EURO 2024: Defeating defending champion Italy, Spain wins ticket to continue

Both Spain and Italy won their opening matches of Group B at EURO 2024, meaning whichever team gets three more points in the "internal" match taking place at 2 a.m. on June 21 will soon secure a ticket to the round of 16.

Although both teams have 3 points, Spain is clearly the favorite. Coach Luis de la Fuente and his team crushed Croatia 3-0, while Italy had to fight back to win 2-1 against Albania. Italy's advantage, besides being the defending champions, is only their superior head-to-head record, having eliminated Spain in the last two EURO finals.

Spain (red shirt) overwhelmingly attacked Italy

With superior form and strength, Spain entered the match overwhelming Italy. The "Bulls" midfield with Pedri, Rodri and Fabian Ruiz controlled the match, while in the forward line, Nico Williams became a nightmare for Italian defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo with his tireless attacks and disturbances throughout the 90 minutes.

Spain's chances came early thanks to the suffocating pressure on the opposition defence. Williams made a clever run in the 10th minute and headed the ball wide of the post. Fifteen minutes later, Ruiz fired a powerful shot from distance but goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma dived to save it. The Italians defended hard throughout the first half and went into the break with the score 0-0.

With Spain under pressure, when Italy did not change their playing style, conceding a goal was only a matter of time. It was only bitter for the team in blue when the scorer was... Riccardo Calafiori. In the 55th minute, Nico Williams dropped the ball perfectly for Alvaro Morata to head in from close range. Goalkeeper Donnarumma saved the goal, but in the defensive phase, Calafiori accidentally kicked the ball into his own net, putting Spain ahead.

Morata had a good game

Despite conceding a goal, the Italian team could not fight back. Coach Luciano Spalletti's players endured the pressure, only able to follow Spain's precise passes. Besides the talent of goalkeeper Donnarumma with at least 4 perfect saves, the crossbar also denied Spain's goals twice.

The Italian team only rallied in the last 5 minutes, but not enough to score. Losing 0-1 to Spain, the blue team had to watch their opponents quickly secure a ticket to the round of 16. In the final round of Group B, Spain will face Albania, while Italy will face Croatia. With 2 points more than their opponents, coach Spalletti and his team only need 1 more point to win second place.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/euro-2024-danh-bai-duong-kim-vo-dich-y-tay-ban-nha-doat-ve-di-tiep-185240621041850946.htm