Confederations Cup
Villa seals Spain victory
2009-06-17 18:34
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Bloemfontein - Spain earned its record-tying 14th straight win and a spot in the Confederations Cup semifinals after beating Iraq 1-0 on Wednesday.
David Villa slipped between two defenders and beat Iraq goalkeeper Mohammed Kassid for the only goal of the match in the 55th minute, sending Joan Capdevila's cross low and inside the right post for his 30th goal in his 46th international appearance.
The Valencia striker moved into sole possession of second place in Spain's scoring charts, trailing only Raul Gonzalez's 44.
Spain matched Brazil, France and Australia as the only teams to win 14 straight games and is now within one game of matching Brazil's record 35-game unbeaten run. A victory against host South Africa in Spain's final Group A match would see it become the first team to win 15 straight.
Spain leads the group with six points, while Iraq still has one. South Africa was to play New Zealand later on Wednesday in the other group match.
Villa had headed another clear chance straight into the hands of Kassid two minutes before his goal as Spain finally overcame a stubborn Iraq team that denied the Spanish clear possession through the first half. Nine Iraqi players were often stacked behind the ball until Spain broke the deadlock.
Neither team started well on the sub-par field, with Iraq's defensive plan aided by Spain's early complacency.
Amid a constant blare of vuvuzela trumpets, Spain began to come alive in the 13th when Gerard Pique headed wide. Moments later, Fernando Torres was clear on Kassid but couldn't reach Xavi Hernandez's well-read return ball.
Villa volleyed Sergio Ramos' cross from the right into the side netting from a tight angle in the 25th for Spain's best first-half chance.
Villa's goal allowed Spain to play with usual ease as Xabi Alonso tested Kassid from far out before Torres volleyed a clear long ball from Villa over the crossbar.
The 30 512 fans roared for the final 20 minutes as Spain continued to press, with Kassid denying Juanma Mata after a superb lay-off in the 79th and Ramos sent a half-volley over the bar.
Nashat Akram tried one last time for Iraq, shooting wide from outside the area in the 88th as the Iraqis managed only one shot on goal. The Spanish ended up with 21 shots while Iraq had just five.