Bhubaneswar — A day after their 4-0 World Cup defeat to England, Max Caldas sat his side down and watched a re-run of the match. Spain’s players aren’t accustomed to going this deep, but Caldas has ushered in a new way of thinking.
It just about did the trick on Sunday night, as higher-ranked Spain scuppered a Malaysia team aiming for a first World Cup quarter-final berth. After a forgettable opening 30 minutes, four goals in 14 minutes, including two in 60 seconds by the Spanish, turned this cross-over on its head. In the resulting shoot-out, Spain landed the telling punch in sudden death after Malaysia had hit the post when Marc Miralles settled matters and a last eight date with Australia.
Spain captain Alvaro Iglesias said afterwards: “When you lose 4-0, Max told us it wasn’t a 4-0 game.
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