Jose Reyes creates two for Torres

Jose Reyes creates two for Torres

By Myles Palmer

____________________

A PHENOMENAL pass by sub Jose Reyes sent his pal Fernando Torres racing into the box in Belgium tonight.

It was a diagonal lofted pass of a kind which rarely produces a goal because the ball, although splitting the defence completely, is very hard to reach.

You can only reach that ball if you are young and bold and optimistic and can judge your stride pattern as perfectly as a hurdler AND you have very good balance, because the ball is going away from you.

So you don't have time to take another step as you sprint because if you do that the ball will bounce away from you and the chance has gone.

TORRES knew he had to throw himself towards the ball, so he lunged forward with his foot out and because he knew exactly what to do, he knocked in a crucial goal for Spain.

A very difficult skill.

I hope you see this goal and appreciate what a superb goal it was.

55 minutes, 1-0, thanks Jose !

Three minutes later Reyes burst through to the byline and picked Torres out with a low cross and he scored from four yards.

58 minutes, 2-0, thanks again Jose !

The first goal, Bergkamp could not have scored, not since 1994 anyway.

Ljungberg could not have scored it.

Henry could not have scored it.

Wiltord, obviously, could not have scored it.

Kanu, who scored in Nigeria's 5-1 win over Zimbabwe today, could not have got near it, or even thought about going for it.

Ian Wright in his first season after leaving Palace COULD have scored that first Torres goal.

Denis Law could have scored it.

Klinsmann, maybe.

IT WAS A REALLY GREAT GOAL.

Arsenal have been linked with Torres.

And he is certainly wasting his time at Atlet ico Madrid.

The lad is an Arsene Wenger-type footballer : a highly-motivated young adult gladiator who will cost megamillions when he leaves Spain next summer.

Afterwards Reyes said, "I have a very good understanding with Torres. We have played together a lot of times at lower levels and that connection repeated itself.

"He took the first goal very well. I was happy with the cross, but the finish was vital.The changes came at the right time, because the Belgians were beginning to tire."

HOLLAND won 2-0 in Prague, so England qualify.

Van der Sar saved a Rosicky penalty and Marco's orange heroes are unbeaten in 15 since he took over.

Sol Campbell went off with a hamstring injury as a dismal England stumbled to a 1-0 win against Austria at Old Trafford

SENDEROS played in Switzerland's 1-1 draw with France, which leaves the tightest qualifying group still wide open for those two, plus the Republic of Ireland and Israel.

October 8th 2005