Spain v Italy

- The Final - 

              Brilliance is as brilliance does and on Sunday July 1, greatness was crowned as La Roja overcame their final obstacle in the form of the Azzuri and went on to claim their third successive major trophy in almost as many years. The European Championship of 2012 was won with a style of football which was superior to all others brought to the tournament: A high intensity system of pass and move. - At least to give a brief description of it.

               In the buildup to the game, much was made of what this clash between the reigning European kings and the reborn challengers would be like and who at the end of the duel, would have the throne. The opening game of Group C, which finished as a one- all draw, had been overlooked by many at the time as just another point-providing fixture that would lift Spain into the quarter-finals but after Cesare Prandelli's masterful dispatching of the Germans, there is no doubt that every second of the game was analysed. 

              Given what has happened since, we could all say, with a sense of certainty, at the time of the group stages that Spain's group contained one team that would be present in the final but owing to the way the games presented themselves, the opening meeting of Spain and Italy was to be an indicator of its make-up. 

               The identity of the finalist apart from Spain, was until events in other groups widely deemed to be a tie between Germany and Holland but mark my words, not many predicted that the meeting of these two teams would compose the final tie. As has been discussed in the most previous post, Spain overcame a strengthening Portugal side only by the penalty shootout while Italy peaked and defeated the Germans with ease playing what looked like their final, a round too early. All of this led one to believe that the match was evenly poised before kickoff with one team having struggled to progress and the other entering on a high.

              And so once play got under way at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, Spain soon established their fluent passing order and on the fourteenth minute were a goal up to thanks to Iniesta's fine effort as the ball was slipped on from him to Fabregas and through to Silva to fire the ball past Buffon and into the back corner of goal. The Spanish national anthem bellowed from their supporters. Less than ten minutes afterwards Prandelli was made to make the first of two injury forced substitutions as Balzaretti came on for Chiellini. 

             Italy woke up and began to increase their control of the ball and minutes later after a side tackle on Cassano, Gerard Pique received his sides only yellow card of the game but for a twenty minute period it looked as though Italy could equalise. Cassano took a brave opportunity to shoot on goal but the sharp Casillas saved it but again, one minute later after been given a free kick in midfield, Pirlo opted to shoot from range which went over the bar. 

              All of the Italians efforts of the second half came to nothing and in the forty first minute Jordi Alba making a run, came onto Iniesta's ball and on his own with Buffon, placed it past him to make the score two nil to Spain. Who would have thought that a team playing with six midfielders and no strikers could be so proficient at goal? Italy's task became that bit more harder and it told in their play with the Spanish dominating possession until the break. Bargazi getting the team's only card for a foul on Iniesta about a minute before half time. 

              Italy who took off Cassano, retuned after the interval reignited and the newly brought on Di Natale came into some promising positions having his greatest opportunity in the forty sixth minute saved. Less than five minutes later,  a claim of handball was denied by the referee but a deadly blow was to come for Italy. When Thiago Motta who had minutes before replaced Montolivo, went down with an injured hamstring and was stretchered off, the men in blue had to play the remainder of the game with ten men having already made the maximum number of substitutions. 

              It was all starting to look in vain for Italy now they were a man down and against the best passing team in the tournament, any presence they had simply disappeared under sustained Spanish pressure. The defence held until eighty three minutes when Torres who had come on in place of Fabregas, finished a series of passes to score his teams third goal of the night as well as his second in the same amount of European Championship finals. In the eighty seventh minute Juan Mata was brought on by Del Bosque for Iniesta and just when the Spanish fans thought their night couldn't get any better, Mata scored after being on the pitch for less than sixty seconds. ¡Viva los subsititutos! Four Nil up and setting the record of highest winning margin in a EC final, it was no surprise to say that Spain won the match.

          The match was won by the technical expertise and consistent passing of Spain as well as some bad luck on Italy's part in not scoring. Spain's tactic of tiring the opposition out through their relentless passing and scoring when they have exhausted them worked in abundance as an undermanned and deflated Italy fell apart and paid the price for mismanagement of players, denying them any opportunity of a fight back. Presumably a petulant Mario Balotelli rebuffed conciliation by Prandelli because of that but Spain's brilliance will not be forgotten as they went on to become the first team to successfully defend the title as this armada wows all. An absolute masterclass!