Mata vs Cazorla vs Fabregas: How Premier League stars rated for Spain v Australia

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How Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea stars compared during their performances for Spain.

Spain bowed out of the World Cup on a high by beating Australia 3-0, the damage down with successive losses against Holland and Chile in their opening two group games.

Manchester United’s record signing got his first taste of action, scoring La Roja’s third goal, after being set up by new Chelsea signing Cesc Fabregas.

Arsenal star Santi Cazorla was another midfielder handed a chance as Spain rotated their squad, playing 68 minutes before Cesc replaced him.

In the three key areas above, Manchester United’s Juan Mata and Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas shone in their brief cameo’s in comparison to Arsenal’s Cazorla.

Fabregas played a forward pass every two minutes of his time on the pitch, while Cazorla did so every 8.5 minutes of his time on the pitch, the substitutes touching the ball more frequently. All three put on a passing masterclass in terms of accuracy.

In his short time on the pitch, Fabregas and Mata both did what Cazorla could not; create a goalscoring opportunity, making three combined.

Fabregas was also prolific in the final third of the pitch, turning the screw on Australia over the final 22 minutes and helping Spain extend their lead.

Mata was the only one of the trio to threaten the goalkeeper, with his one attempt finding the back of the net for his first ever goal in the tournament.

Both substitutes looked bright and may have left Vicente del Bosque wondering what may have happened had he given them greater opportunities earlier in the tournament, much like opening goalscorer David Villa.

Cazorla however will feel disappointed not to have made more of an offensive impact. Clearly he will be pleased to have been given a chance to start a game in a World Cup and contributed to a victory, but individually, it will not be one of his performances he is remembered for.