Iraq seemed to wake up, but their teamwork was not satisfactory, which was testified by their performance in the 83rd minute when a free-kick won by Iraqi midfielder Karer Jasim and delivered from the left slipped away with no Iraqi players nearby. Iraq coach Bora Milutinovic told a press conference that he was very, very happy with the performance of his team.

"Soccer is like life. Our plan is not to lose in the first match, and lose less than four goals in the second group match. Iraqi players have been very intelligent today and I am going to enjoy the results," said he, who is the only man to have coached five different teams at the FIFA World Cup.

The coach had said before the match that he believed Spain's time had come to dominate world soccer, adding that the current generation of Spanish players was one of the best he had seen.

After receiving the reward of the Budweiser Man of the Match, Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso said the match was very tough. "One goal is just enough for us to enter the semifinals. That is our main objective," said Alonso.

The Liverpool player added that the tough two-line defense of the Iraqi side made them very difficult to score. "We tried to make long-range shots from our side out of the box, but the Iraqi defenders were very close to each other. The strategy did not work."

Spanish coach Vicente Del Bosque was also happy with the result, saying it was their first goal to reach the semifinals and he would give a rest to his players.

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