SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Spain are hoping Torres has Paolo Rossi moment during quarter-final against Paraguay

Record ID: 453101

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Spain are hoping Torres has Paolo Rossi moment during quarter-final against Paraguay
  • Date: 3rd July 2010
  • Summary: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (JULY 2, 2010) (REUTERS) **FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY** SPANISH TRAINER VICENTE DEL BOSQUE ARRIVE AT NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SPANISH TRAINER VICENTE DEL BOSQUE, TALKING ABOUT TORRES, SAYING "He has already shown his quality, his football and his efforts and he has contributed as well to us being here, and us being one of the seven best in the world." PHOTOGRAPHER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SPANISH TRAINER VICENTE DEL BOSQUE SAYING "Yes of course, the last two or three press conferences you asked me the same question that this is the most important match for Spain, but I still hope that we haven't played the most important. I think it is a consequence of the football in Spain, I think that Spain is at a good moment and I hope that we can prove it during a good World Cup here." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SPANISH TRAINER VICENTE DEL BOSQUE SAYING "I don't have a favourite, they are two great teams, with fantastic records in the previous Wold Cups. So I think it will be good publicity for football, two different styles and I am sure this will be very good for football, one represents Latin America and Germany represents Europe, and Germany was the European finalist and is always at the final stages, it's always a tough rival, and they will make the sport more prestigious." JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CESC FABREGAS SAYING: "This is not a good moment to talk about it (whether he goes to Barcelona). We are now in an important moment, we can make history and I don't want to talk about what I will do in the next year, there are more important moments in our lives and we cannot waste an opportunity like this in the national team." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) GERARD PIQUE SAYING: "It's always difficult, players like Roque Santa Cruz, like Valdez, players who are playing in big teams in England, Germany, they always make our job more difficult. They haven't been lucky enough to score yet in this World Cup, but they always start scoring, and we need to be ready to avoid it." CAMERA OPERATORS PLAYERS LEAVE
  • Embargoed: 18th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAO7FOS12OKYZBEVN4LWRCAPXP
  • Story Text: Spain are hoping misfiring striker Fernando Torres can emulate the heroics of Italy's Paolo Rossi at the 1982 World Cup and help the European champions to a first triumph on soccer's biggest stage.
    Like Torres in South Africa, who returned from knee surgery days before the World Cup and has been overshadowed by four-goal strike partner David Villa, Rossi failed to find the net in the group stage at the 1982 edition in Spain.
    He then burst spectacularly into life with six goals -- a hat-trick against Brazil in the second round, two in the semi-final against Poland and the opening goal in the 3-1 defeat of West Germany in the final.
    Speaking at a news conference at a news conference at Ellis Park ahead of Spain's quarter-final against Paraguay on Saturday, Del Bosque said it was a good comparison with Rossi, and said he hoped it would pan out like that.
    "He has already shown his quality, his football and his efforts and he has contributed as well to us being here, and us being one of the seven best in the world," he said.
    Torres came on as a substitute in Spain's opening Group H match, a surprise 1-0 defeat to Switzerland, and has been deployed from the start in a two-pronged attack with Villa in their three subsequent games.
    Del Bosque replaced him with powerful forward Fernando Llorente shortly after halftime in the 1-0, last-16 win over Portugal, a move that was seen as changing the game in Spain's favour and helping them break down the Portuguese defence for Villa's winner.
    Cesc Fabregas, who has barely featured so far in South Africa thanks to a Spain midfield packed with gifted players like Xavi and Andres Iniesta, said he was concentrating on staying focused and waiting for his chance, and refused to be pushed into commenting on whether -- after the World Cup -- he might transfer to Barcelona.
    "This is not a good moment to talk about it. We are now in an important moment, we can make history and I don't want to talk about what I will do in the next year, there are more important moments in our lives and we cannot waste an opportunity like this in the national team," he said.
    The winners of Saturday's clash (1800 GMT) will play Argentina or Germany for a place in the final on July 11.
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