France brings Spain’s run to a halt

The date: September 8, 2007. The venue: Iceland’s Laugardalsvöllur Stadium in Reykjavik. The occasion: a European qualifier. Little could then-Iceland coach Eyjolfur Sverrison have imagined that his side’s noble 1-1 tie would be the last time Spain would be denied three points in a major championship qualifier for more than five years. Not that it did the former Stuttgart and Besiktas player much good: he was sacked the following month.

Spain and Sverrison had history. He was in charge when Spain visited the Laugardalsvöllur a year earlier and earned a 0-0 tie, and again when Andrés Iniesta spared La Roja’s blushes in Mallorca in the return Euro 2008 qualifier with a late strike. For good measure, he was on the scoresheet when the Spain of Míchel, Emilio Butragueño and Andoni Goicoechea was humbled 2-0 by a nation with a population slightly larger than any of Madrid’s satellite towns.

But from September 8, 2007, Spain embarked on a 24-match winning streak in qualifiers that consigned its travails in the icy north to a footnote in history. In view of this formidable record, home advantage, and an opponent seeking identity after years of bickering — and coming off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Japan in Paris — few expected France to bring this streak to a halt, especially after Sergio Ramos thrashed home from close range after 20 minutes of total Spanish dominance.

When Cesc Fàbregas stepped up to the spot just before half time, it seemed another straightforward victory beckoned. But Hugo Lloris guessed correctly and got a firm hand on the ball, throwing his side a lifeline. A revitalized France took the field after the break and carved out a number of chances to equalize — sufficient even to dare to dream the impossible. In the end, on the final whistle, Olivier Giroud finished a swift counterattack with a headed goal after substitute Juanfran had conceded possession in midfield.

As in Iceland, when Spain played with 10 for 70 minutes after Xabi Alonso had seen red, the coach -- in this case Vicente del Bosque -- was forced to adjust when both David Silva and Álvaro Arbeloa limped from the action. “The disruption did not allow us to manage the changes as we would have liked,” noted Del Bosque after the game. “We haven’t had a single muscle injury in four years and today we had two. For our third [substitution] we weren’t sure whether to reinforce the defence or to look for a second, and we went with Fernando [Torres].”

A hapless 15 minutes from the Chelsea striker, making his first appearance at the Calderón since leaving Atlético in 2007, did not help Spain’s cause and France, with the bit between its teeth, surged forward through the sparkling link-up play of Karim Benzema, Franck Ribéry and substitute Mathieu Valbuena. In contrast to Del Bosque, France coach Didier Deschamps was able to effect three tactical changes, which gave it more attacking options and disrupted Spain’s midfield. The introduction of Valbuena sparked Les Bleus into life and the two other replacements, Aly Cissokho and Giroud, were involved in the equalizer. “The introduction of Valbuena, Giroud and Cissokho improved us,” said Deschamps. “We knew in the first half we would have to defend. Those who started did a good defensive job and those who came on finished it off.”

France also finished off Spain’s winning run, and threw World Cup qualification wide open into the bargain. The return game in Paris will likely decide automatic qualification, and France will be buoyed by Tuesday’s historic feat.