Euro 2012: Italy Coach Says ‘Lack Of Rest Killed Us Against Spain’
By Ria Novosti
The only regret Cesare Prandelli has about Euro 2012 is that his Italy side had so little rest before the final, the coach said after the 4-0 defeat to Spain.
Spain had a marathon 120-minute semifinal with Portugal to recover from, but had an extra day’s rest over the Italians, who beat Germany 2-1 on Thursday.
“This is the only regret that we can have tonight,” Prandelli said. “We’ve had a tremendous European championships and the only regret is the fact that we didn’t have a few more days’ rest before this game.”
He remarked on the difference between the final and Italy’s performance in the sides’ 1-1 draw in the group stage.
“We were excellent in that game because we were 100 percent fit of course. Against a side like Spain you need to be.”
But he didn’t go so far as to begrudge Spain the victory.
“We came up against a terrific side, they’re world champions, and when you’re down to ten men, the game’s over,” he said, referring to the injury of Thiago Motta, who limped off on 60 minutes as third substitute with no more changes available.
Prandelli said he would seek to extend his stay at the helm of the national side.
Goals from David Silva, Jordi Alba, Fernando Torres and Juan Mata secured the title for Spain in a showcase of sublime passing and ruthless finishing in Sunday’s final in Kiev.
