Spain's lucky charm: When Torres scores, La Roja never lose

The Chelsea striker has netted 30 goals for his country in 22 different matches and all have ended in victory since his first international strike in a draw with Italy in 2004.

Spain took an important step towards the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 on Thursday with their 4-0 win over Republic of Ireland. In their first match, against Italy, La Roja left doubts with a performance which failed to convince as Cesc Fabregas started in the false-nine role. But in their second game, with Fernando Torres spearheading the attack, Spain found their form with a performance packed with clever combinations, passing, possesion and, more importantly, goals.

In their opening fixture, coach Vicente del Bosque began without a recognised striker and was bombarded with criticism afterwards, even though Fabregas, taking on the false nine role, scored the side's only goal to cancel out Antonio Di Natale's strike minutes earlier. Torres came on as a substitute with 16 minutes remaining but was unable to win it for Spain, despite two great chances late in the game. Against Ireland, however, his two goals proved crucial - particularly the first after just four minutes.

Torres was named Man of the Match by Uefa and with his second, became the third-highest goalscorer in the history of La Roja, with 30 goals. He had earlier equalled the 29 set by Fernando Hierro and is now behind only currently-injured Spain team-mate David Villa (51) and former international colleague Raul (44).

And the 28-year-old, who scored the only goal in the final of Euro 2008 when Spain beat Germany to end their 44-year trophy drought with victory in Austria and Switzerland, has become something of a lucky charm for La Roja, having never ended on the losing side when he nets for his country.

Indeed, he has virtually always been a victor when he scores: Spain have won all of the last 21 games in which Torres has registered. The only occasion in which La Roja failed to win when 'El Nino' was on target was against Italy in Genoa in 2004 - Fernando's first goal for his country.

TORRES' MOST MEMORABLE GAMES FOR LA ROJA

Belgium 0-2 Spain - October 8, 2005 Torres had just one Spain goal to his name prior to the World Cup qualifiers but hit seven in 11 games to end as Spain's top goalscroer en route to Germany, including both in a vital win in Belgium. Germany 0-1 Spain - June 29, 2008 El Nino netted the only goal of the final in the absence of the injured David Villa as he ran on to Xavi's pass and lofted a clever shot over Jens Lehmann and give La Roja a first trophy in 44 years. Spain 4-0 Ireland - June 14, 2012 Torres was back in the side after starting Euro 2012 on the bench and scored twice - including an important first - as Spain thrashed Ireland. The double saw him move to third in the list of all-time goalscorers for La Roja.

Among those 30 goals, there have been two hat-tricks, against San Marino and New Zealand, with the latter coming in the 2009 Confederations Cup in just 17 minutes, making it the fastest triple in the history of La Roja. He has also hit five doubles, including an important brace against Belgium in qualification for the 2006 World Cup, and scored just one in 14 separate occasions.

Italy, San Marino, China, Belgium, Slovakia, Croatia, Ukraine, Tunisia, Liechtenstein, Latvia, Sweden, Germany, Chile, Azerbaijan, New Zealand, Macedonia, Poland, United States, South Korea and now Ireland have all been his victims, with the most important goal of all coming in the final of Euro 2008 against Joachim Low's side.

So Spain fans will now hope there are more similarly important strikes on the way - and that Torres can be their talisman once again in the latter stages of Euro 2012.

Source: goal.com

Training session photos of Fernando Torres

Source: zimbio.com

Fernando Torres 'BACK FIRING AGAIN' says Spain keeper Jose Reina

JOSE REINA claims Fernando Torres has proved he’s the real deal – and is backing the Spain striker to take Euro 2012 by storm.

Chelsea’s £50million striker was dropped for the draw with Italy in favour of makeshift centre forward Cesc Fabregas.

But Torres – who endured a nightmare season at times in London – showed his true colours in the 4-0 demolition of Ireland on Thursday, scoring twice.

And Reina claims there is more to come from his former Liverpool team-mate as Spain prepare to face Croatia in their Group C decider tomorrow night.

Reina said: “Everyone has ups and downs in his career and surely he is coming up again.

“I think he was in good form, in good shape. He’s looking really sharp in training and that’s the Fernando I know. I’m glad for him.”

The bookies now have Spain down as joint favourites with Germany to win Euro 2012 – but Reina claims that is an insult.

He said: “We don’t care about the bookies. We just want to win. But we won in the last World Cup – so surely we can be considered favourites.”

Spain can make history if they do win an unprecedented third tournament in a row, to go with their Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 triumphs.

No one has ever done that before but Reina said: “We don’t need any more pressure but we want to break that record.”

A draw would take both Croatia and Spain through at the expense of Italy.

Source: express.co.uk 

Torres: “The main thing is to reach the final and win this title again”

Fernando Torres scored twice against Ireland on Thursday night. The Chelsea striker wasa substitute in the opening game against Italy as coach Vicente Del Bosque opted to start without a recognised forward, but was recalled for last night's 4-0 win, and justified his selection with a goal in either half.

It was not a disappointment,' Torres said, referring to the Italy game. 'I know all my team-mates we have here, we are all playing in the best team in the world - we won the World Cup and the Euros.

'Anyone can play, so it's not a disappointment to be on the bench with the kind of players in the team.

'We work in the training sessions to be in the starting XI, but if we can't we have to give some help to our team-mates who start and hope to have the chance to go on from the bench and do something good for the team.

'Against Italy, it was not a good result for us, but the performance was really good from everyone.'

The win against Ireland puts Spain in pole position to qualify from Group C, and Torres was able to remind everybody of his finishing quality.

'I was lucky enough today to be selected for the first 11 - two goals was nice - but if in the next game the manager decides to play without a striker that's fine,' he said. 'The main thing is for Spain to reach the final and win this title again.'

Fernando Torres admits he fell out of love with football after hitting a low last season.

As he struggled to find his form and a place at Chelsea back in February, Spain coach Vicente del Bosque rang him to say he was also being dropped from his squad for a friendly against Venezuela.

For the hero of Euro 2008 and a World Cup winner, it was a hammer blow — but it also served as a wake-up call.

Torres, who struck twice in Thursday’s 4-0 Euro win over the Republic of Ireland, said: “Del Bosque phoned me before dropping me for the Venezuela friendly and I fully understood. I had lost some of my love for being at work.

“I had stopped setting an example to younger players, which is something I was taught to do at Atletico Madrid.

“Being picked for Spain had become a habit. Now it is a prize again.”

Fast forward four months and Torres is back in the team and back on song.

Thursday’s double in Gdansk gave a glimpse of the player for whom Chelsea shelled out £50million.

Torres, 28, said: “I was pleased with my personal performance and very happy to have scored but I’m mainly happy because the team won.

“We’re confident now because we feel as strong as ever, because we played well. We have to keep playing like this.”

Torres netted in style after just four minutes against the Irish.

He added: “We knew scoring early would set us up well. We needed the comfort that brought us. That got rid of the doubts and opened up the game.”

All match photos of Fernando Torres (Spain vs. Ireland)

 

 

 

 

The double blast of Ireland fills the front pages of the Press

Fernando Torres turns red and yellow covers of the Press in Spain. His double in the decisive victory (4-0) against Ireland in the second round of the Euro, has served to capture an image an entire philosophy and style of play that ended up sweeping the group led by Trapattoni. Thus '9 ', which was also named man of the match by UEFA, puts a face to a team that marveled at his touch football and stuck curdling biggest victory of this tournament.

Starting with the front pages, the image of Fernando Torres drink much of them: El Mundo, El Pais, Reason, La Vanguardia, El Correo, La Voz de Galicia are some of the headers for general information that led to the '9 'on its cover. In the press AS and Marca sports also opt for open publication with the celebrations of Madrid.

On the inside pages MARK Journal, noting the double headlines from Madrid, believes in his match report that "Torres said in his capacity as holder with an early goal, energetic and spectacular, a goal in its own way, which is not usual the rest of the team [...] The play Torres cooked it without help. " Also, it is in remembering the war schema that "Red gives an exhibition game with a forward natural" or "the speed and mobility of Torres attached to the slowness of the central Irish was a winning bet." It also highlights the fact that Torres was granted the MVP trophy for the best player in the game.

Meanwhile the sports daily AS Grupo Prisa on the cover entitled to broad types "TAKES 9!" Under a full-page image of Torres celebrating one of many in Ireland. In chronicling the first goal is narrated as "a goal, full of assurances. He took a ball without a master, headed the goal and fired a bazooka. It was a rush of youthful innocence, of when you do not weigh anything, not even the Atleti ". Javier in a column G. Matallanas notes that Towers encesita the same doses of demand and confidence from his coach [...] When technicians need maximum butt and believe in him, Torres says. Luis Benitez and had faith in El Niño and squeezed the most. Del Bosque also does. "

Meanwhile the head of an overview of Prisa, the Country, under the cover illustration with a photo of Torres in full celebration, titled "The Red overwhelms Ireland (4-0) with the best version of Torres." In the match report, entitled with "Torres takes the lead," delves into the goals of the '9 'with the following story: "In the first, as it was maneuvered Torres. Powerful and insightful, he swiped the ball Dunne, a lining to the rugby center, faked another defender Irish and burst the ball into the net. A goal very front, the result of greed, explosiveness and forcefulness in the auction. In the second, the Towers more recognizable: a race with no one to recoil, and accurate definition. "

The Journal of general information World takes its cover image of the celebration with Silva in the second goal. Below, a resounding "Spain wins credit goals." "A look, a stride, a blow. The sequence of Torres was like a cheetah awaits the smell of fear, doubt of the dam that never has a predator. " In the valuations placed through '9 'with an upward trend, "the two goals he scored against the Republic of Ireland, together with their constant mobility and support to their peers, made him the star of the victory of Spain. El Niño, it also closes the debate on the '9 'Selection. "

As expected the brilliant night Torres has had remarkable echo in the press outside our borders. To sample, the newspapers of England and Germany. In the islands speaks of "perfect game" Torres: "Fernando Torres and Spain finished with the hopes of the Republic of Ireland," headlines the Guardian, noting that Madrid striker showed a voracious "appetite for goals." The Times is committed headline "Torres ended his drought with Spain."

In Germany the tabloid Bild, adding that "only after 3.49 minutes fell 1-0. The Irishman Dunne fails to throw the ball, Torres tops from seven meters to the network. Chelsea star steals the offensive legend Raul's record fastest goal in Spain in Europe. " Kicker titled "Fernando Torres shown outstanding" and noted that "the real Torres" gave a demonstration of their power.