The Blizzard: Spain 1-5 Netherlands, 2014

Football Ramble

We’re heading back to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil for today’s episode of Greatest Games, in association with The Blizzard. The Guardian’s Jonathan Liew joins us to discuss the Netherlands’ 5-1 dismantling of Spain, as “Louis Van Gaal created something he loved - and then destroyed it.”

Spain arrived at this tournament with the same formula that saw them win the preceding three as the likes of Xavi, Sergio Busquets and Andrés Iniesta looked to dominate possession. They took the lead and controlled the early exchanges in El Salvador but, with Louis van Gaal switching to a back three for this game, his Netherlands side took advantage of Spain's lethargic midfield. We discuss a fantastic game that featured scintillating goals from Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben, and saw the end of Spain’s possession-dominating era.

For more stories from the annals of football history, visit www.theblizzard.co.uk to explore their archives that contain over 700 articles of stories just like this one!

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