Euro 2024: Spain too strong, Calafiori’s own goal sinks Italy
Euro 2024: Spain too strong, an own goal by Calafiori sinks Italy'Italy
Nightmare night for Luciano Spalletti’s Italy, dominated and defeated by Spain 1-0 in the match valid for the second day of Group B of Euro 2024. An own goal by Calafiori decided the match, but only a great Donnarumma avoided a much heavier loss for the national team, which was never able to hurt the Red Furies. In the standings, Spain flies to 6 points and qualifies for the round of 16 from first, Azzurri stopped at 3 points in second place: with Croatia there will have to be no mistakes, and it will have to be another Italy.
Only one team on the field in the first half in Gelsenkirchen: Spain dominates the match, while the Azzurri suffer terribly from the pressure of the Red Furies, who keep the ball of the game until halftime. Spalletti's team remains standing only thanks to Donnarumma's saves, who makes at least three sensational interventions (on Pedri, Fabian Ruiz and Morata), and to the Iberians'imprecision, especially Pedri who wastes early in the game.
Lamine Yamal on the one hand, and Nico Williams on the other disrupted the flanks of Spalletti’s team, which was unable to get into the game due to the anger of the Tuscan coach, furious on the sidelines. There was a lack of polish and precision for the Azzurri, who were never able to finish in the goal mirror.
Resume, Spalletti tries to turn it around by inserting Cambiaso for Frattesi and Cristante for Jorginho, but the score remains the same with Spain dictating play and Italy struggling, unable to find a solution to react. After two great chances wasted by Pedri, Spain’s lead arrived due to an own goal by Calafiori: at 56'Nico Williams breaks through on the left, crosses for Morata who grazes a header, the ball ends up on the leg of the Bologna defender who clumsily pierces Donnarumma.
Italy staggers and risks being doubled on several occasions, Cambiaso saves Le Normand’s header on the line, Nico Williams hits the crossbar at 71'. The Azzurri are on the ropes and it becomes a tug-of-war, but they still manage to keep it open and in the final game they desperately throw themselves into attack in search of an equalizer (Raspadori, Retegui and Zaccagni in for Chiesa, Scamacca and Pellegrini).
In the final part of the match Donnarumma again limited the deficit with two great saves. Triple whistle, with Croatia will serve regain certainty as soon as possible.
