Nations League, Spain-Italy 2-1: Spaniards in the final against Croatia

From our correspondent Andrea Elefante

June 15
– Enschede

A half-hearted joke, because Italy must also make a mea culpa for the chances they had and didn’t take advantage of, but a joke none the less. Spain takes the pass for the Nations League final against Croatia two minutes from the end of the 90′, with the men of destiny: Rodri, who after having punished Inter in the Champions League final, finds a powerful shot from which is born, after a double rebound on Cristante and Toloi, the final and winning touch of Joselu. And precisely the striker of Espanyol, who had just been relegated, who had scored two decisive goals in the final also in the qualifying match for the European Championship against Norway. So it hurts, but Italy will also have to meditate on their mistakes, in the scoring phase and also in the precision phase, which too often have frustrated attempts to break Spanish possession of the ball. Thus the possibility of winning a trophy vanishes, Mancini’s team will play the useless final against the Dutch hosts, again here in Enschede, on Sunday at 3pm.

The choices

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Surprisingly left-handed and in extremis he returns to the 3-5-2 which seemed to have to give way to the more “canonical” 4-3-3. So the first excluded is Raspadori, to the advantage of the Zaniolo-Immobile offensive couple, but Verratti is also out, because in the three-man line in midfield the coach prefers Frattesi: this too is a choice that seems to be characterized by freshness, the quality that on the eve he had said he would give preference in his choices. The Toloi-Bonucci ballot falls, because they are both in the three-man defensive line together with Acerbi, with Di Lorenzo and Spinazzola, preferred to Dimarco, on the wings. La Fuente’s “revolution” is even more profound: the Spanish coach changes eight with respect to the defeat against Scotland which complicated the European qualifying process. Unai Simon returns in goal, the central couple is made up of two naturalized Frenchmen (Le Normand-Laporte) with the experts Jesus Navas (37 years old) and Jordi Alba (34) on the flanks; the confirmed Rodri and Merino in front of the defense and the Rodrigo-Gavi-Pino trio (the other one who resisted the coach’s turnaround) behind Alvaro Morata.

Q&A

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The start is shocking, for Bonucci and therefore for Italy: after less than 3′ we give Spain the 1-0. In a trivial situation of starting action from below, the Juventus player has two options – unloading on Donnarumma or on Toloi – and instead falls into a double indecision: the first in contrast with Gavi, the second, sensational, on Pino who can take advantage of a dribbling attempt failed and he finds himself a very free corridor towards the goal and can beat Donnarumma serenely. But the reaction is good, at least that, and also the timing to find the balance. Only 7′ went by and Jorginho anticipated the blitz in the area for Zaniolo, whose left-wing shot found Le Normand’s arm. Very clear penalty, which gives Immobile back – very cold from the penalty spot – the joy of a blue goal that he has been missing from the European Championship, therefore for two years. A very entertaining match was born from the question and answer, even if the show thrives on the defects of the two teams and is also fueled by mutual mistakes. Those from Italy are other kind gifts, which often arise from misunderstandings, even trivial technical errors or lucidity errors, such as the one in the 27th minute by Zaniolo: from one of his turnovers comes a restart by Morata and Donnarumma’s lucidity is needed to close the mirror and swerve into a corner. But the blue reaction is also made up of interesting initiatives, which often break the Spanish dribble, at times stunning as always, but certainly more vertical, taking advantage of Morata’s side games, perfectly at ease in the role of the center forward with his back to goal. Beyond a disallowed goal (21′, still deep inspiration from Jorginho for Frattesi, who escapes Jordi Alba and scores slightly offside), Italy punctually takes advantage of the Spanish imbalances, to hurt with sudden holes; in the 35th minute with Barella, launched by Di Lorenzo, who looks for Zaniolo instead of trying the shot; a minute later with Immobile, launched by a Zaniolo-Frattesi combination, who widens too much from the right for the onrushing Barella. The half closes with a right winger from distance by Toloi, just “dirty” and therefore high but not too much.

The recovery

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Even the beginning of the recovery seems to bring negative omens. For at least ten minutes Spain was the absolute master of the field, indeed of Italy’s half, crushed in the area without being able to get out. The maxi risk, once again, comes after 3′, when Darmian burns on a sloping Merino and finds himself alone in front of Donnarumma, amazing in repelling his title from two meters without fail; on the rebound Morata has the chance to shoot, but sends it wide to Gigio’s left. Which gives, indeed gives, a thrill 4′ later, with a so-so exit from a free kick, but luckily Rodri’s turn is high. But Italy also has an important chance to take the lead, in the 19th minute, when Zaniolo widens to the left and puts in the middle for yet another attack on Frattesi’s goal, who places his left foot but finds an amazing Unai in his way Simon. Bravura rather than luck, while there is also a bit of bad luck, for Italy, on the occasion of Spain’s winning goal, when the match seems to have started into extra time and there would still be a substitution available for Mancini, who had chosen to close without role forwards, with Chiesa and Zaniolo wide in front. It all happens two minutes from the end: a shot from outside the area by Rodri – always him – finds a double carambola on Cristante and Toloi and the ball splashes in front of Donnarumma where there is Joselu, who has recently entered in place of Morata, ready to place the winning tap.