Inland Waterways » tely, Silvas finish wasnt up to

Spains 5-1 humiliation at the hands of the Netherlands on Friday came as a shock to everyone who follows the beautiful game. 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. Greedy Williams Jersey . -- D. J. Williams finally has his packing strategy down. 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As expected, the Braves also called up right-hander Julio Teheran from Gwinnett to start Sundays game and optioned backup catcher J. WASHINGTON -- Mike Dunleavy was making so many 3-pointers the Washington Wizards overplayed him at the arc and let him drive for a three-point play instead. The points were coming so easily Bradley Beal guaranteed at halftime Dunleavy wouldnt score again -- and then clobbered the Chicago Bulls veteran during a 3-point attempt during the third quarter. The ball went in anyway, and Dunleavy completed a four-point play. "He was in the zone, man," Beal said. "I guess the hoop looked like an ocean to him." The Bulls needed a go-to guy after their offensive struggles put them in a 2-0 hole in their Eastern Conference first round series. For one night, at least, they found him. Dunleavy scored 35 points, one short of his career-high, and Jimmy Butler hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining Friday for a 100-97 Game 3 win. "Coach mentioned some stuff about getting me some more catch-and-shoot situations, and we did that tonight," Dunleavy said. "A couple of easy layups early on got me going, and I just had one of those nights." Dunleavy went 12 for 19 from the field, including a career-high eight 3-pointers on 10 attempts. Not bad for a 33-year-old who was playing in only his 12th playoff game. His teams records in those games before Friday: 1-10. He had almost become a forgotten man in this series, scoring 20 points combined in the first two games. "These chances have been few and far between for me," he said. "But like I told somebody this morning, especially on the road in the playoffs, its where you can thrive. Its a hostile environment, and I like that." Derrick Rose has been injured for so long that the Bulls are accustomed to patching together a plan that somehow creates enough points to win. Theyll have to keep it up: Game 4 is Sunday in Washington as Chicago attempts to become only the fourth NBA team to win a seven-game series after losing the first two at home. "Weve got to get Sunday, for sure," Dunleavy said. "No question. Its a quick turnaround, one oclock start. We put ourselves in a hole, were starting to dig ourselves out, but were not near there yet." Beal scored 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, but hell be more remembered for a walk-off interview with CSN at halftime, when he guaranteed Dunleavy wouldnt score in thhe second half.dddddddddddd. Wall added 23 points and seven assists for the Wizards, who will have to wonder whether theyll have Nene for Game 4. The Brazilian forward was ejected in the fourth quarter after a forehead-to-forehead confrontation with Butler. Nene grabbed Butler by the back of the neck and the side of the head before they were separated. Nene is almost certain to get fined, and a suspension is possible. "I have nothing to regret," he said. "Im a warrior right there. What I did, Im supposed to do." Nene has been called the "X-factor" by Wall. It sure didnt help that he wasnt available for the final 8:28 of a close game. "It looked like an MMA move to me," Dunleavy said. "It was one of those headlocks. It was great that Jimmy kept his cool. I think a lot of people put in that situation wouldve started throwing blows." After avoiding the ejection, Butler made two 3-pointers down the stretch and finished with 15 points. He had struggled with his shot in the first two games, shooting 8 for 21 from the field. "Short-term memory loss," he said. "Its a new day, new game, new possessions. My team needs me to step up and take the open shot when its there and definitely knock it down when its needed." After Butlers final 3, the teams traded fouls and free throws over the final two dozen seconds. Washington had a chance to tie when Taj Gibson missed a free throw with 3.1 seconds to play, but Trevor Ariza threw the ball out of bounds after grabbing the rebound in a miscommunication with Wall. "We definitely have to play like a desperate team," Ariza said. "We didnt do so tonight." Notes: After a plea from owner Ted Leonsis to show up on time, the Wizards fans did a better job getting to the arena for the opening tip of their first home playoff game in six years, although there were still sections with plenty of empty seats. Fans were given red, white or blue T-shirts, and Leonsis did his part by showing up in a blue coat, red sweater and white shirt. ... Bulls C Joakim Noah got into a confrontation with a Wizards security official during the Bulls shootaround Friday morning. Washington coach Randy Wittman said his team was to blame. "Thats got to be something from our side that shouldnt happen," the coach said. 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