congrats on the prediction......how will my Betis do Sunday against Espanyol? And can you help me fill out my quiniela for this weekends matches? Saludos y Viva er beti manque lopera! Pichi
Ecuador got spanked, it's no wonder Spain is #2 in the Fifa rankings. "Bolillo" Gomez made some changes after the 3rd gol that helped but the damage was done and a 4th goal came in the second half. I'm sure there will be criticisms for Gomez for using the players that got him to the last World Cup, most are old, it may be time for new blood... Good for Spain, it shows they have depth and they'll be looking good for the European cup and the World Cup eliminations.
Here is the cronica from Europa Press regarding the game tonite between Spain and Ecuador. Saludos y viva er beti manque lopera y Aupa Espanha!! Pichi Fútbol/Selección.- Crónica del España – Ecuador, 4-0 Morientes, con un 'hat-trick',reivindica su calidad MADRID, 30 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) España, mermada por las lesiones, no echó de menos ni a Raúl ni a Tristán y con un gran Fernando Morientes, que marcó tres tantos, goleó a una débil Ecuador, que no fue rival para el combinado nacional en el Vicente Calderón, que albergaba el quinto encuentro de la selección en la conmemoración de su Centenario. La gran colonia ecuatoriana se desplazó a la capital madrileña poblando y dando color amarillo a la grada del estadio rojiblanco, siendo sólo el sector que ocupa actualmente el 'Frente Atlético' el único reducto del Calderón en el que se animaba al combinado de Iñaki Sáez, que no se amilanaron ante la hinchada 'tricolor'. España se gustaba y salía con la intención de dar una alegría a los escasos seguidores que se habían dado cita. Los de Iñaki Sáez se hicieron rápidamente dueños del partido con Xabi Alonso estrenándose con la absoluta y con una banda derecha, capitaneada por Joaquín, que buscaba una y otra vez a sus compañeros, mientras los ecuatorianos se limitaban a ver cómo España dominaba. En diez minutos y con un Morientes en racha resolvieron el partido. Nadie echaba de menos ni a Raúl o a Tristán en el ataque. El 'Moro' demostró que sigue teniendo cartel y calidad de sobra en sus botas para luchar por un puesto en el Madrid galáctico. Así, al cuarto de hora llegó el primero de la noche. De Pedro, que llegó de rebote a la capital, de un fuerte disparo desde fuera del área batió al meta ecuatoriano. Pero llegó el momento del ariete madridista, que sigue teniendo la confianza del seleccionador. A los cinco minutos del tanto del realista, Morientes en una demostración de su clase: amagó, recortó y dribló al zaguero, para con la zurda batir a Cevallos. Los de Sáez seguían gustándose sobre el césped del Calderón y con la ventaja en el marcador, se lanzaron aún más al ataque. De nuevo Morientes volvería a ser el protagonista. Tras una gran jugada por banda izquierda de Baraja y De Pedro, el vasco centró para que el de Sonseca en boca de gol empujara la pelota dentro de la meta rival. A pesar del resultado en contra, pero con la hinchada a su favor Ecuador no se borró del partido y Hernán 'Bolillo' Gómez dio entrada a dos hombres para refrescar al equipo y darle más mordiente al ataque con Kaviedes. Así, en el 45, Aguinaga de falta directa desde fuera del área probó a Cañizares, que desvió el esférico a córner. 'HAT-TRICK' DE MORIENTES. Tras la reanudación, Iñaki Sáez se tomó el partido como banco de pruebas e hizo debutar a Gabri con la elástica nacional, junto al blaugrana, teniendo también su momento César, Raúl Bravo, Guti o José Mari. La suerte seguía de cara para el madridista que rubricó una gran actuación con el cuarto de la noche y el tercero de su cosecha. Tras regatear y salvar con habilidad al defensa, Morientes, con mucha fortuna, logra el gol. Los de Hernán Bolillo buscaban el gol para darle al menos una alegría a esa afición que no paró de chillar a la 'tricolor' a lo largo de todo el partido. Sin embargo, lo intentaban, pero unas veces la defensa nacional y otras Cañizares, no permitían que el tanto subiera al marcador del Calderón. España, sin embargo, notaba el cansancio y los hombres de refresco no estaban tan activos como sus compañeros. Al final una merecida victoria ante Ecuador, que prepara las eliminatorias sudamericanas del Mundial de 2006. FICHA TECNICA. --RESULTADO: ESPAÑA, 4 - ECUADOR, 0 (3-0, al descanso). --EQUIPOS. ESPAÑA: Cañizares (Iker Casillas, min.76); Salgado (Gabri, min.46), Helguera (César, min. 46), Marchena, Aranzabal (Raúl Bravo, min.46) ; Joaquín, Baraja (Guti, min.55), Xabi Alonso (César, min.55), De Pedro; Valerón y Morientes (José Mari, min.55). ECUADOR: Cevallos; De la Cruz, Poroso (Espinoza, min.27), Hurtado, Fricson George; C. Tenorio (A.Fernández, min.76), Ayovi, Cléber Chalá (Salas, min.80), Méndez; Aguinaga (W.Sánchez, min.76) y Edwin Tenorio (Kaviedes, min.27 (A.Fernández, min.76)). --GOLES. 1-0, min.15, De Pedro. 2-0, min.21, Morientes. 3-0, min.22, Morientes. 4-0, min.54, Morientes. --ARBITRO: Sergo Kvarastskhelia (Geo). Amonestó al español Baraja (min.19) y a los ecuatorianos Edwin Tenorio (min.18), Aguinaga (min.38) y Fricson George (min.87). --ESTADIO: Vicente Calderón. 34.000 espectadores. Se guardó un minuto de silencio por el reciente fallecimiento de la madre de Michel Salgado.
Well said chichi. As a fan of both teams I'm embarrassed for Ecuador but glad to see España playing well. I'm especially happy to see Morientes scoring, I just wish he hadn't scored quite so many against Ecuador! Ecuador appears to have a problem in the opening minutes playing big European teams. Remember Italy hit them early and often in the World Cup too. Strange since one of the benefits El Bolillo Gomez has brought Ecuador in South American qualifying is they now play the big teams without fear. I gues he hasn't passed that confidence to his team yet when they play big European nations!
Whoa, I should go to Vegas and bet on something I don't think will happen. A sure bet winner that'll be. Great game by Spain, not so much because of the score - it's just a friendly, and Ecuador is a good team but not that great - but more because how Spain played the match. Very high circulation, it was like they were playing ping pong from time to time with the one-touch passes; and many good chances were created. 'Worst' man on the field was Joaquin, the score could have possibly been even higher if he was in form last night. Best man is a toss up between Morientes and Xabi Alonso; Morientes because of his goals of course...and Alonso because he was just fu©king great in the midfield. Last night must have been the first time Spain played 'away' when they played at home. I don't know what some of the Americans on this board are bítching about, I thought the atmosphere was great last night because of los Ecuatorianos, too bad their team didn't score a goal for all the fans that showed up.
Oscar, As a fan of both the US and Spain I think the one thing you are missing is the reason that alot of Americans get angry is not so much that we expect the others to root for the US, but the fact that they boo our national anthem and just the hate they show towards us, I have no problem with people rooting for their country even if they were born here, but at least respect the country you live in. I am sure that the Spaniards would not be talking nice about the Ecuadorians if they had booed their anthem or shown no respect for Spain. I know i wouldn't like it.
Ecuador and Spain aren't rivals (if I'm to believe the posts on this board) like the US and Mexico are, for instance you won't see the Dutch (living in Germany or not) being quiet during the German's national anthem and vice versa. Pretty normal.
One thing is to be a rival, another is to live in a country that you feel can give you and you family a better opportunity and than boo their national anthem before a game or just show total disrespect for that country. One thing is to hate what the politics of that country stand for another to show disrespect at a game. When they are booing the anthem, they are in that instance basically booing all the Americans in that stadium and most of those people are nothing more than soccer fans who have done nothing to the Mexicans. The majority of the fans are people that like the Mexicans are struggling to make life better for their families. What goes on between Germany and Holland from my understanding has alot to do with WW2 which is a whole different matter.
You're taking the booing during the national anthem way too seriously, this is football, not some formal get-together. Maybe that's because the Americans make their national anthem into something 'sacred' or something. I saw stuff posted on these boards by Americans, when the topic was Mexico/Mexicans, which in my book is much worse than booing during a national anthem. Which probably is a reason for Mexicans to boo during the national anthem if they hear the same type of crap in 'real life'. And when stuff like this is actually possible in the US.... LINK ...I don't doubt they do hear the same type of shít in real life.
Oscar, I am not saying that they might not have a reason to boo. I am just sayiing that when they go to a game in the US they should show some respect to the anthem. I am not one of those gung-ho America is great types. I don't know if you are of Spanish descent like myself, but I don't think that what my ancestors did around the world is my fault. Also, what the govenment of Spain does, does not always reflect what the people feel. To say that the US is the only country in the world with rtacism problems is kidding oneself. Many of these Mexicans actually suffer more in Mexico because of their race than they do in the US.
Its a matter of respect, I dont think to boo a national anthem is anything but a show of dislike for "x" country