“Beast Drawn”
This is how Spain reacted to the World Cup draw
04/01/2022, 10:45 p.m
Already in the preliminary round there will be a top-class duel in Qatar with the duel between Spain and the German national team. The Spanish media are divided: some see Germany as a nemesis, others see “La Roja” superior. The last encounter between the two teams speaks for this.
The clash against the German national team in the preliminary round of the controversial World Cup in Qatar caused a sensation in Spain. “The monster was drawn to Spain,” headlined the specialist newspaper “AS” in the online edition today after the draw, alluding to the team of national coach Hansi Flick. The rival newspaper “Marca” spoke of a “fearful opponent”, “whom the first seeders of the eight preliminary round groups probably all wanted to avoid”.
The news agency Europa Press pointed out that Germany was a “battered giant” after the preliminary round at the 2018 World Cup and other setbacks in the recent past. But the DFB team is four times world champion and that’s not the only reason “always a title candidate at every tournament”.
Like other Spanish media, Europa Press recalled that coach Luis Enrique’s “Selección” won the last game against Germany on November 17, 2020 in Seville 6-0. And that “La Roja” did not lose the last two World Cup games against the former feared opponent either: In the semi-finals in 2010, the eventual world champion won 1-0 in South Africa, in 1994 in the USA there was a 1-1 in the preliminary round.
“Spain respects Germany, but we haven’t been afraid of the Germans for a long time,” said the respected AS journalist Javier Matallanas. Dani Garrido, the moderator of the popular TV soccer show “Carrusel”, took the same view: “At the moment Spain is definitely a bit better than Germany.”
With all due respect, the fans are also apparently optimistic: in an online survey conducted by the specialist newspaper “Mundo Deportivo”, almost 55 percent predicted that their own team would take first place in group E of the preliminary round. Almost 40 percent expect the Spaniards to qualify for the round of 16 as runners-up in their group. Germany and Spain meet on the second day of the World Cup on November 27th. The group is completed by Japan and the winner of the playoff duel between Costa Rica and New Zealand.