Spain vs. Italy: Euro 2012 Final Preview and Prediction

Euro 2012 has reached its crescendo. Spain and Italy are the last teams standing, and on Sunday they will come together in a clash of footballing cultures that will have a global audience in the hundreds of millions hanging on their every pass.

Spain are the defending European champions and reigning World Cup winners. Vicente del Bosque's revered pass masters can make history by winning a third successive major title in Kiev, Ukraine, and will be favorites to make it happen.

But Cesare Prandelli's Italy have already done for England and Germany in the knockout stages of Euro 2012, and inspired by midfielder Andrea Pirlo—arguably the player of the tournament so far—deservedly earned a shot to knock Spain off their throne.

Routes to the Final

Spain and Italy both came through Group C. The two teams drew 1-1 in their opening game of Euro 2012, with Antonio Di Natale's opener for the Italians—set up by an inspired play from Pirlo—cancelled out by an equalizer from Cesc Fabregas.

The Spanish enjoyed a 4-0 win against a weak Republic of Ireland side in the second round of group games. Fernando Torres helped himself to a brace, with the other goals coming from David Silva and Fabregas. Meanwhile, Italy were held 1-1 by Croatia after going ahead through a curling free kick from Pirlo.

It was all to play for in the final round of group matches. Spain's nerve was tested by Croatia, but eventually they prevailed thanks to a late winner from substitute Jesus Navas and won the group. Italy came through in the second spot thanks to a 2-0 win against Ireland, with goals from Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli.

Despite outplaying England and creating a host of chances, Italy failed to score and needed penalties to see them off in the quarterfinals. Spain were relatively untroubled in a 2-0 win against France—with Xabi Alonso scoring both goals, the second from the penalty spot.

In the semifinals, Spain triumphed in a penalty shootout against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal after a 0-0 draw. Italy beat much-fancied Germany 2-1, with an inspired Balotelli scoring both goals to send his team through to the final.

What to Expect

Spain's game is all about possession and fluid movement. With imperious Barcelona duo Andres Iniesta and Xavi at their hub, the Spanish have built a dynasty of success on their tiki-taka passing style. The approach calls on all 10 outfield players to keep the ball moving until spaces appear in the final third. When they do, Spain go for the kill.

Italy's game plan relies heavily on Pirlo, who operates as a deep-lying playmaker and performs a quarterback-style role the Italians call "regista." The Italians are hard to break down, with Daniele De Rossi tasked with shielding their back four, and very dangerous on the counterattack. We can expect Balotelli and Cassano to start up front in the final.

Possible Starting Lineups

SPAIN: Casillas, Arbeloa, Pique, Ramos, Alba, Busquets, Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta, Silva, Fabregas

ITALY: Buffon, Chiellini, Balzaretti, Barzagli, Bonucci, Marchisio, De Rossi, Pirlo, Montolivo, Balotelli, Cassano

Head-to-Head Record

Spain and Italy have played 26 competitive matches in total (as per FIFA), with eight wins for Italy, seven for Spain and 11 draws.

 Recent Major Tournament Meetings

- Spain 1-1 Italy, Euro 2012 Group C

- Spain 0-0 Italy (Spain won on pens), Euro 2008 quarterfinal

- Italy 2-1 Spain, World Cup 1994 quarterfinal

Prediction

Everything points to the final being extremely tight. Both sides are well organized defensively and unlikely to concede much space in midfield—where I expect the match to be decided.

In a game of small margins, I'm picking Italy to cause an upset. Spain haven't been at their best at Euro 2012, and based on Italy's performance against Germany I think they come into the game with the greater momentum.

Unsurprisingly, I think Pirlo will be key to their success. Spain are unlikely to assign a man to mark him, and that will leave the 33-year-old with time and space to plot their downfall. If Italy can catch Spain on the break, they have a strike pair in Balotelli and Cassano who can punish them.

I see Italy winning it 1-0.

source: read more at bleacherreport.com

Euro 2012: Spain v Italy: a final to go down in history

Spain bid to complete a unique treble, Italy to restore their scandal-hit reputation. It is a climax this tournament deserves

Spain and Italy have the potential to provide a memorable climax to Euro 2012 in the final in Kiev.

Spain's resplendent champions stand accused of suffocating the game. In Italy, football struggles to extricate itself from its umpteenth scandal. And yet there is an excellent chance that on Sunday night in Kiev's Olympic Stadium the two teams representing these nations will provide a contest of skill and courage to burnish the game's reputation.

This is the tournament that defies you to look away. If 20 million people tuning in to watch the drama of England playing Italy in a quarter-final seems remarkable, the figure of 12m Britons switching on for Italy's semi-final with Germany on Thursday night is astounding, particularly with Rafael Nadal on the other channel. On Sunday night the two best teams in the competition promise to provide spectators, whether in the stadium or at home, with the climax that such an entrancing championship deserves.

Two sets of desires will collide in the Ukrainian capital when the team of Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Iker Casillas meets that of Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi and Gianluigi Buffon. There is the yearning of Spain to cap their victories in Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup by becoming the first side to win three major tournaments in a row since Uruguay took the Olympic title – the forerunner of the World Cup – in 1924 and 1928, then added the inaugural World Cup itself in 1930. And there is Italy's fierce ambition to overcome the match-fixing scandal undermining their domestic game in order to show that in its sheer quality, their football remains capable of reaching the ultimate peaks.

"The truth is, yes, it is something we think about," Sergio Ramos, Spain's dashing defender, said on Friday, when asked about the significance of winning a third consecutive major trophy. "That's what we're playing for on Sunday. It's something that will never be surpassed as no other national team has managed it before."

Uruguayans will dispute that, but never mind. "Now we have the chance to do it," Ramos continued. "Whatever happens, Spain has already made history, but we obviously want to win this championship again after all the work this team has done. It's cost us a lot to get where we are, and now we have to show our best level against a great team."

Three weeks ago these two sides gave Euro 2012 its first outstanding match with a 1-1 draw in Gdansk. Both managers showed their courage by opting for a brand new tactical plan, previously untested. But there was nothing academic about the encounter. You did not need to know Spain's 4-6-0 from Italy's 3-5-2 to recognise that this was football of compelling intellectual and physical merits.

Since that night, layers of intrigue have been added to Spain's campaign, and a new lustre to Italy's. Are the short-passing maestros of Vicente del Bosque's team now past their unbeatable best, or will we see one more great performance from Xavi and Iniesta as they attempt to defend their title? And has Cesare Prandelli given Italy a new freedom of expression, through putting his trust in such unpredictable virtuosi as Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli, to go with their always formidable technique and defensive discipline?

There is no end to the drama inherent in this contest between the world champions of 2006 and 2010, and to the history involved. It was against Italy that Spain began their extraordinary run of 19 wins in competitive matches four years ago when, under Luis Aragonés, they eliminated Marcello Lippi's side on penalties in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in Vienna. Spain are after their third title but a win for Italy tomorrow would complete a very different triple. Totonero, Calciopoli andCalcioscommese are the key names, but they are not those of Prandelli's reserve midfielders.

Totonero was the name given to the Serie A betting scandal from which Enzo Bearzot's Azzurri were still recovering when they went to the World Cup in 1982 and triumphed thanks to the goals of Paolo Rossi, who had just returned from a two-year ban received as punishment for his alleged part in the affair. Calciopoli was the 2006 inquiry which discovered that several top clubs, including Juventus, Milan and Fiorentina, had been covertly influencing the selection of referees, an imbroglio from which Lippi's Italy emerged to fight their way to a triumph in the World Cup in Germany.

Now we have Calcioscommesse, an investigation into another betting scam throughout Italy's top four divisions, leading to long bans for such prominent figures as Beppe Signori and Cristiano Doni, the former international strikers.

The echoes roll on, like thunder approaching and receding. Earlier this month Domenico Criscito, the Zenit St Petersburg left‑back, was withdrawn from Prandelli's party after being questioned by theCalcioscommesse investigators. "He would have been under pressure which no human being could bear," Prandelli said. Leonardo Bonucci, the Juventus defender, was also named, but remained with the squad.

After this, a victory tomorrow would be added to those of 1982 and 2006 as evidence for a study into the psychology of Italy's footballers, examining the causes of their apparent need for a dark backdrop against which to perform their greatest deeds.

Italy's 54-year-old head coach won admiration when he declared that if it was necessary to withdraw the entire team from the tournament, then so be it. What Prandelli shares with Del Bosque – his senior by six years, outrageously sacked by Real Madrid a decade ago for lacking charisma – is the ability to convey the feeling that while football may be a wonderful game, and certainly worth a lifetime's dedication, it is not everything in life.

We saw on Thursday what is possible when a great coach finds a way to rid his players of their inhibitions. All Italy's finest attributes were on show in an enthralling victory over Germany, along with a sense of liberation that may soon allow Prandelli's work to bear comparison with the work of his greatest predecessors: Vittorio Pozzo, Ferruccio Valcareggi, Enzo Bearzot, Arrigo Sacchi and Lippi.

As he attempts to repeat the victory achieved by Valcareggi in 1968, his personal blend of profound humility and enlightened self-belief is deeply beguiling. "Spain are still the favourites for the final but I think they know very well now who we are and what we can do," he said on Friday. "I have always said that they are a reference point, and they are, but we can be one, too."

The shadow across Spain's campaign is altogether less serious, since it concerns nothing more than a philosophical dispute over their style of play, which is aimed at denying their opponents the use of the ball. So effectively have Spain's forwards turned attack into the most efficient form of defence that Antonio Di Natale's strike in the 61st minute of their opening match remains the only goal scored against them so far in the tournament.

Thanks to the use of social media among the more engaged football fans, the argument is being prosecuted with the fervour of the inquisitions that took place in 15th‑century Spain. Today's believers and heretics are hurling their accusations on message boards and Twitter feeds, one side claiming that we are watching the most creatively exalted team in the history of football while the other accuses them of denying the game the oxygen of dynamism and balanced competition.

Maybe the heretics are just bored by Spain's long sequence of unbroken success. That would be no more than human nature at work, exaggerated by the shortened attention spans of life in the 21st century. But it is odd to see football fans anxious to hasten the end of an era of success that, once it is over, will come to be seen as a golden age.

Spain's ball-manipulators will go down in the history of international football alongside Austria's Wunderteam, Hungary's Magical Magyars, Pele's Brazil and Holland's Cruyff-led total footballers. So make the most of them while they are still with us. And if they lose on Sunday, then let it be to an Italy playing the way Prandelli has tried to inspire, with freshness and without fear, trusting in skill and instinct, concerned only to present the best of themselves to a final that, given the ingredients and the formula, and the mutual respect between the teams, promises to take its place among the very finest.

Previous meetings

Spain 2 Italy 0 1920 Olympics

The only time Spain have been able to break down Italy at a tournament without penalties. Spain went on to finish second, behind Belgium

Spain 1 Italy 7 1928 Olympics

This is still Spain's joint-heaviest defeat, the Italians running riot in a quarter-final replay with Virgilio Levratto scoring twice

Spain 0 Italy 1 Euro 1988

Gianluca Vialli scored the goal to virtually guarantee a place in the semi-finals of Euro 88 and a 19-year-old Paolo Maldini was superb in defence

Spain 1 Italy 2 1994 World Cup

Most remembered for Mauro Tassotti's elbow on Luis Enrique, which left the Spaniard with a bloodied face. Roberto Baggio got winner after 88 minutes

Spain 0 Italy 0 Euro 2008

Cesc Fábregas scored the decisive spot kick after a dour 120 minutes. Current Azzurri players Antonio Di Natale and Daniele De Rossi missed theirs

Spain 1 Italy 1 Euro 2012

Di Natale, on as a substitute, scored for Cesare Prandelli's team after an hour, but Fábregas equalised four minutes later in a pulsating encounter

source: guardian.co.uk

Spain vs Portugal: Euro 2012 Semifinal Predictions

Spain and Portugal are to face each other in the Euro 2012 Semifinals in the battle of the Iberian Peninsula. Both teams made great efforts in arriving at this stage of the tournament.

What will be expected for the two teams? The time has come to discuss the recent encounters between the two teams.

It will be followed by comments about the possibilities of Spain and Portugal in the semifinals in order to arrive at a prediction.

Previous Recent Encounters

According to Dominic Vieira of A Football Report (AFR), Spain and Portugal faced each other in Euro 2004. Both countries needed to advance to the quarterfinals but Portugal defeated Spain 1-0 secondary to a goal scored by Nunes Gomes.

Spain returned the favor by defeating Portugal 1-0 during the 2010 FIFA World Cup as reported by the BBC.

Spain

The victory of Spain over France during the weekend Euro 2012 quarterfinals is unforgettable. Iker Casillas was able to save the day deflecting attempts by France to score.

Xabi Alonso was able to score with a header within 19 minutes and again within the end of the match. Spain was in possession during most of the match and kept going without second guessing.

The Spanish Euro 2012 squad maintained possession for the majority of the match. They also allowed the clock to roll in order to stall for time and prevent the French from equalizing.

It was a formula that worked for aFrench team that did not recover from its humiliating defeat to Sweden during the Group D Tournament. Spain may be expected to maintain the same formula in its match against Portugal by reinforcing the midfield.

Iker Casillas will remain the goalkeeper secondary to the results in Euro 2012. Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres are expected to play a pivotal role in the semifinal battle of the Iberian Peninsula.

Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo may be celebrating his contribution to Portugal arriving at the semifinals. Ronaldo may think that he is the greatest footballer in the world, but he will have to change his thinking style.

Ronaldo will not be able to stop the Spanish onslaught because of his poor performance in Portugal’s match against Denmark. Ronaldo lost two opportunities to score for Portugal and it was Silvestre Varela that helped Portugal win its quarterfinal match against Denmark.

Ronaldo will not expect any mercy as he attempts to score goals. Iker Casillas, who is Ronaldo’s teammate in Real Madrid and one of Spain’s principal goalkeepers, will prevent Ronaldo from getting near the goalpost.

Ronaldo (like Jose Mourinho once did) may find scapegoats for their loss to Spain. The end result is that they will be to blame in the eyes of the Portuguese and world media when Portugal loses.

Final Predictions

The predictions may or may not be right taking into account what will transpire in the match. What can be said is that the match between Spain and Portugal is expected to be filled with tension and excitement as both teams show their strength to the world.

The end result will be Spain 2-1 Portugal with Spain facing Germany in the final match of Euro 2012.

source: bleacherreport.com

Portugal tak gentar

KIRI: PENYERANG Sepanyol, Fernando Torres dan Kanan: BINTANG sensasi Portugal, Ronaldo.

DONETSK, Ukraine – Portugal tidak berasa tertekan untuk berdepan dengan Sepanyol pada aksi separuh akhir Euro 2012 di Donbass Arena, Donetsk awal pagi esok.

Kapten Cristiano Ronaldo menegaskan bahawa mereka tiada perasaan gentar menentang juara bertahan Euro itu.

Peledak berbisa berusia 27 tahun itu kini berada pada prestasi terbaik apabila meledak tiga gol setakat ini sekali gus membantu The Navigators muncul antara empat pasukan terbaik pada kempen Euro kali ini.

Pada aksi awal pagi esok, Ronaldo bakal berentap dengan sebahagian besar rakan sepasukannya di Real Madrid seperti Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos dan Iker Casillas selain seteru utamanya di Barcelona seperti Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta dan Cesc Fabregas.

Namun, Ronaldo tanpa berselindung mengakui tidak tertekan dengan pertembungan tersebut dan menganggap ia hanya perlawanan biasa seperti mana dalam saingan Liga Sepanyol.

“Tidak ada apa-apa yang istimewa mengenai perlawanan ini kerana bagi saya ia hanya satu perlawanan biasa.

“Apa yang akan saya lakukan hanyalah untuk meledak gol sekali gus membantu Portugal menyambar slot ke final,” kata Ronaldo.

Meskipun La Roja dilabel sebagai pasukan pilihan, Ronaldo tetap optimis mengenai kejutan yang bakal dilakar Portugal seperti mana edisi 2004.

“Jika berjaya melangkah ke final, sudah tentu ia sesuatu yang cukup istimewa.

“Berdepan pasukan yang hebat seperti Sepanyol, perlawanan ini pastinya diibaratkan seperti hidup dan mati bagi kedua-dua pasukan,” katanya. – Agensi

sumber : kosmo online

Peluang Portugal, Sepanyol 50-50

PEREITA (dua dari kiri) bergurau seketika bersama rakan-rakan sepasukannya ketika menjalani latihan di Stadium Opalenica, Poland kelmarin.

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Tonggak pertahanan Portugal, Joao Pereira menganggap pertemuan menentang Sepanyol pada aksi separuh akhir Euro 2012 di Donbass Arena awal pagi Khamis ini adalah 50-50.

Pereira berkata, perlawanan itu akan menjadi berbeza berbanding ketika aksi persahabatan antara kedua-dua pasukan dua tahun lalu.

Biarpun ketika itu Portugal berjaya melakar kemenangan 4-0, namun Pereira menjelaskan bahawa skuad La Roja pasti akan tampil dengan corak permainan yang berbeza kali ini.

"Ia akan menjadi perlawanan 50-50. Saya tidak pasti sama ada kami akan menonton semula rakaman perlawanan persahabatan dua tahun lalu tetapi apa yang pasti, ia akan menjadi perlawanan yang berbeza.

"Ketika kami menang 4-0 ke atas Sepanyol pada perlawanan persahabatan itu, mereka (Sepanyol) beraksi dengan bersahaja dan tidak berada dalam keadaan tertekan.

"Namun, kini ia akan menjadi lebih sukar buat kami. Pada kempen Piala Dunia, kami bersaing hebat untuk menang tetapi akhir Sepanyol mencatatkan kemenangan 1-0.

"Kami yakin kami mampu menewaskan Sepanyol dan saya harap kami akan menang," kata Pereira.

Portugal memulakan kempen Euro kali ini dengan hambar apabila tewas 0-1 pada aksi pembukaan Kumpulan B menentang Jerman.

Bagaimanapun, skuad kendalian Paulo Bento itu kembali bangkit apabila melakar kemenangan dalam dua baki perlawanan kumpulan iaitu ke atas Denmark 1-0 dan Belanda (2-1).

Meskipun, anak-anak buah Bento dilihat mempamerkan peningkatan tetapi Pereira mengingatkan rakan-rakan sepasukannya agar berhati-hati dengan corak permainan Sepanyol.

"Biarpun kami tewas pada perlawanan pertama tetapi kami telah berjaya mempamerkan peningkatan.

"Saya harap kami tidak akan melakukan kesilapan kerana Sepanyol pasti akan menggunakan kesempatan tersebut bagi menjaringkan gol.

"Kami perlu berhati-hati dengan pemain tengah Sepanyol yang berkebolehan melakukan hantaran-hantaran yang merbahaya dan mengelirukan," jelas Pereira. - Agensi

sumber: kosmo online

Defending champ Spain defeats France

Xabi Alonso scored two goals in his 100th international appearance Saturday, leading Spain to a 2-0 win overFrance and a spot in the European Championshipsemifinals.

Alonso first scored with a thumping downward header in the 19th minute and then converted a penalty in injury time.

''We knew this was the most important match and we played very well,'' Alonso said. ''Scoring the early goal really made things easy, so I must say we're happy.''

The win was Spain's first over France in a competitive match in seven attempts. Spain will next face Portugal on Wednesday in Donetsk in the semifinals as it bids to win a third straight major title.

''When you lose a game there's always something missing, I'm not sure if it's possession or technical ability,'' France coach Laurent Blanc said. ''The lads gave everything and it's very hard to play against Spain. We blocked their left flank, which is their strong point.''

The opening goal was the result of excellent one-touch football - the hallmark of Spain's game. Andres Iniesta prodded the ball through for Jordi Alba, who whipped a perfect cross from the left to Alonso. The Real Madrid midfielder timed his run so well that no France defender picked him up.

''He knows how to sacrifice himself, help the team and where to play,'' Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said. ''He is one of the attacking strengths of ours. He knows how to create and finish.''

Spain wrapped things up after France right back Anthony Reveillere barged into substitute forward Pedro Rodriguez in injury time. Alonso coolly sent goalkeeper Hugo Lloris the wrong way from the spot, looking right but clipping the ball firmly to the left.

France's only shot on target came in the 32nd minute when Yohan Cabaye's free kick was tipped over by Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

''They were there for the taking,'' Blanc said. ''We knew we would get some chances, and the only thing I regret is that they scored off their first good chance. If we had gone in level at 0-0 at halftime, then I think we would have had more room in the second half.''

The match was sometimes dull, but the Spanish did not really need to change gears after Alonso's opening goal.

Although the French made it out of the group stage for the first time since the 2006 World Cup, the manner of Saturday's loss will be disappointing for a team touted as one of the tournament's dangerous outsiders.

France formed a deep defensive line and watched awe-struck as Spain flicked the ball around as if it were a training session. The Spanish made dummy runs everywhere early on, and had a penalty claim waved away in the sixth minute when Cesc Fabregas tumbled under a challenge from left back Gael Clichy.

Spain soon pulled a compact France team out of position in the 10th minute as Iniesta curled a ball behind center half Adil Rami but it was too far for Fabregas to reach.

Karim Benzema, looking for his first goal at a major tournament, looked sharp and made some good runs, but the Real Madrid striker rarely got any service. He was fouled in the 32nd after galloping onto Florent Malouda's pass, and Cabaye's free kick was sailing into the top left corner before Casillas shuffled across quickly to save it.

While the French averted a repeat of the 2010 World Cup crisis - when the entire squad went on strike at training - the buildup to Saturday's game was marred by tensions in the camp following a heated dressing room bust-up after the 2-0 loss to Sweden.

''The big teams have all showed up at this Euro, and they will be in the semifinals,'' Blanc said. ''Unfortunately, France won't be.''

Lineups:

Spain: Iker Casillas, Alvaro Arbeloa, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, David Silva (Pedro Rodriguez, 65), Andres Iniesta (Santi Cazorla, 84), Cesc Fabregas (Fernando Torres, 67).

France: Hugo Lloris, Anthony Reveillere, Adil Rami, Laurent Koscielny, Gael Clichy, Mathieu Debuchy (Jeremy Menez, 65), Yohan Cabaye, Yann M'Vila (Olivier Giroud, 79), Florent Malouda (Samir Nasri, 65), Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema.

source:msn.foxsports.com