A first-half effort from defender Giorgio Chiellini and a stoppage-time goal by striker Graziano Pelle sent the Azzurri into the quarter-finals at Euro 2016 and left Spain to mull over a second successive failure on the global stage.
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When two of the biggest footballing nations collide, you can always expect a fiery and tight encounter, and Monday’s meeting is no different. Fortunately, they have a striker in form who’s more than up to the task. We must know we’ve given everything, at all times in every match.
“Xavi gave us the best compliment, as he said Italy remind him of a mix between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid”.
“We came into the game absolutely exhausted physically and emotional”, the 38-year-old said. “We could have killed the game off earlier. They were more clinical than us when it mattered and got the better of us”, playmaker Andres Iniesta told Spanish television.
“It’s not as if you’re waiting for a game like this to try something that has never been done”.
Italy might have won by more if it was not for the heroics of Spain goalkeeper David de Gea, who was at some fault for Chiellini’s 33rd-minute goal as he spilled Eder’s powerful low free-kick and Chiellini was quickest to react. No, I think the tie is 50-50.
Hodgson has called the match in Nice (kickoff 1900 GMT) a “win or bust” clash and a defeat would call into question his future, but he has insisted he will not “beg” for his job.
GOAL! Pelle finishes the game off with the second goal for Italy.
Revenge on the cards for Italy? The Azzurri were expected to struggle somewhat due to a lack of attacking stars but they have shown that with Antonio Conte’s tactical nous in the dugout and one of the strongest defences in the competition, they are capable of raising their game.
“[On Aritz Aduriz suffering an injury], we had the opportunity to bring on Pedro, who’s a quick player, and he had a good chance at the end”.
“If we reason, we will lose”. We need to pull off something extraordinary because, for this match, the ordinary is not enough. “I am convinced we have the players who can do that”.
“[The substitutions] didn’t come off, although they all played with their best intentions”. We want to have our say and I am convinced we’ll do it tomorrow too.
“It’d be the flawless way to take revenge in another final, but you can do that in the round of 16 too”.
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“I don’t want to go home tomorrow and neither do my players”. Conte went to his bench for the group finale against Ireland, a match that Italy lost 1-0. We will be the first to congratulate Spain if they qualify, but they’ve got to earn it first.
