Spain 4-0 Italy

Goals:
Fàbregas 14'
Alba 41'
Torres 84'
Mata 88'

The score line may flatter Spain, the by-product of Italy playing with 10 men for the last half an hour, but that's the only thing which flatters Spain. There will be effusive praise, but it's not exaggerated praise. This side deserves every superlative that will be thrown their way.

So much for a patient, protracted, drawn-out death by a thousand passes. The lesson of the day is that you might not want to give Spain any added motivation. "Boring? We'll show you boring."

Maybe Spain's earlier patience was more than just a defensive strategy. Resting with the ball is still resting. The fatigue on display against Portugal a few days ago certainly wasn't present today. Sticking with Del Bosque's preferred line-up, with Fàbregas as false nine with Iniesta and Silva roaming inside and out, Spain started furiously.

The front three constantly switched positions while Xavi poked and prodded, and the goal wasn't long in coming. A string of short passes to get defenders moving, Fàbregas charging in behind from the inside right channel, bombing behind Chiellini to receive Iniesta's through ball despite Pirlo's pressure, bisecting the center back and left back. Chiellini couldn't recover, Fàbregas burst to the byline, chipping a cross for the on-rushing Silva, brilliantly placed between retreating center-backs watching Fàbregas rather than the runner, a deftly-placed header from a 5'7" midfielder.

However, as we've come to expect from Prandelli's Italy, they responded, keeping possession. Chiellini's subsequent injury may have helped Italy, at least in the short-term. Balzaretti, unfairly left out after his excellent performance at right back against the Germans, is far better going forward, and his crosses troubled Spain, forcing Arbeloa to remain deep, requiring Silva to frequently help out in defense. Still, for all their improvement, Casillas was rarely tested; other than parrying Cassano's fierce blast from distance, Spain were most often threatened on set plays, where Casillas adequately, repeatedly punched clear while Ramos and Piqué contributed crucial clearing headers.

The Italians were arguably the better side when Spain struck again, another doctoral thesis in geometry. The StatsZone goal buildup shows a nine-pass move, but only four really matter, the first five simply a matter of keeping possession at the back, as Spain had competently done since taking the lead. Evidently, Spain can play route one football. A long ball from Casillas, Iniesta's chest down to Alba, to Xavi, to Alba. Xavi's pass to Alba was too good for words: perfectly-timed, immaculately angled. Alba barely had space to fit between Barzagli and Bonucci when bursting forward, but somehow Xavi minded the gap, holding until the perfect moment to catch Alba just onside. One-on-one with Buffon, the left-back coolly placed his shot around Italy's captain. Spain with a one-goal lead is almost always a death sentence. At 2-0, the warden's taking requests for your last meal.

Still, Italy showed flashes of being able to get back in the game after the restart, Prandelli showing typical proactivity with two quick changes in Di Natale and Motta for Cassano and Montolivo – substitutions we've seen in Italy's earlier matches because of Cassano and Montolivo usually lasting just an hour. Di Natale nearly scored Italy's best chance, just onside, but was denied by Casillas – as ever reliable the few times he's called upon. But then Motta pulled up lame in the 62nd, just six minutes after coming on. With Italy out of substitutions. Game well and truly over.

You have to admire Prandelli's chutzpah. He's restored this Italian side's belief, brought attacking flair to a country renowned – rightly and wrongly – for dour football. He's shown an adventurous willingness to adapt his side's formation to its available personnel and the opposition's. But starting Chiellini and bringing on Motta, both injured earlier in the tournament, were true riverboat gambles. And both went down in brilliant flames.

Spain is the last side you'd ever want to face with 10 men and a two-goal deficit. This was never going to be Chelsea against Barcelona, because of Italy's set-up and ethos, because of Spain's lead. Matches like this, against opposition like this, makes you yearn for a mercy rule. It certainly wasn't what Italy deserved.



Spain's final two goals were ambushes. The last two substitutes, Torres and Mata, scored with their first touches – Torres nine minutes after he came on, Mata barely more than a minute after. Torres was set up by Xavi's interception and immediate through ball, Mata by an unselfish, somehow onside Torres after Busquets' 30-yard pass rendered six Italian defenders irrelevant.



Prior to today's match @castrolfootball noted that just 28.3% of Spain's passes had been forward passes. It was 47.5% today, and that was after taking the foot off the gas in the final half an hour. That percentage was 51.7% until the first goal, 48.0% until the second, and 49.5% until Motta's injury. This was Spain at its most glorious, most rapacious – a fitting conclusion to its dominance during the last four years.

I've only been watching international football since Italia '90, so I've just seen Brazil in 1970, Holland in 1974, West Germany from 1972 to 1976 on videotape, have just read about 1954 Hungary. I still feel fairly safe asserting Spain are the best international side ever. Had they lost this game, we could have the debate. Winning this tournament, their third in succession, makes the debate moot. Some may have done it better, but no one's done it longer, and that's what makes this so indescribably impressive.

Spain didn't concede once – once! – in the 10 knock-out games beginning at Euro 2008. They conceded six in total during this stretch: to Italy in this tournament's first group game, to Chile and Switzerland in the World Cup 2010 group, and one in each of the three group games in Euro 2008. Six goals in 19 matches, never more than once in any. They were behind in exactly two of those matches, the earlier draw against Italy, behind for all of four minutes, and that fluke of flukes when losing to Switzerland in the first match at the 2010 World Cup. A loss which arguably propelled them to the title.

And Spain did this without Puyol and Villa, cornerstones of the last two tournaments. Players like Cazorla, Pedro, Torres, Mata, Negredo, Llorente, Javi Martínez, Valdes, and Reina rarely if ever started, if even featuring at all. There's an embarrassment of riches, and there's 'so rich you can piles millions and millions of dollars onto a bonfire just to stay warm.' Somehow, Vicente Del Bosque has found a way to manage this extraordinary squad, handling egos, keeping them hungry enough to follow success with more success. The first championship isn't the hardest. The second is. Then the third is. Most sides, no matter the sport, fall victim to what Pat Riley called "the disease of more." (Apologies for the article linked) This side has never looked like succumbing to that illness.

We will almost certainly never see this dominance in international football again. This has not been an era where Spain excelled because of others' weaknesses. Germany were impressive in all three tournaments; Italy were deserved finalists in this one. Portugal took Spain to the limit in 2010 and last week, both Russia and Italy tested Spain in Euro 2008. Any of those sides, or Holland or Uruguay at World Cup 2010, would have been worthy winners. But they ran into a Spanish freight train.

Seeing history marvelously rewritten seems an appropriate end to this excellent tournament.

Spain 0-0 Portugal aet

Spain win 4-2 on penalties

Penalties
Spain: Alonso, Iniesta, Piqué, Ramos, Fàbregas
Portugal: Moutinho, Pepe, Nani, Bruno Alves

The king still lives. But barely.

"You come at the king, you best not miss." And Portugal had zero shots on target. Zero. 11 efforts: eight off-target, three blocked, all but three from outside the penalty box. Which admittedly, wasn't much better than Spain's two on target from eight until extra time – where they were markedly improved – but Spain's been here, done this before, and have the t-shirts and trophies to prove it.

Sure, after 90 minutes, Spain were as unimpressive as at any time during their run through the last three tournaments. At full time, Spain had completed just 469 of 553 passes, both lows for this tournament. As was the resulting 85% pass accuracy, after 89% against Italy, 92% against Ireland, 89% against Croatia, and 89% against France.

Credit for much of that goer to Portugal, although some was self-inflicted (*cough Negredo cough*) and some was the valid "two days less rest" excuse. But Portugal were outstandingly diligent in midfield; Veloso, Moutinho, and Meireles took turns pressing Spain's engine room, ensuring neither Xavi nor Xabi (nor Iniesta when he dropped deeper) had time to create anything. Portugal's back four has been one of the tournament's best, and Pepe and Bruno Alves remained excellent, while Pereira limited Iniesta and Alba more than any other right back has been able to so far.

Still, Del Bosque's gamble, starting Negredo instead of Torres, Fàbregas, or – god forbid – Llorente, was an utter failure.



He had absolutely zero impact in 54 minutes, unceremoniously hauled off in favor of Fabregas soon after the interval. Regardless of the usual superiority in possession, which was slightly less superior than usual, Spain were limited to one clear cut chance in the first half. The first was from the usual player left free – Arbeloa, typically Spain's least potent threat and unsurprisingly rarely tracked by Ronaldo – but he ballooned his ninth-minute shot from Negredo's cutback. Otherwise, Iniesta had a couple of off-target efforts after linking up with Xavi and Alba, while Portugal fed off whatever scraps Ronaldo self-created, with Almeida much less menacing than against the Czechs.

The second half remained in a similar, yawn-inducing vein, even after Fàbregas replaced Negredo, shortly followed by Navas in place of Silva. Once again, Del Bosque sent on a tricky, cross-happy winger after taking off his "orthodox" striker. It was even less effective than against Croatia, where Navas and Fàbregas combined for the winner at the death. Still, as always always always seems to happen, Spain clawed further and further up the pitch as the opposition tired. Pedro replacing Xavi in the closing seconds, with Iniesta shifting to the play-making central role, exacerbated the gap.



As FourFourTwo amusingly pointed out, Portugal were even worse in extra time than England were against Italy. England! Interplay between Alba and Pedro led to Spain's best chance of the match late in the first half of extra time, with the left-back – Spain's star player today, and arguably throughout the tournament – breaking past three to the byline and cutting back for Iniesta, but Rui Patricio smartly saved the midfielder's placed shot.

With Spain unable to break through a determined Portugal defense despite the vast improvement in the final thirty minutes, we got penalties for the second match running. And there were more than a few similarities to the England-Italy spot-kicks. Level after Alonso and Moutinho missed while Iniesta, Pepe, Piqué, and Nani scored, up stepped Sergio Ramos, with a Xerox copy of Pirlo's Panenka straight down the middle. Once again, psychology works. Once again, the next penalty taker – Bruno Alves – cannoned his effort off the crossbar. Fàbregas scored the fifth, just like he did to beat Italy at Euro 2008, with cameras immediately focusing on Ronaldo, left standing, lip quivering, unable to even have a chance at being the hero. The schadenfreude is overwhelming. Yes, I am a petty, petty man.

By anyone else's standards, Spain are worthy finalists, the superior side in each of their five matches. But by their own, and those we've set for them, it's another ho-hum ground-out victory, eking through thanks to a penalty lottery.

But Portugal winning would have been similar to England beating Italy. Italy were more dominant, in shots and attacking flair if not possession, while England are assuredly not at Portugal's level. Portugal – and yes, Ronaldo – had an outstanding tournament, especially the midfield and back four, and were deserved semi-finalists. But Spain were the better side, are the better side, and will now face Germany or Italy for the chance to do what no other country has ever done.

Are you not entertained?

Spain 2-0 France

Goals:
Alonso 19' 90+1' (pen)

I've never seen a side as comfortably in control with a one-goal lead as this Spanish side.

Compare today with yesterday's quarterfinal. No matter how dominant Germany were, they still conceded an unlikely equalizer and had to furiously rally in the final 30 minutes. That never, ever, ever looked likely today. And France is – or, at least, should be – a far better side than the Greeks.

Not counting Ireland – because, honestly – it was the first first-half goal Spain have scored in a major tournament since beating Chile in the last group stage game of the 2010 World Cup. Goals against Croatia, Italy, Holland, Germany, Paraguay, and Portugal all came in the second half, all after the hour mark, after Spain's death by a billion cuts finally broke down resilient opposition.

Reverting to the Fàbregas-as-false-nine system deployed against Italy, they started with far more impetus today, and should have won a penalty within six minutes. But the referee waved complaints away after Fàbregas was brought down trying to reach Alonso's ball over the top. After 13 more minutes of typical pokes and jabs, Iniesta charged down the left and fed Alba, sprinting around Debuchy and delivering a perfect cross for Alonso, unfathomably left open by Malouda's refusal to track back. So much for Laurent Blanc's use of two right backs to protect that flank.



It was fitting that Alonso was the goal-scorer given his dominance today, the Spanish player with the most passes, most attacking third passes, most shots (all three of the Spanish shots on target), and joint-most tackles and interceptions. And both goals. Surprisingly, after today's strikes, he's now joint-second top scorer for Spain under Del Bosque, tied with Silva behind just Villa, with 14 goals since August 2008.

The early goal allowed Spain to swallow France like an anaconda with a mouse, tauntingly squeezing the life out of it before devouring it whole. Once again, Spain seemingly just *knew* they could hold what they had, taking only eight shots following Alonso's opener after five in the first 19 minutes. Spain had 66% possession against Italy, 76% against Ireland, and 72% against Croatia, but just – "just" – 60% today. Which is still more of the ball than they had in five of their seven World Cup games two years ago.

That France were dismal in the attacking third didn't hurt Spain's chances either.



Set up in such a reactive formation, France were never truly able to respond after going behind so soon. The French were limited to free kicks in the first half: the first ballooned by Benzema, the second from Cabaye on-target but not hard enough to trouble Casillas. They offered slightly more in the second half, but again had just two chances of note. The first saw Debuchy head Ribéry's cross over on the hour mark. Ten minutes later, following Busquets' sloppy giveaway, Ribéry burst down the left, but his cutback-cum-shot from the byline was collected by Casillas.

France's attacking substitutions – Ménez and Nasri for Debuchy and Malouda – in the 64th minute did little to change the pattern of play; that one chance after the changes started with a Spanish mistake. Meanwhile, Spain's substitutes eventually led to their second – after Torres was caught offside approximately 17 times. Pedro and Cazorla, on the other hand, combined to win an injury-time penalty: Cazorla's throughball, Pedro tripped by Réveillère, coolly scored by Alonso for his brace.

This is the eighth consecutive knock-out round game where Spain haven't conceded, stretching back to when they were knocked out of the 2006 World Cup by today's opponent – beating Italy, Russia, Germany (twice), Portugal, Paraguay, Holland, and now France without letting in a goal.

Once again, tiki-taka remains the best form of defense. Spain were always in control if not command, while France were impotent – and weren't helped by Blanc's four changes. It may have been dull at times, and Spain may not have been at its most impressive, but it was more than sufficient. Rather than yet another French implosion, the focus should be on Spain's continuing, seemingly effortless, supremacy. If any side is going to stop them from becoming the first team to win three consecutive major tournaments, they'll have to box far cleverer than France did today.

Spain 4-0 Ireland

Goals:
Torres 4' 70'
Silva 49'
Fabregas 83'

It played out exactly as you expected it to play out.

Look, I don't mean this to be patronizing. But these two teams are in different classes, and we knew this before kickoff.

All the pre-match talk centered on Torres. Would his interminable profligacy cost the Spanish? Could Ireland keep it tight, frustrate Spain with 10 men behind the ball, and snatch an unlikely winner via route one or a set play? Nope.

Trapattoni's plan worked for the first three minutes. Ireland had the lone shot on target, from Keane, set-up by Cox after a quick free kick. Casillas saved it. But after four minutes, Spain had a lead they'd never looked like relinquishing, from that man Torres. Iniesta set up Silva at the top of the box, Dunne tackled but was slow to recover, and Torres raced on to the loose ball, easily sprinting past a static Ward, and rocketing a shot over Given's waving hands. While at Liverpool, Torres loved playing against Dunne, scoring four goals in five meetings against Dunne's club teams with Liverpool unbeaten in all five. He came quite close to replicating that era of good feelings today.

Spain couldn't extended their lead in the first half, despite near-constant possession, despite the hundreds of completed passes, despite eight other created chances, but weren't all that bothered. A 1-0 Spanish lead often feels like 3-0 leads for mere mortal sides. Sure, they've been punished before, as have Barcelona, who often play in a similar manner with the same players, but an equalizer still looks unlikely. Not that stats matter all that much when analyzing this match, but the passing chart explains an awful lot.



788 to 178 passes completed. That's more than quadruple Ireland's total. Out of 860 attempted, a 92% completion rate. I'm just going to let that soak in for a minute.

Spain's passes show up as a giant, all-consuming blue miasma in Ireland's half. Ireland's passes look to quickly transition from near-permanent defense to unlikely attack. Despite that overwhelming passing dominance, Ireland did out-pass the Spanish by one metric.



Hit it long, hope Robbie Keane could create something from less than nothing or, after half-time, Jon Walters could hold up play long enough to involve one, maybe even two runners. It obviously wasn't successful.

Ireland were able to keep the deficit at one through the first 45, as Given made seven saves while Ireland blocked three other shots and Spain put three good chances off target. But, as in the first half, Ireland sloppy conceded within four minutes of kickoff. Given made the first save, punching Iniesta's shot out of the goal mouth. Unfortunately, he punched it straight to David Silva near the penalty spot, who stayed calm, cleverly danced around three defenders, then slide-rule passed the ball into the net just out of Given's fingertip range. Game well and truly over.

Given wonderfully prevented a possible Spanish third five minutes later, somehow denying Xabi, and McGeady nearly created two unlikely openings soon after the hour – one self-inflicted by Arbeloa – but Spain defended well when Spain needed to defend well.

And then Torres struck again, one of those trademark goals which stopped being a trademark as soon as he left Liverpool. A scramble in midfield, another perfectly-weighted Silva throughball splitting the center-backs, Torres charging in on Given, stutter-stepping to see if Given would commit, and coolly finishing just above Given's rising arm. Maybe all he needs is to play in a red kit.

Del Bosque, rarely one for sentimentality, hauled Torres off soon after, denying him the chance at a hat-trick in order to get some of Spain's criminally-underused players on the pitch, bringing on Martinez, Fabregas, and Cazorla. Contributions from the latter two led to Spain's fourth. Cazorla's fierce shot won a corner, and, taken quickly with Irish minds already back in the dressing room, Fabregas picked up the short corner, sped around Paul Green, and hammered the shot in from no angle. Woof.

4-0 flatters Spain and doesn't flatter Spain. Yes, the margin of victory easily could have been more. But, and again no offense to Ireland – especially the brilliant, constantly singing fans – no other match will come so easily.

Spain face Croatia in the final group match. A 2-2 draw (or more) would see both teams qualify. A Spanish loss, however unlikely, would see them fail to advance if Italy beat Ireland. Still, Spain are odds-on favorites to come out of Group C. And then we'll see if Spain can overcome better defenses who will look to smother them as thoroughly as the Italians did in the first match.

Spain 1-1 Italy

Goals:
Di Natale 61'
Fabregas 64'

Now that was a proper football match. Italy were outstanding for the first hour as Spain suffered and stuttered against a packed 3-5-2 midfield; Prandelli's side set up perfectly against Spain's tactics.

Di Natale's goal on the hour could have been a hammer blow, but Spain's starters, specifically the struggling Fabregas, replied immediately. Del Bosque followed with immediate, necessary tactical changes, and Spain probably should have won the match from 1-1, with multiple chances against the tiring Italians.

The starting Spanish formation seemed designed to counter Chelsea vs Barca style last ditch packed defending. Instead, Italy's formation clogged the middle of pitch, with the added bonus of wing-backs stifling Spain's fullbacks, frequently the only source of width for the defending champions.

It seems obvious. Spain's squad is chock-full of central midfielders, with little attacking width and no out-and-out striker. So Italy countered by packing the midfield rather than parking the bus. Spain out-possessed and out-passed Italy throughout, as per usual, but the patience of a Xabi, Xavi, and Busquets midfield was rarely a virtue with Italy's swarming presence in the middle of the pitch. Italy also did very well shifting from five in midfield to five at the back at the right times, a sign of a well-coached team.

And Italy had the better chances in the first half as every Spanish attacker other than Iniesta disappointed. Pirlo tested Casillas with a free kick, Marchisio with a well-hit volley, and Motta with a strong header from Cassano's cross; the AC Milan striker was a permanent threat pulling wide and into space between the lines. Meanwhile, Silva had a couple of tame efforts and Iniesta's chances were well-saved at the near post and volleyed over and that was about it in the final third.

That man Iniesta once again came close soon after the restart, but Buffon just got fingers to his narrow-angled shot across the face of goal. Minutes later, Balotelli should have opened the scoring, reminiscent of Suarez's FA Cup semifinal goal two months ago. Balotelli's pressure forced Ramos into a sloppy back pass, putting the striker through on goal, but he bafflingly lingered, waiting for Casillas to give him an obvious opening that was never coming, and Ramos charged back to close down.

That Balotelli was hauled off soon after was no coincidence, replaced by Di Natale. Who opened the scoring almost immediately as Pirlo turned back the years, easily charging past Busquets and splitting the centerbacks with an inch-perfect throughball, with Di Natale racing behind Pique and Ramos and coolly finishing around Casillas.

An Italian side, whether club or country, with a one goal lead is usually a death sentence. But Spain didn't allow them to settle into all too typical catenaccio. The misfiring Silva and Fabregas tallied the assist and goal, with the move unsurprisingly started by Iniesta and Xavi. A very Spanish, very Barcelona goal: carving through multiple bodies in the final third with quick, one-touch, perfectly-angled passes. Xavi driving forward from deep, passing to Iniesta who somehow found space for a lay-off to Silva despite two Italian markers. Silva's immediate turn and through for Fabregas, who finally made a run from deep in behind a center-back. No time to control, a quick, unstoppable low point blank finish with his weaker foot. Two excellent goals within five minutes, both coming from players making clever runs behind determined defenders. We didn't see enough of that today, whether due to both sides' tactics and defensive abilities or individual attackers' failings.

Even though Silva and Fabregas were at the heart of the goal, those were the two replaced when Del Bosque made changes, first bringing on Navas for Silva to stretch the play wider, necessary since the full-backs provided little help and especially helpful with Italy's left-sided wingback, Giaccherini predominantly right-footed. Then Torres for Fabregas, replacing a false nine with an actual nine. In theory.

And Italy were on the back foot for those final 25 minutes, vulnerable to Spain's changes and clearly tiring after the first hour's intensity. Torres should have been the hero, with three chances to score what probably would have been the game winner. Sadly – and I say that as a Liverpool fan who delights in schadenfreude – he continued in the form that's seen him go from the most-feared striker in world football to a comedy figure complete with jester hat, scepter, and slippers with bells on them.

In the 75th, a minute after coming on, he cleverly beat the offside trap, played through by Navas on a quick counter, but Buffon brilliantly charged forward to steal the ball off Torres' toe. In the 83rd, in a similar position again from Navas' pass, Torres lingered inside the box and eventually saw his cutback cut out. Two minutes later, this time set up by Xavi, his chip from outside the box sailed onto the roof of the net, the wrong decision with Navas open on the right. All in all, not the most impressive of cameos and, unfortunately, rather par for the course these days.

Each side will probably be content with a draw – well, as content as you can be with a draw in a major tournament. The draw is certainly a fair result, and both sides will remain favorites to qualify from the group. It's not the first time either side's started slowly; Spain won the last World Cup despite losing its first group game while Italy are notoriously slow starters – unimpressive in its 2006 World Cup group and barely qualifying for the 1994 World Cup knockout stages, a tournament they only lost on penalty kicks. And both sides learned an awful lot about their players and tactical set-up.