Soccer Roundup (9/2/2012): The Weekly Boot

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured above) as usual played an instrumental role in leading Real Madrid to victory at the Supercopa.

By Ben Liebing

Ben Liebing is a Cincinnati native with a passion for the world, and the world’s sport. While living overseas, the infectious soccer culture that infects the planet outside of America got a hold of his fanhood. He was exposed to the “beautiful game” and hasn’t looked back. When Ben says “football,” he means soccer…by which he means football. But you get it.

This week in the world of the sport that most of the world refers to as football (a ballgame actually played with feet, not hands and conical pigskins), but which Americans term SOCCER…

THE SPANISH SUPERCUP:

Much to my dismay, Real Madrid walked away with the cup after getting the better of  FC Barcelona in the 2^nd leg of the aggregate match, which was at the Bernebau in Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo was in fine form – especially as he scored early by taking a long ball at midfield, flicking it forward over his head with his heel, and grounding one past Victor Valdez, the keeper for Barça. It was one of those plays you see only from the very best in the world; and from them, maybe only a handful of times per season. Well done CR7.

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Euro 2012 Semifinal Previews: Spain, Portugal, Germany and Italy, oh my!

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Will Fernando Torres (pictured above) lead Spain to huge victory over a Portugal team led by the great Cristiano Ronaldo?

By Nick Craddock

Andrea Pirlo and company ripped the collective heart out of the English people on Sunday in the most dramatic of the quarterfinal wins, advancing via penalty kicks. As such, the Euro 2012 semifinals, slated for today and tomorrow, are now set and continental Europe’s collective fervor and excitement will surely drown the sound of the few remaining whimpers from English fans.

The semifinalists are four nations with strong football pedigrees, which should not only result in more evenly contested matchups, but also a higher quality of play thought to be absent at times in this tournament from teams more than capable of performing at higher levels. (*cough* England *cough* France *cough* Netherlands *cough*).

Here is what you should look for going ahead:

Spain v. Portugal

The first semifinal is the battle of the Iberian Peninsula and these two teams showcase a bevy of highly technical and gifted players.

Cristiano Ronaldo, usually a player who has drifted in and out of form for the national side has been dynamite for Portugal at this tournament, particularly in the last two games, where he alone outshot the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals, netting himself the winning goal in the process, after bagging a brace against the Dutch in the final group game prior to that. In contrast, Spain has relied on offense by committee at this tournament with five different players hitting the back of the net. More impressive is that Spain’s offense didn’t slow down after opting for the atypical 4-6-0 formation in its 2-0 quarterfinal win over France.

Whether Spain will again field a starting XI without a listed striker will likely not be revealed until game time, but Spain’s most gifted natural scorer, Fernando Torres, is one of the few players on the planet, if playing at the level he was accustomed to during his prime (which was not so long ago), capable of matching, or at a minimum, challenging the brilliance Ronaldo could provide for his team.

That being said, Ronaldo might be the best individual talent on the field, but Spain has proven time and time again over the last four years that it is the most talented team.

Players to Watch: As noted above, Ronaldo controls the fate of Portugal more than any other player on his team. As he goes, so do the Portuguese. Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech was able to weather the flurry of Ronaldo’s attacks for a little more than an hour to keep the Czech Republic alive against Portugal in the quarterfinals, so it will be incumbent upon Iker Casillas, the Spanish captain and goalkeeper, to prove his worth when actually facing more than two shots, like in Spain’s last game, and to allow his team to work its magic in front of him.

Prediction: Spain wins 2-1 (ET). Expect the team to trump the individual yet again, as Spain should move on for a chance at an unprecedented third consecutive major championship.