Italy vs Spain:  Battle of two heavy weights who will embrace defeat today?

 

Italy and Spain are two teams that seem to have forgotten what it feels like to lose but in line with the spirit of football one must test defeat today and the other victory even if it rolls into penalty, a winner must emerge end of story.

Spain have shrugged off pre-tournament tension, coronavirus chaos and gruelling knockout clashes to extend an impressive run that has seen them suffer just one defeat in 29 games and go unbeaten in 13.

A transitional side are aiming for a third European Championship crown in four editions but Italy, another continental heavyweight revived under Roberto Mancini, head to Wembley having not tasted defeat for 32 fixtures, going back to September 2018.

The teams have met 10 times at major tournaments, with Italy retaining the upper hand until Spain beat them on penalties en route to their Euro 2008 triumph – before thrashing them 4-0 in the final four years later.

A simmering rivalry had boiled over before then at the 1994 World Cup when Italy prevailed in the quarter-finals but injury was added to insult for Spain as an elbow from Mauro Tassotti – an act that later earned him an eight-match ban – left Luis Enrique bloodied.

Italy mourned missing out on the World Cup for the first time in 60 years in 2018 but Mancini has them motoring again.

The group stage brought three wins without a goal conceded. A vital test of mental toughness was passed against a gutsy Austria in the round of 16. The quarter-final defeat of top-ranked Belgium was a technical and tactical triumph, as well as another formidable display of character.

In 37 games under Mancini, the Azzurri have won 28, scored 90 goals and conceded just 16.

Spinazzola’s injury – the wing-back left the field in tears having ruptured his Achilles tendon against Belgium – was the only negative from Italy’s quarter-final triumph in Munich.

As for Spain, Luis Enrique’s initial squad selection prompted fierce criticism among sections of the Spanish media, with AS accusing him of betraying the nation’s most popular club by omitting Sergio Ramos.

As the tournament approached, positive coronavirus results for Sergio Busquets and Diego Llorente threatened to put their whole involvement in jeopardy.

After the final whistle in Seville, a goalless draw with Sweden drew home jeers and left players on a collision course with supporters, with Aymeric Laporte admitting: “The team leave feeling bad after all the effort we made and the chances we created.”

A further draw with Poland provoked further frustration around a team perceived to be passing too often without purpose. Radio Marca described Luis Enrique as “pigheaded”, adding Spain were “not cut out to win this Euros and we all know it”.

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But a 5-0 thrashing of Slovakia was a vital morale boost and Enrique has fostered a siege mentality. When Unai Simon blundered and Alvaro Morata missed chances, Enrique’s public faith never waned.

“Luis Enrique is the architect of all this. He has shown us the way and where we need to go,” said Simon after saving two penalties in the shootout against Switzerland.

“Luis Enrique deserves credit,” Gaizka Mendieta told Sky Sports News.

“He trusted the players that most people didn’t. He’s trusted in a way of playing and has given the players the type of mentality that he had. They have shown real character in bouncing back from mistakes and challenges.”

Spain are the top scorers at Euro 2020 thanks to their five-goal hauls against Slovakia and Croatia but a lack of ruthlessness in the final third has been a reoccurring issue.

For the records, Italy have only beaten Spain twice in their last 14 meetings in all competitions (D7 L5), a 2-1 friendly win in 2011 and most recently, a 2-0 victory at EURO 2016 in the round of 16, with goals from Giorgio Chiellini and Graziano Pellè.

This will be the seventh European Championship meeting between Italy and Spain. Indeed, for the fourth consecutive tournament the two nations are meeting in the knockout stages of the competition, with Spain progressing in 2008 and winning the 2012 final, before Italy eliminated them in 2016. How will it pan out today?

Just sit back relax and let the ball roll!