Spain are superb at the Confederations Cup

The first round of matches in the Confederations Cup have been played and the favourites have already shown that they mean business if not exsaclyt showing a gulf in class between themselves and the smaller nations. Okay, in saying that, it would be wise to exempt Spain from that who looked as though they hardly broke a sweat in their new soccer kit as they demloished a poor New Zealand side 5-0.


The game was less than 18 minutes old by the time Fernando Torres had nothced three goals which gave further proof that he is a clinical finisher and that he is a player Liverpool need to keep a hold of. The summer transfer window usually leads to some crazy stories being made public but surely there cant be any truth in the rumour that Manchester United are seriously thinking of launching a bid for the Spanish hit-man. Liverpool may be in debt but they would see their fans rioting and Rafa Benitez moaning (more than usual) if Torres swapped the red soccer top of Liverpool for the same shade of kit of Manchester United.


That may be a concern for Liverpool fans but the Spanish fans would have been delighted at how quic kly their team got the3 game sewn up but the same couldnt be said for Brazil who needed an injury time penalty to overcome the powerful Egyptian side. There is something special about the Brazil side and anyone who loves soccer usually feels emotion when they see the famous yellow tops and blue shorts and their 3-1 half time lead was no surprise. However, teh Egyptians showed why they are highky regarded in Africa and levelled the match at 3-3 with both sides pushing for a winner.

There was controversy over the late penalty award, not because it wasnt a penalty, there was a definite handball on the line but because the catastrophic English referee Howard Webb initially gave a corner kick. The man in the black kit has made a habit of getting big decisions wrong recently and one got this one right when he was informed in his ear piece that it was a penalty. Kaka stepped up to secure the three points for Brazil and the Egyptians were rightfully aggrieved about who actually awarded the poenalty. If the assistant referee spotted it, fair enough but if teh shout came from the forurth official watching on a monitor, then the spirit of the game was not applied.

The spirit of the game was also not applied by the US team who seemed intent on beating the Italians at their own game. Already reduced to ten men, the US won a soft penalty on the stroke of half-time to grab a 1-0 lead but the Italians, in an unfamiliar sky blue soccer uniforms, came roaring back in the second half, firing three goals past Tim Howard to give the game a realistic scoreline near the end, even if the third and final strike was deep into injury time.

If the big teams carry their winning form into their next set of matches, there is every chance the semi-finals are going to feature all the teams that soccer fans all over the world dream about seeing.