ISpain iwuqalile umdlalo wokuzibekela indawo. Umzobo wawufanelekile. Ngeengxaki ezisebenzayo azibonakalisileyo ngokuchasene neJamani, kwakwanele kuye ukuba agcine ingqondo yakhe kwaye akhusele injongo kuSandra Paños. Kodwa iqela lesizwe aliyazi indlela yokudlala ukuze lidlale ngokulingana, okanye liphumelele ngaphandle kokubandezeleka. Ukongezelela, njengoko uJorge Vilda waqinisekisayo, “ukuba uphuma ukuya kubopha okanye ukuthelekelela umphumo, kuya konakala; lo mdlalo ngowokugqibela esifuna ukuwuphumelela kwaye lelona nqaku”. Isitayela siphumelele, sizama ukuqinisa ukhuseleko kwimizuzu yokuqala (iSpeyin yavuma injongo yokuqala ngokumelene neFinland kunye neJamani ngaphambi kwemizuzu emithathu). Iqela lesizwe laloyisa uloyiko lwalo lokuqala emva kwemizuzu elishumi, xa libona ukuba liyakwazi ukulawula ibhola, lihlasele kwaye ligcine iphepha elicocekileyo ngokuchasene nabagijimi baseYurophu abakhoyo ngoku. Ukudubula kuka-Aitana (imizuzu ye-7) yayingumzuzu apho iSpain yahlutha zonke iziporho zayo kwaye ikholelwa ukuba inokuya kwi-quarterfinals.
Indlela yaseDenmark yayimangalisa, ikhusela kakhulu nangona idinga ukuphumelela ukuphuma kwinqanaba leqela kwaye ifanelekele kumjikelo olandelayo. I-Nordics yayithembele kumgangatho wePernille Harder, umgcini wabo, ukuba anqume umdlalo. Kwaye ngomzuzu we-13 kwaboniswa ukuba kutheni. Wayeyazi indlela yokuthatha ithuba lokudlula kakuhle okunzulu ukuze achwechwe phakathi kwemigca ajongane nePaños. Ngethamsanqa, unozinti, ethathele ingqalelo kakhulu, uye wabaleka ukuya ebholeni ngaxeshanye noHarder, enyanzela ukuba adubule phezulu. Okokuqala uloyiko, isilumkiso esipheleleyo.
ISpain ibiyongamele ngebhola kodwa ihlupheke ngokugqithisileyo ngaphandle kwayo. Ngalo lonke ixesha ibhola iwela kuPernille Harder yayifana nohambo oluya kugqirha wamazinyo. Umhlaseli uvelise umdlalo, isantya sakhe saluchitha ukhuselo lwaseSpain kwaye ukuncedisa kwakhe kwindawo yesohlwayo kutsale uyeha emqaleni wabalandeli ababomvu namhlophe.
U-Athenea (imiz. 25), ozifumana enebhola emva kokuzama ngentloko ukuba uLucía García akazange afike; UMariona (imiz. 32), owagqiba eyedwa ngaphakathi kuloo mmandla waya kudlula kakuhle kuAitana; kunye no-Athenea (min. 36), ongazange akwazi ukusebenzisa impazamo nguChristensen, apho ibhola yaphuma ezandleni zakhe, ivelisa amathuba angcono kaJorge Vilda kwisiqingatha sokuqala. IDenmark yakhupha amanzi ngebheyile kodwa yayimbi kakhulu kuhlaselo.
Isiqingatha sokuqala sivalwe ngebhola ekhatywe ngentloko ka-Irene Paredes emva kwekona ebekwe nguSorensen phantsi kweentonga. Amaqela amabini ebesiya kumagumbi okutshintshela aphefumle esazi ukuba yonke into iza kwenziwa. ISpain ibiyimizuzu engama-45 ukusuka kwikota yokugqibela kodwa iDenmark ibidinga injongo enye kuphela ukufezekisa injongo efanayo. ISpain yayifikile kodwa ngaphandle kwempumelelo, ngelixa iDenmark yayizinze kakuhle ngasemva kwaye idlulisela ingozi ngalo lonke ixesha bedlula ebaleni.
UJorge Vilda akazange athande inxalenye yokuqala. Wayenza ngotshintsho. Abathathu ngaxeshanye ukuze bashukumise umdlalo kwaye babangele iSpain ukuba yazi indlela yokufumana loo clairvoyance eyayisilela. Ewe kunjalo, umqeqeshi uyigcinile indlela yakhe, esazi ukuba xa befake inqaku, iDanes ingafaka amabini. I-Denmark i temporized, ebonakala ngathi ayingxamanga kwaye isayinwe ukuba ifike kunye nenqaku eliboshwe kwimizuzu engama-20 yokugqibela.
Ubomi bebunokuba nzima kwiqela kwimizuzu esixhenxe emva kokuqala kwakhona. U-Olga Carmona wambamba uMadsen xa iDane yayihamba yodwa isiya kumgomo wePaños kodwa uRebecca Welch waseBritane akazange abone nto isohlwayo. Inhlanhla kuba wayenokubonisa ubomvu kumdlali weReal Madrid. ISpain yaqhubeka nokugcina ulawulo, kodwa njengoko imizuzu iye yaphela, wonke umntu wayesazi ukuba nakuphi na ukubetha okanye impazamo inokuba yeyokugqibela. Ngaphandle koku, iRed yahlala ikhangela inqaku, idlala kumhlaba waseDenmark.
Ebona ubunzima bemidlalo ye-hivanizing ekuza kufakwa kuyo amanqaku, u-Olga Carmona wagqiba ekubeni adubule kude (min. 72), ebeka uChristensen engxakini, oye kwafuneka aguqule ngokuthumela kwikona. Enye kwakhon. Yayilixesha apho umqeqeshi waseDenmark wavuka ebuthongweni kwaye wagqiba ekubeni abeke umlilo ngakumbi kwiqela lakhe. Kuthe sekusele imizuzu engamashumi amabini ukuba kugqitywe, kwangena uNadim noLarsen, abadlali bebhola ababini abayingozi kakhulu abahamba kakuhle ngeentloko zabo. Injongo yayicacile: ukulwa nokuxhoma iibhola kwindawo.
Umzuzu omkhulu uNadim wayefuna ukudala ingozi. Uthathe ithuba lempazamo yolawulo lwaseSpain ukuphanga ibhola nokuzama iVaseline kude. Ibhola iphume kakhulu kwaye ayizange iphume nokuphuma. Kodwa kwixesha elizayo ekwazile ukuvula amanqaku, uSandra Paños wayeqinisekile ukuba uza kuphumelela isandla esimangalisayo ukususa elona thuba licacileyo lomdlalo. Ukubandezeleka okugqithisileyo kwimizuzu yokugqibela iSpain ukuba iCardona yachithwa ngenjongo kwi-buzzer. Iqela likaVilda liyaqhubeka liphupha, linqoba zonke iingxaki eziwela kuye. INgilane yindawo elandelayo yokumisa kumdlalo wokugqibela.
