(goal) going in, and the feeling of our team after the game," Shi

Spains 5-1 humiliation at the hands of the Netherlands on Friday came as a shock to everyone who follows the beautiful game. It also served as a reminder that at the highest level of the game, the margin for error is incredibly small. Up 1-0 in the first half after Xabi Alonso had converted a dubious penalty kick, Spain had a glorious chance to double their lead in the 43rd minute. An exquisite reverse pass from Andres Iniesta (pictured below) sent David Silva in alone on the Dutch goal. Unfortunately, Silvas finish wasnt up to the same standard as Iniestas pass. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) Just one minute later, the Netherlands equalized through a spectacular Robin van Persie diving header. With no apparent danger coming from the Netherlands, Spain set up in a very narrow defensive shape. (Spains opponents will do well to take note – exploiting this is a key to success against the reigning World Cup champs.) Yet just two passes later, the ball was in the back of the Spanish goal. The first pass came from Bruno Martins Indi to Daley Blind, who took up a wide position on the left flank. It was a free pass, with no Spanish player in a position to put pressure on Blinds first touch. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) Once Blind received the ball, Spains back four was vulnerable to the diagonal ball over the top to van Persie – because Sergio Ramos, the left central defender, fell asleep and got caught ball-watching. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) With no pressure on the ball, Blind was able to spot that van Persie managed to get a step in front of his marker, Ramos. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) The ball from Blind was exquisite, and it was matched only by the finish from van Persie - a diving, looping header over Iker Casillas in Spains goal. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) So what could Spain have done differently? In this situation, when the ball went wide to Blind, Gerard Pique was tight with Arjen Robben, the first striker – as he should be. His defensive partner, Ramos, needed to be in a deeper covering position, so that he could support Pique while also nullifying the threat of the ball in behind to van Persie. (CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE) It is only a matter of Ramos being 3-4 yards deeper, but at the World Cup, that is sometimes all that is needed to create scoring opportunities. Had Spains back-four been properly aligned (highlighted in yellow, above), Blind would never had played the ball forward for van Persie to run onto because Ramos would have been in a position to head the pass away. This goal, scored right before the half-time break, was a real blow to Spains confidence. From nearly doubling their lead a minute earlier, to conceding a wonder goal to the Dutch, the momentum turned in favour of the Netherlands going into the second half. The Spanish collapse after the break – where they conceded four unanswered goals – should have been prevented, though. The second goal was down to a combination of wonderful skill from Robben and slack marking from Pique and Ramos; the third and fourth goals down to mistakes from Casillas, with the fifth goal a classic counter-attacking move from the Dutch. It would be naïve to presume that this result – as shocking as it was – is an indication that Spains style of play is now ineffective. La Roja still possess a squad full of some of the worlds most talented players, and they will continue to employ their tiki-taka possession game to great effect. Players like Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta and Silva are still a joy to watch, and they will go into their next game with Chile knowing they must win, as a loss will effectively end their tournament. What it does prove, though, is that even the best are fallible on an off day. Joaquin Benoit Jersey . Karlovic of Croatia used his big serve to beat Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7). Kohlschreiber had lost all of his three previous matches against Istomin but the German broke serve for a decisive 3-2 lead in the third set and held on to reach his first final of the year. Kevin Long Jersey . Sami Salo scored two goals as the Canucks overcame a hat-trick from Edmonton Oiler rookie sensation Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to win 4-3 in NHL action Saturday. http://www.officialnationalsgearshop.com/Nationals-Sean-Doolittle-Kids-Jersey/ . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins (5) – He had a brilliant game; it was a huge response for his average games before. Ryan Zimmerman Jersey . Theres little time for rest, too. The Flyers and Rangers play again Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Simmonds scored in the first period and twice more in the second for his first career post-season hat trick. Mason survived a busy first period and stopping 31 straight shots until Carl Hagelin scored late in the third. Mark Reynolds Jersey . They started shooting the puck. Joe Pavelski had a hat trick to move into a tie for second in the NHL in goals and the Sharks beat Philadelphia 7-3 Thursday night in the first game for both teams following the Olympic break.KENNEWICK, Wash. -- Tri-Citys Brendan Shinnimin has scored a lot of goals this season, but none bigger than the game-winner Wednesday night in Game 7 against the Spokane Chiefs. Shinnimin scored with 4:18 left in regulation to lead the Americans into the Western Hockey Leagues Western Conference final with a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. Shinnimin took a pass from Brian Williams and beat Spokane goalie Eric Williams from the slot. "Words cant really describe the feeling of that (goal) going in, and the feeling of our team after the game," Shinnimin said. "A lot of people might have thought it wouldnt have been this many games, but the guys in our room knew what they were capable of and what kind of team they were." Tri-City advanced to play Portland, which defeated Kamloops 2-0 in Game 7 of their semifinal series. The Blazers, who rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the series at 3-3, fell short in knocking off the Winterhawks. The victory gave the Americans their first playoff series victory over Spokane since 1995. "If you caught one of these games, you were treated to some of the best junior hockey entertainment you are going to see," Tri-City coach Jim Hiller said. "Both teams did everything they could. What else can you ask? "There wasnt one shift in the last 12 days or seven games that either team could have relaxed. Every game was decided by one goal -- two goals was the empty net. No team had a lead of more than two goals. There was not once where you thought it was over." Spokane coach Don Nachbaur was on the winning end of this same series last year, but his team couldnt hold on this time around. "It was pretty intense," Nachbaur said. "It would have been a Cinderella story, where we finished and how young we are in certain areas of our team. We took them to the well. I know they are over there saying this wasnt an easy series. I think we took a lot out of them for the next series." Tied at 1-1 after the second period, Mitch Holmberg put the Chiefs out front 2-1 with a goal at 5:47 of the third..dddddddddddd. Spokane held onto the lead until late in the period when Tri-Citys Malte Stromwall knocked a rebound past Williams at 14:38. Just 1:04 later, Shinnimin scored to give Tri-City the lead for good. "We had so many chances and I thought we played so well," Hiller said. "It was a little disheartening to see us down that late in the game. But weve done this before, weve come back late. I knew there was a belief there. Unlikely heroes like Stromwall and Williams and a likely hero in Shinnimin." The Americans had plenty of chances in the first period, outshooting the Chiefs 14-4, but could not get the puck past Williams, who finished the night with 45 saves. "I think our goalie gave us an all-world performance tonight," Nachbaur said. "He has been spectacular the whole series." Spokanes Mike Aviani was awarded a penalty shot at 16:59 after being hauled down by Tri-City defenceman Mitch Topping. Aviani failed to take advantage of his opportunity as Ty Rimmer stopped him at the right post, but the Chiefs would scored two minutes later. Working on their first power play, the Chiefs found the net at 18:48 as Blake Gals shot from the far edge of the left face-off circle was deflected past Rimmer by Dominik Uher. Tri-Citys Williams tied the score at 5:03 in the second with his second goal of the playoffs. This marks the fourth time in five years that either Tri-City or Spokane has advanced to the Western Conference finals. They played each other in 2008, with Spokane winning an epic seven-game series that featured five overtime games -- three of which went double overtime. Spokane went on to win the Memorial Cup that year. Tri-City won the Western Conference title in 2010, while Spokane lost to Portland in the finals last year. Shinnimin, who won the regular season scoring title with 134 points, continued his point streak in the post season, which now has reached 34 games. Shinnimin, who leads the Americans with 18 points in the playoffs, has not been held without a point since Jan. 29 at Calgary. 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