Before the European Championships began, some pundits declared that this edition of the Italian national team was “the worst ever” sent to the tournament.
It may be time to reconsider that notion.
Italy topped Group E and found itself matched up against the two-time defending champions, Spain, in Monday’s Round of 16 match.
The Azzurri used Antonio Conte’s 3-5-2 formation to perfection to stymie the Spanish short-passing attack in a convincing 2-0 victory at the Stade de France.
“I knew the lads had something in them that was outside the ordinary. I said it before, because it’s easy to say that afterwards,” Antonio Conte said after the match. “The lads were remarkable. Now we have to recover, as there’s another very tough game against Germany, but we proved that Italy are not about Catenaccio.”
Catenaccio means door-bolt in Italian, and it’s a word used to describe a defense-first brand of soccer often associated with Italian sides. The win against Spain featured plenty of defense for Italy, coupled with some lethal counter attacking.
It was a free kick that finally unlocked the Spanish defense in the first half, as Eder powered a free kick towards David De Gea. The Manchester United man saved it, but the rebound found its way to Giorgio Chiellini, who bundled it over the line for the game’s opening goal.
https://twitter.com/TDOT_Italians/status/747471205960060928
While some will fault De Gea for the goal, without his heroics, Italy may have been two or three goals up before halftime.
https://twitter.com/PLZSoccer/status/747472273645404160
It was a first half that saw Spain manage only a 53-47 percent edge in possession, as it struggled to put passes together against Conte’s swarming defense.
The defending champions picked up the pace in the second half, forcing Italian keeper Gigi Buffon into a couple of decent saves. But, as they chased the game in the closing moments, Italy caught the Spanish on the counter for the game’s other goal.
Graziano Pelle sealed the win for #ITA with this goal to eliminate #ESP https://t.co/PuEjpJ3WJT
— Total Italian Football (@SerieATotal) June 27, 2016
The win for Italy over Spain was the first in a competitive match since the 1994 World Cup, and it sets up a date with Germany Saturday in Bordeaux.
