Spain, With Flourishes, Bounds Into Quarterfinals

When you concentrate on it, even the personal purpose was spectacular.

Yes, Spain scored 5 instances in its 5-1 victory in opposition to Switzerland on Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Yes, the objectives had are available in all sorts, a veritable tapas menu of methods to put the ball within the internet: nifty passing, fancy footwork, opportunistic finishes.

But even the personal purpose, the one which Spain defender Laia Codina needs she had again, the one which ensured that Switzerland’s humbling exit from the World Cup was not a shutout, was a looker — a clean end through which Codina caught her personal goalkeeper out of place and beat her cleanly from close to midfield.

It was a self-inflicted wound, however not a lethal one. Spain was again on high six minutes later because of Alba Redondo.

Aitana Bonmatí made it 3-1 with some fantastic footwork that left not less than two Swiss defenders mendacity on the grass round her. Codina atoned for her personal purpose with one into the proper internet simply earlier than halftime, and Jenni Hermoso pounced on an errant backpass to make it 5 halfway via the second half.

But Spain knew it was over lengthy earlier than that. It will transfer on, to face the winner of Sunday’s Netherlands-South Africa sport within the quarterfinals, the newest step in a reconstruction mission that started after the staff almost broke aside in a mutiny in opposition to its coach, Jorge Vilda, final 12 months. That mission now will proceed for not less than yet another sport, and with the gamers brimming with confidence.

The victory was the staff’s first within the knockout rounds of the main match. Given how complete it was, it may not be its final on this World Cup.