“death by 1,000 passes.”
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/toothl...hes-world-cup-russia-penalties-164423634.html
"It has been called “death by 1,000 passes.” Sunday in Moscow, the expression applied more literally than ever – just not how Spain originally intended.
The Spaniards crashed out of the 2018 World Cup in the Round of 16 in stunning fashion, at the hands of Russia on penalties. It labored through 120 minutes that ended 1-1, then lost the shootout.
It had smashed a World Cup passing record in those 120 minutes, completing 1,029 of its 1,137. Russia had just 202. But Spain was utterly impotent. It was completely bereft of ambition. It passed its own World Cup campaign to death, and perished in one of the biggest upsets in knockout round history.
The 1,000 passes were deathly boring, too. They proved once and for all that possession stats are anything but indicators of attacking soccer. Spain played as cautiously as any team at the World Cup. And it paid the price"