It was he, a suspicious element, Marco Asensio, who unraveled one night that had begun to look like a nightmare. A constant subject of debate, the attacker came off the bench and was once again decisive for this untempered and tired Spain that, lacking oxygen and inspiration, is pulling faith to resolve one extreme situation after another. She ended up surrounded in Saitama by Japan, after several doses of anguish, but a velvety kick from the Madridista knocked down the host in extra time and lit up the Olympic final, the first for the Spanish team since Sydney 2000 (Spanish defeat against Cameroon). As then, and as in 1992, there will be a medal. For the Barcelona gold to be repeated, Luis de la Fuente's block will have to surrender on Saturday (13.30) to Brazil, superior to Mexico on penalties (0-0 and 1-4).
Spain went from more to less in the first act, sprayed with chloroform.
As the fuel tank dropped, the game lost dynamism and the circulation slowed down, too horizontal and too predictable.
Few ideas, less spark and hardly any overflow in the bands, the interiors were also cloudy, it was giving ground and opening a dangerous door to Japan, which had accepted without question the role of Cinderella and progressively gained prominence.
The statism benefited their tips and Kubo and Doan, two
Zipi and Zape
to the Japanese, began to tangle and uncover their skills.
JAP
0
-
1
ESP
Japan Kosei Tani, Hiroki Sakai, Yuta Nakayama, Maya Yoshida, Ko Itakura, Reo Hatate, Wataru Endo, Ao Tanaka, Ritsu Doan (Daizen Maeda, min. 90), Take Kubo (Koji Miyoshi, min. 90) and Daichi Hayashi Spain Unai Simón, Pau Torres, Eric Garcia, Cucurella (Juan Miranda, min. 105), Óscar Gil (Jesús Vallejo, min. 45), Merino (Carlos Soler, min. 58), Martín Zubimendi (Jon Moncayola, min. 96), Pedri ( Marco Asensio, min. 82), Rafa Mir, Dani Olmo (Javi Puado, min. 59) and Oyarzabal
Goals0-1 min.
114: Marco Asensio.
Referee Kevin Paolo Ortega Yellow cards Óscar Gil (min. 12), Merino (min. 50), Martín Zubimendi (min. 94), Hiroki Sakai (min. 98), Jesús Vallejo (min. 109), Marco Asensio (min. 115) and Rafa Mir (min. 116)
Legs were missing, lungs were missing, and there were plenty of passes. A story repeated in this championship to which a good handful of footballers arrived with their tongues out. One of them Pedri, the synthesis of fatigue. The canary, squeezed from start to finish this season, intervened in a spectral way and almost always away from the three-quarter line, where his imagination really hurts. It was also unassisted. Every time he received and raised his head, he did not see a single uncheck. Spain abused the shipment to the foot, thinking that at one point or another the spark would arrive, but there was no electricity.
He produced a timid approach as soon as he started, in a cross to the far post of Cucurella that Merino finished off with little faith, and after half an hour Oyarzabal struck with little conviction. Blank bullets in front of an organized and diligent adversary, mischievous and with bad grapes as soon as he found some space. Japan stole and looked for Kubo, and he was activated, liking himself in control and finding partners on the run; nothing to do with what was seen in the last campaign. This is another Kubo. Feeling important, not just another piece of gear, he's a delicious virguero. It hides poison in the left foot.
His team was stretched from him and in a mismatch came the clearest option for Spain. After half an hour, Oyarzabal leaked for Rafa Mir and the striker found himself hand in hand with Tani, very fast to reduce and providential to close down; the Spaniard, forced, put the toe in to accompany the inertia, but ran into the silhouette of the goalkeeper. Except for that flash, the course of the game continued the same. Spain was unfolding at a wearisome pace, at a trotting pace, and Japan began to seriously discuss the initiative, to intimidate and to permanently divest itself of any complex.
Thus began the second period, in the form of a warning. Hayashi fired wide from the front and then Kubo rehearsed from the left profile, trying to surprise Unai Simón. The goalkeeper repelled well before that first demand and in the opposite area, Spain found an oil well that immediately slipped from his hands: the referee pointed out a penalty from Yoshida to Merino, but the VAR review reflected that the defender he had swiped the ball cleanly, when he was going to shoot at point-blank range, and that the impact had taken him. That was how little joy lasted.
In search of breaking the monotony, De la Fuente introduced Puado and Soler, who joined the initial relief of Vallejo by Óscar Gil, admonished the side, challenged to the minimum. He withdrew Olmo and Merino, who were very tight on the battery, and gave Asensio a reel instead of Pedri, who had been cut off. The soft drink verticalized the proposal and from there, the feeling was different. Without brilliance, but with more edge, Spain recovered meters and tilted the field in its favor, greasing the gear and claiming Mir space. The
9
instinctively followed a bounce and came again with the toe on the leather. Again he met Tani.
In the final stretch, Zubimendi tried, but Itakura launched himself on the plate and deflected with trade, and in the best triangulation Asensio, Mir and Oyarzabal connected: the winger centered, accommodated the forward head and the Basque, again not very fine, shot soft and the ball came out somewhat bitten. Intentions without gunpowder. Spain still had to suffer in extra time, frozen when Maeda beat Pau Torres in the air dispute and headed high cross, by just a foot. The scare was monumental. Japan cornered her and squeezed her, but when they painted wands, Asensio's redeeming loot broke the night.
The
7
received on the right of Oyarzabal after a throw-in, outlined and put it there far away, at the long stick, curled and perfect to decipher a devilishly complicated night.
Spain, idling again, entered the final.
In the absence of muses, Asensio and his light.
A golden maneuver.
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