Sublime Spaniards and an Irish Exit

Well, one thing is settled in Group C: Ireland will be going home on Monday. The rest, in keeping with current Euro 2012 trends, is still up in the air.

Spain dispatched with Ireland in a manner so clinical and relentless that even the most hardened fans of the Boys in Green were begging to be put out their second half misery come Silva's second for Spain...and that was only four minutes into the half.  You can't fault the Irish (or their fans, the best in the tournment imho); however, with the class differential between the two sides was somewhat akin to the divergence in stock price between Apple and Blackberry, and being down only one goal at halftime was considered a flattering scoreline for Giovanni Trapattoni's men.

Point in fact: a sub-par Xabi Alonso completed more passes in the first half than the entire Irish side.

And this wasn't the ineffectual possession of the Dutch variety.  Of 27 Spanish shots, 15 were on target, eliciting a number of excellent saves from Irish stalwart, Shay Given.  A special shout out goes out to one Fernando Torres, who put an abysmal opener and shambolic season at Chelsea behind him to reclaim form unseen since Roman Abramovich played Count Dracula to Torres' Mina Murphy (and, if you haven't gotten the full metaphor yet, Vincente del Bosque assumes the role of van Helsing's gang in this set-up).

Del Bosque's brilliance was on full display here.  While some questioned his decision to leave out Fabregas, del Bosque rightly recognized the great fortune of the Irish match-up.  What better conditions could there be for your crestfallen hit man to regain his killer instinct than against the weakest team in your group?  Not only would Xavi and Iniesta be able to hold court in the midfield, providing quality service unseen since Heidi Fleiss' Hollywood heyday, but literally Torres' only responsibility would be to put the ball on target.  And where El Nino had eyes for anything but goal in the first game, he firmly fixed his gaze upon it this time around, suddenly jolted from his semi-catatonic stupor after his fourth minute strike, he seemed a man fully in control of his own destiny on the brace.

It is all about confidence, after all. Even the man he replaced in the starting XI could not help but show his delight at his compatriot's return to form.

Henry's Handball Heresy

If you haven't been living under a rock lately, you've come to know at least two things about football: 1) France will be going to South Africa; and 2) Thierry Henry's handball is what got them there.

This does not sit well with their Irish opponents, who have filed an official complaint with FIFA and are requesting a replay. The French FA has already rejected their appeal, so now it is up to FIFA to decide if a replay is warranted and/or possible. If Giovanni Trapattoni's opinion is taken as any indication, then the chances of FIFA reacting favorably to the Irish request are comparable to Nani's chances of being at Old Trafford beyond the end of the season in light of his recent criticism of SAF (a.k.a. slim to none).

As for the other issue (e.g. if Henry's reputation will suffer as a result of his handball), we'd like to think not. There are reports that some French are embarrassed about the means of their qualification, but was there any Argentinian blushing when one Diego Maradona fisted the ball into the net in the 1986 World Cup? Should the French go out and rub it in the faces of their Irish bretheren? Absolutely not. Should they cower in apology? No. Rather they should thank their lucky stars and remain humble. Refereeing mistakes happen, move on.

There is also a significant amount of criticism centered on the fact that Henry did not cop to the handball immediately and turn himself into the ref. That criticism makes as much sense as Sarah Palin's train of thought. Players are taught from a young age to play to the whistle. There was no whistle. Seriously, have you ever seen any player who was obviously off-sides or who blantantly committed a foul in the box before slotting home a winning goal stop, turn to the ref, and confess his sins so that his goal could be disallowed?? No. And you never will. Holding Henry to a standard that does not exist is absolutely ridiculous and reflects rage rather than reason.

Finally, this event should force FIFA to institute video replay, for if anyone is at fault here it is FIFA. Avoidable misfortunes like these should be avoided and will be if cameras are posted around the goal.