Spain 1 Italy 0: La Roja book spot in Euro 2024 last 16 as own goal forces the Azzurri to wait to book spot in knockouts
THE matadors are back, just with a new cast list.
Swirling their capes, bringing colour and adventure and the “oles” of the crowd – and then going for the kill.
If there was any doubt over Spain’s claims to be potential Euro 2024 winners, they were surely ended as Luis de la Fuente’s men served up the holders on a plate.
A decade ago it was Xavi and Andres Iniesta who had the world at their feet, leaving football swooning.
Now it is different faces, a more direct style, but still with that sense of complete belief, poise and purpose.
Twin wing wonders Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal led Italy a merry dance all night, Rodri set the tempo.
And with quality in every area of the park, this was a statement performance, if not a statement margin of victory.
It may have needed an unfortunate own goal from Riccardo Calafiori to finally find a way past an inspired Gianluigi Donnarumma.
But Italy were chasing shadows from the outset, beaten hollow and unable to get close to the men in red as Spain laid down a real marker in their bid to win the European title for an unprecedented fourth time.
Spain had looked good in their opener against Croatia.
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Tonight, from the very beginning, they were even better.
Williams had full-back Giovanni di Lorenzo on toast and Pedri, unmarked 12 yards out, should have scored with a second minute header from his perfect cut-back, although Donnarumma deserved credit for the fingertip save.
There was a swagger about Spain, with Rodri commanding in the manner so familiar to Manchester City fans and Italy struggled to contain them.
The Azzurri were let off again when Williams, popping up untenanted on the six yard box as Alvaro Morata drifted wide left to curl in, flashed his header off target.
Two chances gone begging inside 10 minutes, Italian frustrations with pernickety Slovenian ref Slavko Vincic seeing Donnarumma, despite his armband, picking up an early yellow for dissent.
The holders were feeding on scraps, Federico Dimarco messing up a rare counter when he played in behind four white shirts hungrily waiting inside.
Normal service soon resumed. Yamal’s turn away from Demarco was a thing of beauty, matched by his driving run into the box before poking in to Morata.
Donnarumma was equal to the task as the former Chelsea striker worked an angle to shoot.
And the Italy captain saved his side once again with a flying leap and top hand stop to turn Fabian Ruiz’ rising 25-yarder behind for a corner.
It felt as if a Spain opener was inevitable as the Italian back line rocked under the punches being thrown, blows to open them up for the potential knock-out, with di Lorenzo enduring a torrid night at the hands of Williams.
Time and again, just as they seemed set to break, Italy found a block, a tackle, a barge, hoping against hope that the storm would eventually subside, Donnarumma holding firm under fire from Fabian once more.
At the break, despite parity, the Italians were shaking their heads as if they were seeking answers.
Luciano Spalletti sought to find them by hooking Jorginho and Davide Frattesi, although Bryan Cristante’s first act was to pick up a booking for a naughty foot-cruncher on Rodri.
Not that it stopped Spain, who were only missing the finishing touch.
Pedri was wasteful again when he side-footed wide from 10 yards after glorious interplay between Williams and Marc Cucurella had sliced Italy apart once more.
But if Spain could not find a way past the holders, Italy would do it for them.
Spain Euro 2024 guide
SPAIN’S team may not be a patch on the one that dominated world football 15 years ago - which had superstars coming out of its ears.
But they still topped a qualifying group consisting of Scotland and Erling Haaland’s Norway by winning nine out of ten games.
MANAGER: Luis de la Fuente
Surprise choice as coach but won the Under-21 Euros in 2019 and an Olympic silver medal a year later.
KEY MAN: Rodri
Rodri is arguably the greatest holding midfielder the Premier League has ever seen. But will he have enough left in the tank after complaints of tiredness at Man City?
How Spain attack
Spain will be a different side to that which we have seen in recent years, with the 4-3-3 replaced by a more structured 4-2-3-1 formation.
The full-backs, attacking midfielders and wingers are all ready to push forward while Rodri and Fabian Ruiz sit deep in the quarterback role.
How Spain defend
Spain’s two deep midfielders allow the rest of the team to push forward and press high up the pitch.
Their focus will be on either dispossessing the opposition defence or forcing opponents to play long by cutting off the short pass option.
Read the full Spain Euro 2024 guide here, including predicted line-ups, odds and Wags
Williams, once more, destroyed Di Lorenzo, Morata got a flick and Donnarumma’s desperate lunge only diverted against Califiori’s left knee and back over the line.
Unlike some teams we could mention, Spain did not sit back on their lead.
Donnarumma denied Morata’s long-ranger, with half-time replacement Andrea Cambiaso hooking Robin Le Normand’s header off the line from the resulting corner.
As the Spanish fans roared, Yamal was a whisker wide before Williams cut it from the left to send the angle of post and bar shuddering after a stunning strike that left even Donnarumma for dead.
They only lacked a second to put the game to bed, Donnarumma making two more great saves to foil late sub Ayoze Perez in stoppage time.
Yet the gulf in class was cavernously wide. And the real worry for England, Germany and the rest, is that these Spaniards are only going to improve over the years to come.