Spain lost

Spain played like Arsenal last night - great build-up, nice passing, attractive movement off the ball, crap finishing. Spain lost like Arsenal last night as well, with a scrappy Switzerland goal enough to send them away with their first loss since the Confederations Cup. After all the talk about Spain putting their years of under-achievement behind them, it's come back with a vengeance. And this time, they don't even get to get their hopes up by flaying opponents in the group stage.

I think that Spain need Lionel Messi. They're basically playing Barcelona's game, with Barcelona's tactics and Barcelona's players, but without the one essential player that turns Barcelona into The Best Team In The World. They've got a lot of pretty passing around the opposition area, but no one to take the ball and dribble with pace at the defenders. Don't get me wrong, Spain's still an awesome proposition, but they don't work as well with Silva or Navas on the right.

Still, Spain had a lot of chances. Torres was rusty and profligate. Xavi Alonso hit the goalframe with a long-range shot. Pique had a great chance as well. If Spain had been more familiar with the new ball, or if they had a bit more luck, they probably would've stuck through with a 2-1 win. Oh well, they've still got a couple of games to redeem themselves.

So on the 310th last day of my 20s, I had the day off from work. I got hair styling advice from my pastor. Bought a pair of runners and a tub of hair gel. Thought a bit about the girl of my dreams, and what to do next, and then realised it doesn't matter. Things happen in their own sweet time. Que sera, sera.