Now we’re really getting down to the nitty-gritty at the World Cup. With just eight teams left and the tension rising all the time.
These are the games when tournaments are won and lost. When the going gets tough, the tough get going and all that.
So far, with the possible exception of Germany going out of the tournament, there haven’t really been too many shocks to mull over.
Norway beating Brazil shouldn’t really have surprised anyone because the current Selecao crop is nowhere close to being World
Cup-winning material.
One of the teams that certainly are in the mix to win the tournament is Spain.
La Roja had been on an amazing unbeaten run prior to beginning their World Cup against Cape Verde – a game that almost certainly gave them a timely wake-up call.
Since that opener, they’ve dispatched Saudi Arabia (4-0), Uruguay (1-0), Austria (3-0) and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal 1-0, earning a vast amount of plaudits along the way for the manner in which they continue to play the game.
It remains very pleasing on the eye, but certain performances still remain largely under the radar.
For example, in order for La Roja to have got to this stage without conceding a single goal, the back four, and particularly the centre of defence, need to be absolutely spot on in each and every game.
Pau Cubarsi, just 19 years of age and playing at his first-ever World Cup, has been virtually peerless.
Barcelona supporters have long known the class of the centre-back, who has continued to excel since being given his wings in the first team.
What’s particularly pleasing about the youngster is his maturity and ability to take every game, no matter the importance, in his stride.
That’s incredibly unusual for all but those players that could be regarded as truly elite and world-class, and yet nothing seems to faze Cubarsi.
His performances are almost always at the highest level, though only occasionally universally acknowledged as such.
During the World Cup, his positioning, tackling accuracy, speed of thought and actual speed have been one of the standout features of some fine all-round contributions.
Whilst Mikel Oyarzabal or Lamine Yamal might be hogging the headlines, Cubarsi certainly deserves to have his own name in lights – particularly if Spain do go on to add the trophy to the European Championship won two years ago.
