By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
Spain’s eight-year hold on the Henri Delaunay trophy is
over. The Spanish were beaten 2-0 on Monday afternoon by an impressive Italy at
the Stade de France in Paris.
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| Giorgio Chiellini celebrates opening the scoring for Italy vs. Spain |
In a repeat of the EURO 2012 final where Spain routed the
Azzuri 4-0 in Kiev, it was Italy who bossed proceedings from the outset and led
10 minutes before the break through Giorgio Chiellini (pictured).
The Spanish improved in the second half but were kept in the
game by David de Gea. Graziano Pelle wrapped up the victory in stoppage time to
end the hope Vicente del Bosque’s team had of becoming the first team to win
three consecutive European Championship titles.
It is their first defeat in knockout games of a major tournament
since France dumped them out of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
The end of
the great Spanish
Once upon a time, Spain were considered the biggest underachievers
in international football. They were knocked out of the group stages of
tournaments in 1988, 1998 and 2004 and rarely threatened the major honours.
That changed in 2008 with the tiki-taka style of football
developed by Barcelona that was the new footprint. They won EURO 2008 under the
guidance of the late Luis Aragones and followed that up with World Cup triumph
in South Africa and retained the European Championship trophy four years ago in
fabulous fashion.
They are arguably the best international team we’ve seen – certainly
in my generation anyway. However, cracks have started to appear in recent
years.
They were eliminated from the World Cup group stages in
Brazil after humiliating defeats to the Netherlands and Chile. Slovakia beat
them in qualifying for this competition and the loss last Tuesday to Croatia
put them in the difficult side of the draw.
In this match, they never really got started. Italy
controlled the midfield, neutralised the threat Alvaro Morata could pose and
the physical presence of Pelle and Eder kept the Spanish central defenders of
Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique very busy.
De Gea was simply magnificent. He made three huge saves in
the first half and another couple after the break. Had it not been for his
brilliance, the scoreline could and should have been greater.
It is the end of this great team. It has already started to
break up anyways. Xavi, Xabi Alonso and Carles Puyol have retired, Fernando
Torres not selected, Iker Casillas now only a back-up goalkeeper.
The manager will surely change and players like Ramos,
Andres Iniesta and David Silva will surely be considering their futures at this
level too. Spain will come back and still remain a serious international force
but their days of complete domination are most definitely at an end.
Never
write off the Italians
Going into EURO 2016, Italy were written off by many,
including myself. They might have been unbeaten in qualifying but they went
through without any real degree of panache or quality. Previously, they’ve had
huge stars who can win games singly-handily like Paolo Rossi, Roberto Baggio,
Andrea Pirlo and Alessandro del Piero.
This team doesn’t really have one of those superstars who
can turn a game on its head but what they have is bundles of experience and a
strong unity in the squad that is as good as any of the other teams that are
still remaining in France.
The lesson to everyone is to never write the Italians off.
They have won against the odds on so many occasions down the years and they
must be very confident of their chances considering what they’ve done to
Belgium and now the ex-champions.
Italy move into the quarter-finals where they will play
Germany in Bordeaux on Saturday night. They have an outstanding record against
the world champions, having never lost in a competitive match to the Germans.
Famous successes include the 1982 World Cup final and Marco Tardelli’s
celebration in Spain and the inspired Mario Balotelli performance in the EURO
2012 semi-final triumph.
Could Antonio Conte depart for Chelsea with the ultimate
gift for the national side? Their claims to the main prize in international
European football have just strengthened after this display.
My best
three players of the match
Man of the Match: David de Gea (Spain)
Italy were by far the better team at the Stade de France but
it was David de Gea who was man of the match, as he so often is at club level
for Manchester United. De Gea made five top-quality saves and prevented the
scoreline being an embarrassment. He is arguably now the best goalkeeper on the
planet – at least on terms with Germany’s Manuel Neuer.
2nd: Graziano Pelle (Italy)
Graziano Pelle was a pest all afternoon and made life
extremely difficult for Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique. The Southampton man dominated
them in the air and as in the match with Belgium, finished the game off in
stoppage time with a fine finish. He isn’t world-class but fits the Italian
system extremely well.
3rd: Giorgio Chiellini (Italy)
When the EURO 2016 team of the tournament is selected, this
man surely is a serious contender in the central defensive pairing. Once again,
Giorgio Chiellini was immense and he opened the scoring from close range after
De Gea parried a free-kick into his path. He is a fine example and still one of
the best in his position.
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