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Spain overcame Italy 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday (June 15) to reach the final, where they face Croatia for the title.
Yeremy Pino opened the scoring for La Roja in the third minute after dispossessing Leonardo Bonucci near the box and firing a shot into the bottom right corner beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Just eight minutes later, Ciro Immobile scored a penalty to restore parity for the Azzurri after Robin Le Normand was penalised for handball inside the box. Davide Frattesi seemed to have turned the game around for Italy in the 21st minute, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
The European giants went into the break level at 1-1, but Spain returned stronger after the interval. Mikel Merino, Alvaro Morata and Rodri all came close within seven minutes of the restart.
La Roja dominated possession and threw the kitchen sink at the reigning European champions with high press, and it paid off in the 89th minute. Joselu latched on to a shot from Rodri that pinballed through the penalty box, with Donnarumma rooted to his spot.
Italy huffed and puffed for the equaliser, but Spain held firm to see out the remainder of the game. The Reds reached their second consecutive final in the Nations League and play Croatia on Sunday. Italy, meanwhile, play the Netherlands in the third-place playoffs.
On that note, here are the player ratings for Spain:
Unai Simon - 7/10
He made a superb reflex save on Davide Frattesi in the 65th minute but was otherwise untested in goal by Italy. The Spaniard also looked to get his side forward with long balls, completing 14 in 25 attempts.
Jesus Navas - 7.5/10
The Sevilla star charged forward on the right flank with incredible energy and poise, which Italy had no answer to. He laid out four crosses, including one for Mikel Merino in the 46th minute, which drew a strong save from Donnarumma.
Robin Le Normand - 6/10
His Spain debut wasn't going well in the first half. Le Normand also conceded a penalty to Italy with a handball. In the second stanza, though, he recovered and held the fort well, as the 26-year-old finished with three clearances and interceptions apiece.
Aymeric Laporte - 6.5/10
The Manchester City star looked shaky in defence, while his centre-back partnership with debutant Le Normand was weak. However, Laporte, like his defensive partner, improved after the break.
Jordi Alba - 5.5/10
He was easily beaten earlier on. Giovani Di Lorenzo weaved past him in the seventh minute with relative ease, and Davide Frattesi got the better off him before slottinng it home, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Alba lost possession 17 times and made just one interception, in a poor defensive show.
Rodri - 8.5/10
The 26-year-old merely continued from where he left off in the UEFA Champions League final with Manchester City last weekend. He dominated midfield with his physical attributes and won possession in key areas before crossing it out to the wide players.
Rodri ended the game with 103 passes, a 96% pass completion rate, four key passes, four long balls and three ground duels won.
Mikel Merino - 7/10
His passing was accurate as he forged an impeccable partnership with Rodri in midfield to run Italy ragged in the second half.
Rodrigo - 6/10
He weaved his way forward in the second minute to fire a shot, but it was blocked. Seventeen minutes later, the Leeds United star made another attempt, which was low and straight at Donnarumma.
Gavi - 7/10
The Barcelona star worked well in spaces and made excellent recoveries. He won six ground duels and played a part in the opening goal, too. It was Gavi who Leonardo Bonucci tried to get away from, and in the process, got dispossessed by Pino.
Yeremy Pino - 7.5/10
He got Spain in front in the third minute after dispossessing Leonardo Bonucci and firing a shot into the bottom right corner. It was his second goal for Spain.
Alvaro Morata - 6.5/10
Morata's link-up play was excellent, as he carved Italy open a few times but looked wasteful with his chances. All three of his shots on target were comfortably saved by Donnarumma.
Ratings of Spain substitutes against Italy
Marco Asensio (46' for Rodrigo) - 6.5/10
He injected more firepower into Spain's offensive vanguard, making two key passes and attempting two crosses.
Sergio Canales (68' for Gavi) - 6/10
He was flashy with the ball at his feet but lacked in end product. In the 80th minute, he came into possession and had plenty of chances to pass but squared to Italy's Marco Verratti instead.
Fabian Ruiz (74' for Merino) - 6/10
He picked out Canales in the 80th minute after cutting out Bryan Cristante's poor clearance, but it came to nothing.
Ansu Fati (74' for Pino) - 6.5/10
The Barcelona star teed up Morata in the 78th minute, but the striker fired straight at defender Rafael Toloi.
Joselu (84' for Morata) - 8/10
The forward produced an instinctive finish beyond Donnarumma to score the winner for Spain in the 89th minute. That's three goals for him in as many appearances with La Roja now.
