Italy V Spain Semi final

[chuckbert]

Good keeper tekkers there

 

[SteMerritt]

Billy Turley time

What, decide to take a penalty and smack it into the woodwork?

 

[Belgium Yellow]

Olno

 

[chuckbert]

Spain continue shanking it into the stand

 

[Marked Ox]

Good penalties so far after the 1st 2.

 

[bazzer9461]

So Italy it is.

 

[chuckbert]

So Italy it is.

Nah - Denmark will thrash them.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Spain missed a load of chances and yet again can't take a pen.

BBC going on about how 'magnificent' the game was. I thought it was a *good* game but not that good!

 

[LowerSouth]

What a game.
2 top teams.
Top skills.
Top officials.
Great advert for the beautiful game.

 

[Sarge]

Italy to face Denmark or England in the final.....shame spain couldnt finish.....given that no team has ever won 2 consecutive pen shoot outs in the Euros, itd be interesting if the final goes to pens

 

[MC Yellow]

Spain missed a load of chances and yet again can't take a pen.

BBC going on about how 'magnificent' the game was. I thought it was a *good* game but not that good!

My thoughts exactly.

Reasonable watch, but nothing to cream in your pants over.

 

[tonyw]

BBC going on about how 'magnificent' the game was. I thought it was a *good* game but not that good!

Agreed - Belgium-Italy was better.

This Spanish team is an odd one. So much creativity and their passing is often stunning.....but they make the wrong decision in front of goal far too often, and their finishing is generally sketchy. Plus, their defense is prone to the odd meltdown.

They're mostly young, so they'll probably be really good in four years time. But 2022 may come too soon for them.

Italy - I thought probably their least effective game of the tournament. Not coincidentally because they didn't have their most dynamic player in Spinnazzola.
They'll be tough on Sunday, but they're definitely beatable (by us or Denmark!).

 

[yellowbow]

I think the commentators tonight said Italy havent gone behind in a game for over two years. IF we play them in the final it’s imperative that we score the first goal. Lets see what theyre like then.

 

[ttg17]

Spain missed a load of chances and yet again can't take a pen.

BBC going on about how 'magnificent' the game was. I thought it was a *good* game but not that good!

Right?! Murphy on comms saying it was the 'best game he'd watched in years', I thought there were better games this tournament alone than that one!

I know this will probably come back to bite me, but I really think Italy are overhyped. I just don't think they look that good. Their much-praised defence could have let in four or five tonight, Spain just weren't clinical. And if there's one thing England are this tournament, it's clinical.

 

[werthersoriginal]

I really dislike Italy, as a football team I mean, not as a country. Disappointed they won, but from what I saw they looked worse than Spain, which could even do us a favour.

 

[bazzer9461]

I really dislike Italy, as a football team I mean, not as a country. Disappointed they won, but from what I saw they looked worse than Spain, which could even do us a favour.

The only thing I fear is the cheating and the dodgy tackles

 

[Big Ronaldo]

That Spanish striker should have stuck to playing golf.
Those two chances he missed in normal time were a crime against football... Even kip would have slotted those two.

 

[andystroud]

That Spanish striker should have stuck to playing golf.
Those two chances he missed in normal time were a crime against football... Even kip would have slotted those two.

Oyarzabal should stick to golf! He’s been tee’d up so often

Huh-hum

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Went to the game, in the Italian end, spellbinding atmosphere. Thought the game wasn’t all that. Italian defence slowed down to nag pace in extra time but Spain just kept tikky takking all night long. Italy definitely beatable.

Organisation was superb, all felt very safe. Well done Wembley Stadium authorities.

A real thrill to be back in a real crowd.

 

[tonyw]

Right?! Murphy on comms saying it was the 'best game he'd watched in years', I thought there were better games this tournament alone than that one!

I know this will probably come back to bite me, but I really think Italy are overhyped. I just don't think they look that good. Their much-praised defence could have let in four or five tonight, Spain just weren't clinical. And if there's one thing England are this tournament, it's clinical.

I said it earlier on the thread, but Italy's best player through the first five games of the tournament - by a mile - was Spinnazzola. Although nominally a left back, he spent most of the games careering past the forwards with absurd levels of energy and pace. And what he allowed them effectively do was shift formation constantly on the fly.....they'd start out in a 4-3-2-1, but Di Stefano would drop back to cover so they'd end up playing three at the back with Spinnazzola bombing on with abandon. That constant shifting was a nightmare to defend, and they were finding big gaps against everyone.

But his replacement, Emerson, is a bang average left back. Nothing special about him at all. So they have to play a much more vanilla game. And that's a problem for them because while their midfield three is excellent, their wide forwards are hit-and-miss and their strikers are (and I hope I'm not jinxing anything here) crap. Immobile is an out-of-form flat track bully and Belotti is an utter carthorse.

They'll still be tough to beat because of the Barella/Jorginho/Verratti midfield trio....and because they're well-drilled in everything, including the dark arts....but I'd have England down as slight favourites if (and it's a big if) we get through tomorrow.