Diego Costa's first World Cup match is going well. He's getting booed mercilessly by the Brazilian fans in the stadium, but he's won a penalty, and Spain lead the Netherlands 1-0 off Xabi Alonso's finish.
Spain leads the rematch after winning a penalty
The foul by Stefan de Vrij was really, really bad.
The finish was a simple one. It’s Xabi’s revenge for the karate kick he took four years ago.
And it's really tough to see a way back into this game for the Netherlands. They're struggling to create chances -- though Wesley Sneijder had one excellent one -- and they can't win the ball off Spain. The Spaniards are experts at passing circles around their opponents while they're up 1-0, and it's tough to see this match playing out any differently.
The Netherlands have been playing pretty direct, even though one of their strikers is a winger who isn’t that good in the air. They’re going to need to change their strategy or put someone else into the game. Kicking the ball at Arjen Robben’s head seems ill-advised.
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