Spaniards: It’s all to do with commitment

DURBAN – Spain captain Iker Casillas believes that his squad’s teamwork and commitment to attractive football are the reasons why they have made it to the World Cup semi-finals, while teams led by superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have not.Casillas captains the European champions in a national record 53rd match – today’s semi-final meeting with Germany.The image of Casillas raising the Euro 2008 trophy after that 1-0 victory over Germany is engrained in Spanish football history since they ended 44 years without a major triumph for the perennial dark horse.Most importantly, they turned a deeply talented team of creative players from contenders into champions, with Casillas leading the team all the way through.“With a little patience we’ve been able to win the respect of world football,” said Casillas, who saw the decision to entrust an attractive, possession-based game begin under former coach Inaki Saez. “The past two or three years Spaniards have been winning titles at the club level and with the national team and that’s been important for Spanish football.” (AP)