European Championship victory against Italy
This performance makes Spain the title favorite
Status: 02:41 am | Reading time: 3 minutes
Spain after gala performance in the round of 16 – The 1-0 victory against Italy in video
The Spanish put in a strong performance against Italy and won 1-0 thanks to an own goal. The Italians’ best man was goalkeeper Donnarumma, who prevented a bigger defeat. The highlights in the video.
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Spain put on a gala performance against Italy. The victory has only one flaw: the Spaniards missed too many chances; they should have won by a much larger margin. But even so, they are now the number one favorite to win the title.
Spain has rewarded itself for another absolutely dominant performance in the classic against Italy with an early group victory. After the 1-0 (0-0) win in Gelsenkirchen against the weak defending champions, the Iberians are the second team after Germany to reach the European Championship round of 16. The Azzurri, on the other hand, need at least one point in their last game against Croatia on Monday in Leipzig to secure second place. Spain will then face Albania in Düsseldorf, which also still has a chance of progressing.
An own goal by Riccardo Calafiori (55th minute) secured the deserved victory for the Spaniards, who could have decided the game much earlier. The Nations League winners once again showed a convincing performance after the 3-0 win against Croatia and underlined their title ambitions. In the round of 16, Luis de la Fuente’s team will face a third-placed team in Cologne on June 30th. Italy, on the other hand, were disappointing for the entire 90 minutes.
Riccardo Calafiori seals Spain’s victory with his own goal
Source: AFP/INA FASSBENDER
At the last two European Championships, the Italians were the last stop for Spain. In 2021, the four-time world champions won the semi-finals on penalties on their way to winning the title, and in 2016 Italy won in the round of 16. The Iberians were therefore keen for revenge.
Spain wins before the eyes of the king
In front of their king Felipe VI, the Spaniards continued their strong performance against Croatia: They were dominant, confident on the ball and made numerous impressive forward combinations. Italy’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma prevented the early deficit with several strong saves. After less than two minutes he deflected a header from Pedri over the goal, and in the middle of the first half he parried a long-range shot from Fabián Ruiz. A header from Nico Williams went wide of the goal (10th).
The Spanish king in Gelsenkirchen
Quelle: Getty Images for FIGC/Claudio Villa
There was little sign of the feared Italian defensive strength at first. The defending champions were unable to get a grip on the lively Spanish wingers in particular. The Squadra Azzurra only managed to get close to the Iberians’ goal by counterattacking – but with very limited success. They did not create a real goal-scoring opportunity.
Teenager Yamal convinces
The Spanish left winger Williams in particular posed a threat time and again. Lamine Yamal, who was only 16 years old and became the youngest player in European Championship history against Croatia at 16 years and 338 days, was a whirlwind on the right. It was only when the Italians worked together that they were able to stop their opponents at the last minute – or Donnarumma was there.
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At halftime, the Azzurri could have been two or three goals behind. Coach Luciano Spalletti kept gesticulating angrily on the sidelines and, shortly before the halftime whistle, spread his arms almost in resignation. Even the cheers of the Italian fans, who were slightly in the majority, did not help.
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Spalletti reacted and made two substitutions at half-time – but the game didn’t change much. On the contrary: Italy were no longer able to free themselves from the constant pressure of their opponents. Calafiori’s own goal was the logical consequence. And the Spaniards didn’t let up, Williams only hit the crossbar (70′). At least the Azzurri were able to avoid an even greater defeat with luck and further saves from Donnarumma.
