Spain back on track as Villa brace brushes Honduras aside
Published:Coach Vicente Del Bosque may have been critical of his team’s performance, but Spain will be delighted to have ignited their World Cup hopes with a 2-0 win against Honduras.
The victory will ease the pain of their shock 1-0 defeat to Switzerland, and if they beat Chile in their final Group H fixture, Spain will secure their place in the round of 16.
David Villa was the star of the show, as a brace of goals boosted his hopes of winning the Golden Shoe. He is now 4/1 to be the top scorer at the World Cup.
Del Bosque’s chief complaint was that his side were unable to convert their vastly superior possession into a more convincing margin of victory.
Fernando Torres missed a string of chances, while Cesc Fabregas and Jesus Navas also went close. Villa also had the opportunity to complete a hat-trick but he struck his penalty wide.
The Barcelona striker’s first goal was the best, as he slalomed between Honduran defenders before curling a shot into the far corner.
His second was the culmination of a typically sharp Spanish move, and Villa’s shot took a deflection before leaving the opposition goalkeeper, Noel Valladares, stranded.
As they did throughout their triumphant Euro 2008 campaign, Spain passed the ball expertly and hardly gave their opponents a sniff of possession.
And while their inability to truly put Honduras to the sword may irritate Del Bosque, the authoritative nature of the performance suggested that Spain have regained their poise in their quest for a first World Cup.
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