Spain and Brazil met again in the Nations League final, just ten years after La Rioja's success against the Selecao. This time though, Brazil weren't going to let victory slip through their fingers, and it was they who started off the match strong, with Maicon finding Robinho alone in front, the Brazilian striker slightly missing his strike, which strolled past Casillas' right post. Spain controlled the ball, but nevertheless couldn't find options in the tightly-packed Brazilian defense. A corner kick found Puyol, whose header went off the bar, while the subsequent counter-attack saw Kaka miss his 30-yard shot as well. In the end, La Rioja did prevail, after a few missed chances. Xavi passed the ball to Iniesta, who dribbled two Brazilian midfielders to find Torres in the box. The Spaniard managed to outpace Lucio to get the ball and send it into the back of the net, giving a 1-0 advantage to Spain. Brazil tried to react, with Luis Fabiano hitting the first Brazilian shot on target 10 minutes later, with no luck.
The Selecao picked up the pace in the second-half, desperately trying to get possession back from the Rioja's well oiled machine. It was Spain who struck first, though, with Villa's shot being saved by Julio Cesar. Two more runs from Xavi and Iniesta respectively would also end in failure, with Brazil's defense holding strong while its offence struggled to keep the ball going. A Brazilian corner kick would nearly give them their equalizer, but Maicon's header went wide off the post as well. Desperately trying to move the ball forward, the Selecao grew more reckless, and a missed pass by Andre Santos would cost them dearly, as Xavi intercepted it, ran it back and crossed it for Villa, who wouldn't miss this golden opportunity to make it 2-0 for Spain. With less than ten minutes left to play, Brazil were left with no options, and conceded several fouls, with the scoreline nearly going up to 3-0 as Iniesta saw his direct free kick hit the bar. To their credit, Brazil didn't give up, and at the 90th minute, Maicon found Kaka who pushed the ball to Luis Fabiano, who managed to score...only for it to be given offside by less than ten centimetres. The last chance for Brazil came when Kaka managed to find Robinho alone, but yet again, the Spanish defence had trapped them offside, giving Spain their third Nations League title.
Torres scores Spain's opening goal against Brazil.
Brazil's Robinho in action during the first half
David Villa scores La Rioja's second goal of the evening
