Date:06/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/06/stories/2008060661342200.htm

Sport - Football

U.S. makes Spain sweat in warm-up

Xavi scored the winner for Spain
Gomez, Klose strike a brace for Germany

Santander (Spain): Spain laboured to a 1-0 Euro 2008 football warm-up victory over the USA here on Wednesday, badly missing injured striker David Villa and midfielder Andres Iniesta.

Xavi Hernandez scored the only goal of the game in the 78th minute for a side which lacked ideas, particularly in the playmaking role in which Iniesta excels and up front where Valencia’s Villa would have made a difference.

Villa is suffering from a right quadriceps injury after a training ground incident on Tuesday and tests revealed a major bruise. Iniesta missed the match because of food poisoning.

Germany on song

Meanwhile at Tenero (Switzerland), a full-strength Germany side hammered a local Swiss side of teenagers 8-0.

Germany played four 20-minute quarters in a light-hearted match against Swiss canton side Tessin under-18 with the Germany coach Joachim Loew using all 23 players.

Strikers Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose both scored two goals, while Kevin Kuranyi, Lukas Podolski, Oliver Neuville and Thomas Hitzlsperger also found the net.

The results:

Spain 1 (Xavi Hernandez 78) bt USA 0.

Germany 8 (Mario Gomez 2, Miroslav Klose 2, Kevin Kuranyi, Lukas Podolski, Oliver Neuville, Thomas Hitzlsperger) bt Tessin u-18 0.

Russia 4 (Konstantin Zyryanov, Andrei Arshavin, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Vladimir Bystrov) bt Lithhunia 1 (Mantas Savenas). — Agencies