Show of strength against Italy for… first and best Spain!

He turned the derby into a monologue with her Italycelebrated the victory more easily than the final shows 1-0made 2/2 and secured first place in Group 2 of Euro 2024 Spain!

Superior throughout the match, with very high percentages of possession and creating many great chances in front of their opponent’s goal, “Roja” finally got the win thanks to a own goal by Calafiori in the 55′ and became the second team to “lock” its presence in the tournament’s knockouts, after Germany.

Italy, on the other hand, were very scared of the match, settling for a passive role throughout and eventually only losing 1-0 because they had a very big night from their goalkeeper and captain, Gigi Donnarumma. Thus, they will wait to secure their qualification in the final matchday, when they face Croatia (24/6).

The match

The great match started with Spain coming on strong, moving the ball around and creating their first big chance to open the scoring in the 2nd minute, when after a cross from Nico Williams, Pedri “drilled” into the heart of the Italian defense and took the header, forcing Donnarumma into an impressive intervention!

Very active in the first few minutes, the young Athletic Bilbao winger again upset the Italian defense with an excellent individual effort in the 4th minute, losing the ball just before finding the final pass, while in the 10th minute Spain squandered another great opportunity to take the lead , with Morata finding Williams with an excellent cross, but he sent the ball narrowly wide with a header from a very advantageous position.

Spain continued to dominate the pitch at the ‘Veltins Arena’, constantly having the ball at their feet and with their midfield trio (Rodri, Ruith and Pedri) pulling the strings. In the 24th minute, Yamal passed three opponents with an impressive individual effort, while later in the phase, Morata failed to beat Donnarumma from a lateral position, while in the 25th minute, the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper declared himself “present” again, repelling a corner with a very difficult intervention, a long shot by Fabian Ruith.

With Williams as the main exponent of their attacking actions, the “furious rocha” continued to pressure the Italian defense, who were completely harmless, unable to bring the ball close to Simone’s goal. In the 28th minute, Rodri curled a shot from the edge of the penalty area, with the ball going wide, while in the 38th minute, Pedri and Williams worked together perfectly inside the Italian penalty area, before Bastoni came in to steal and save his team again. .

On 41′ Ruith threatened again with a long-range shot, seeing Donnarumma make a comfortable block, while it was 45’+1′ to see Italy’s first final effort, with Chiesa firing high wide from a wide position and after a rare counterattack by the “Azzuri”. The first half ended with Spain unable to convert their dominance into a lead and Italy holding on, largely thanks to the display of Donnarumma.

The image of the match did not change even after the return of the two teams from the locker room, with Spain looking for a way to “unlock” the multi-faceted defense of the Italians. In the 52′, Pedri “touched” the goal, missing from a very advantageous position after a collaboration between Williams, Koukoureja and a turn of the second, while in the 53′, Donnarumma blocked with a double effort a long shot of the Barcelona midfielder.

Roja finally managed to take the lead they deserved in the 55th minute when, after another great individual effort and turn from Williams, the ball went through everyone before ending up at Calafiori, who scored an own goal to clear the ball! De la Fuente’s side kept their foot off the gas, creating another chance in the 58th minute when Donnarumma made a difficult save from Morata’s long-range shot. In the 59th minute, Campiaso pushed a Le Normand header over the line, while in the 60th minute, Yamal caught an impressive volley, sending the ball millimeters past the right post of the Italians.

Italy then made some strides up the pitch, but it was the Spanish who went close again in the 71st minute, with Williams coming down the right to rattle Donnarumma’s crossbar with a superb shot! In the remaining minutes, Spain stepped up as they tried to manage their lead, with Italy getting the ball at their feet entering the “final stretch”, but unable to find the equaliser. Thus, the Spaniards celebrated a fair victory and secured the lead of the 2nd group, while the Italians will have to wait until next Monday (24/6), to follow them in the knockouts.

MVP: THE Nico Williams! From the first minute of the match until the 78th minute when he was substituted, the young Athletic Bilbao winger was a constant source of danger for the Italian defense. He started his team’s winning goal, had an impressive post shortly after, and because of him Di Lorenzo will want to forget this game as soon as possible.

Spain (Luis de la Fuente, 4-3-3): Simeone – Carvajal, Nacho, Le Normand, Cucurella – Rodri, Pedri (71′ Baena), Fabian Ruith – Yamal (71′ Ferran Torres), N. Williams (78′ Oyarthambal), Morata (78′ Ayothe Perez)

Italy (Luciano Spalletti, 4-2-3-1): Donnarumma – Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Calafiori, Dimarco – Jorginho (46′ Cambiasso), Barella – Fratezzi (46′ Cristante), Chiesa (64′ Jaccani), Pellegrini (82′ Raspadori) – Skamaca (64′ Reteghi)

Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)

Field: Veltins Arena – Gelsenkirchen (54,740)

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