We suffered when the Spaniards dominated by winning two Europeans and a World Cup, but now things have changed. As Mancini has shown
Spain must give us something back. His great 2008-12 cycle, two consecutive Europeans and a World Cup, perhaps an unrepeatable record, begins precisely by beating the Azzurri on penalties, in Vienna, on June 22, 2008. Defeat that we could have avoided. These are the quarter-finals of the European Championship that we miraculously resumed after the 0-3 debut with the Netherlands and the dramatic draw with Romania: if Buffon hadn’t saved a penalty from Mutu in the final, we would already be at home. We are terrified by the emerging strength of Spain, by Iniesta, Xavi, Ramos, Torres, Villa, Puyol, by the image of Real Madrid and Barcelona. So let’s set up an overly defensive strategy with Donadoni. We underestimate that they too fear us and do not dare to attack for fear of the usual Italian counter-attack. Result: 0-0 and penalties that condemn us. Spain wins the other five matches of the tournament, including Germany, and becomes European champion. It is repeated at the South African World Cup and at the Euro 2012 in Poland-Ukraine.
Double challenge
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Here it is even a double challenge because we are in the same group and then we find ourselves in the final. The first match is equal (1-1): Prandelli’s blues have the advantage, the three-man defense that the Spaniards have historically suffered. A good game that deceives us. Situation reversed in the last act in Kiev: Italy is physically in pieces and the Spaniards win 4-0. The last image is the one that hurts the most: the cameras catch Casillas as he invites the referee to call the end without recovery “out of respect for the Italians”. We are in a bad way if we arouse compassion in rivals.
Goodbye Ventura
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Between the national team and the club, the Spaniards become our daily terror. They eliminate us the following year from the 2013 Confederations Cup final (still on penalties). Much worse in 2017: the 3-0 in Madrid in the world qualifiers, humiliating in the game before the result, forces us to the playoff with Sweden, end of games for Ventura. In the first leg a draw which is another regret because we did not dare. On the other hand, in the return we dare too much with a reckless 4-2-4.
Conte and Mancini
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But in this disaster two lights went on. The first at Euro 2016, eighth, when Conte gives a lesson in tactics to Spain at the end of the cycle of Del Bosque (2-0). So at the last European, with Mancini facing the Spaniards on their ground, game against game, he suffers but remains even in the result, so he prevails on penalties. Today’s semifinal has many revenge to consume. Before 2008 we were the problem of the Spaniards: we had eliminated them in the groups of the European 80 (one draw), in those of the Euro 88 (1-0 with Mancini on the field) and in the quarterfinals of USA 94 (2-1 and nudge from Tassotti to Luis Enrique). Tomorrow evening new chapter.
October 5 – 10:12 pm
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