Iniesta: Brawl shows Spain are united
Reuters - Saturday 03 September 2011, 10:05
ST GALLEN - Spain say they
have proved they are united by the way they stood up for each
other during a fight at the end of their friendly against Chile.
Midfielder Andres Iniesta said the incident had buried any
suspicions of a rift between the Real Madrid and Barcelona
members of the squad, following the recent acrimonious clashes
between the two clubs.
"We're all fighting for the same cause and we're all team-mates, there's no doubt whatsoever about that," Iniesta told
reporters after Spain's controversial 3-2 win.
The Spanish sports daily Marca appeared delighted with what
it said was a sign of togetherness.
"There was a war at the end of the match, but peace was
declared between the Real Madrid and Barca international
players, who stood up for each other," it said.
"Madrid and Barca players were involved in another flare-up,
but this time on the same side," it added, before launching into
a detailed explanation of how Barcelona's Sergio Busquets
entered the melee to defend Real Madrid's Alvaro Arbeloa.
The fighting overshadowed superb performances by Iniesta and
Cesc Fabregas, who came on in the second half and rescued Spain
after they had been over-run in the first half when they were
losing 2-0.
Iniesta scored Spain's first goal and set up the second for
Fabregas, who also scored the winner from a rebound after his
own penalty had been saved.
"Iniesta is the most simple and efficient player I have
seen," Chile coach Claudio Borghi said.
"It was a pleasure to watch him play. He is elegant and
makes the difficult things look easy."
Fabregas said he hoped his performance, which also included
a near miss from a free-kick, in just 36 minutes would earn him
some more chances.
"It has been a long time since I have been so happy and I
have to see now if I get some playing time with the national
team and if I can make the most of it," he said.
"Sometimes in these friendlies we find it tough to get into
the game."