Cup holders Spain were knocked out by a tactically sound Italy side in Euro 2016 when they were beaten 2-0 in their round-of-16 game at the Stade de France in Paris. A first half goal from Georgio Chiellini gave the Italians the lead. Spain were not going to give up easily and tried their best to get an equaliser but failed to do so. The Azzurri, then, managed to get a second in the second-half added time through Graziano Pelle to crush all hopes of a Spain comeback.
The win for Italy means that they will face Germany in the quarterfinals. Here is how all the players performed in an incredible game:
Italy
Gianluigi Buffon – 8/10
The 38-year-old shot-stopper never looked troubled in the entire game even though he had to make several saves in the second half. He was brilliant as usual with his distribution and lifted his side whenever Spain looked threatening.
Andrea Barzagli – 7/10
The 3 man defence of Italy had Barzagli on the right side of defence and he had an excellent game, giving no chance to Spain’s forward line.
Leonardo Bonucci – 7/10
The Juventus man was at the centre of defence for the Italians. He was there to clear off any through balls Iniesta had put into his striker’s feet. Overall, he was solid and proved that his physicality helps him in crunch situations.
Giorgio Chiellini – 8/10
The 31-year-old Juventus man was on top of his game. He went on to score for his side after the half hour mark when he reached Eder’s shot that had been parried by David de Gea. He was solid at the back and did not let Spain have any glances at goal.
Alessandro Florenzi – 8/10
The Roma full-back was on top of his game and worked hard on the right flank for Italy. He was solid in defence and did not let David Silva and Juanfran trouble him.
Marco Parolo – 6/10
The Lazio man was not as good as some of his teammates but he worked hard and did not let Spain’s playmakers have any space to get their passes right.
Daniele De Rossi – 6/10
The 32-year-old midfielder was solid in the midfield and controlled the play in the first half. He did not let Spain’s midfield have any possession in the final third and it worked for his side.
Emanuele Giaccherini – 7/10
The 31-year old Sunderland midfielder plied his trade on the left side of midfield and linked up superbly with De Sciglio throughout the game. He was speedy and created many chances for his side in the first half.
Mattia De Sciglio – 7/10
The Milan full-back started the game brightly for his side and provided his forward men with some good chances in the first half. In the second half, he was pushed back by the likes of Jordi Alba and Cesc Fabregas.
Eder – 9/10
Eder was the player of the match for the Azzurri. He was lively from the start and continued making several runs into the Spanish box while linking up with Pelle. He could have had a couple of goals to his name had De Gea not stopped the shots and was taken off late in the game.
Graziano Pelle – 8/10
The Southampton man linked up well with his teammates and help the ball up to make space for Eder to run into. He won his aerial duels against the Spanish defenders. He converted a volley in the dying stages of the game to make it 2-0.
Substitutes
Thiago Motta – 6/10
The PSG man replaced De Rossi at half-time and performed the task in midfield well. But earned himself a silly yellow card, meaning he will not feature in the game against Germany.
Lorenzo Insigne – NA
The Napoli striker came on in the 82nd minute to replace Eder and did well to open up space for his teammates for the second goal.
Matteo Darmian – NA
The Manchester United man came on to replace Florenzi and earned himself an assist by providing the pass which came off Sergio Ramos for Pelle’s volley.
Spain
David de Gea – 7/10
The Manchester United number 1 was very athletic throughout the game and made several saves. He was very good with his handling but his distribution was lacking as Italy pressed the Spanish defenders back. Italy would have scored more than two if de Gea had not made the saves.
Juanfran – 5/10
The Atletico Madrid man was very disappointing down the right flank as he could not provide any good crosses for his strikers. He was pinned back by Italy’s Giaccherini and De Sciglio.
Gerard Pique – 6/10
The Barcelona man showed some fight for his side by could not stop the first goal as Chiellini got to the ball ahead of him. He tried his best to provide assistance in getting the equaliser but to no avail. He was well beaten in one on ones with Eder, and should be thanking his goalkeeper for making great saves.
Sergio Ramos – 4/10
The Real Madrid defender was very poor as he started the game on the back foot. He was visibly nervy during the early stages and gave away the free-kick which eventually led to the first goal. He could not stop Darmian from passing the ball to Pelle for the second goal. A day to forget for the Spain captain.
Jordi Alba – 5/10
The left-back was nowhere near his best. He lacked ideas when he went to attack in the second half. He was never allowed to get forward in the first half as Florenzi and Parolo piled pressure on his side and him.
Sergio Busquets – 4/10
The Barcelona man was very disappointing in the heart of midfield for the Spanish. He never got hold of possession regularly and could not stamp his authority on the game. He seemed more and more frustrated as the game progressed.
Andres Iniesta – 8/10
The midfield maestro was excellent in the centre of the park but was never helped by his teammates. He vision was good but his passes were intercepted quickly by the Italians. He had a thunderous shot saved wonderfully by Gigi Buffon late in the game. He might have played his last Euro match for his country.
Cesc Fabregas – 4/10
The Chelsea star was really disappointing yet again. He has had a tournament to forget and was surprisingly retained in the starting XI. He did not execute his passes well and took too much time to pass, allowing the Italians to close him down.
David Silva – 6/10
The Manchester City man did not do a lot wrong. But he was unable to perform in the midfield. There were very few take-ons by the Spaniard and his passing lacked the spark.
Nolito – 5/10
The Celta Vigo winger only played the first half of the game. He did get a few crosses into the box but he was not very effective as Barzagli and Florenzi dominated on their right wing.
Alvaro Morata – 5/10
The Spanish striker looked out of sorts throughout the game. He did not get any real opportunities to score and his link up play was also disappointing. Hence, he was taken off in the climax of the game.
Substitutes
Aritz Aduriz – 6/10
The 35-year-old striker came on to replace Nolito at half-time and had a few headers at goal which were comfortably saved by Buffon. He had to be taken off in the 81st minute as he got injured.
Pedro Rodriguez – NA
The Chelsea man came on to replace Aduriz and did not do anything to help his side in creating pressure and getting a goal back.
Lucas Vazquez – 7/10
The 24-year-old Real Madrid striker came on to replace Alvaro Morata and did look sharp. He played down the right side and sent some crosses into the box.
