Euro 2012: Spain Beats Italy 4-0, Play Recap
By VOR
Spain beat Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 final on Sunday, securing the Spaniards’ place in history as the first country to win three successive major finals. Spain, criticized for decades as football’s nearly men, become the world’s first nation to claim three European championship or World Cup titles on the trot.
The final whistle is blown
00.31 Juan Mata (Spain) scores! Fernando Torres is played through perfectly and as he draws the keeper out and shapes to shoot, he flicks the ball to the unmarked Juan Mata to sweep into the net.
00.30 Juan Mata (in) – Iniesta (out) (Spain)
00.27 Torres (Spain) scores! Fernando Torres times his run magnificently, latching onto the through ball and slotting the ball past Gianluigi Buffon inside the right post. The striker has now scored in two EURO finals.
00.18 Torres (in) – Fàbregas (out) (Spain)
00.02 Pedro Rodríguez (in) – Silva (out) (Spain)
00.00 Thiago Motta (in) – Montolivo (out) (Italy)
23.49 Di Natale (in) – Cassano (out) (Italy)
First time finishes with Spain – Italy 2:0
23.31 Barzagli (Italy) is cautioned by the referee
23.27 Jordi Alba (Spain) scores! Spain have a 2-0 lead, and Jordi Alba has his first senior international goal. The full-back receives a perfect through pass from Xavi Hernández and slots the ball past the onrushing keeper.
23.11 Piqué (Spain) is booked
23.07 Balzaretti (in) – Chiellini (out) (Italy)
23.00 Silva (Spain) scores! David Silva applies the finish to Cesc Fàbregas clipped pull-back after the FC Barcelona man reached the byline with an excellent surging run.
22.45 The first half begins
Italian football team lineup: Buffon, Chiellini, Abate, Barzagli, Bonucci, Marchisio, De Rossi, Montolivo, Pirlo, Balotelli, Cassano SUBS: Sirigu, De Sanctis, Maggio, Ogbonna, Balzaretti, Motta, Giaccherini, Diamanti, Nocerino, Di Natale, Borini, Giovinco.
Spanish football team lineup: Casillas, Piqué, Ramos, Arbeloa, Alba, Iniesta, Xavi, Fàbregas, Alonso, Busquets, Silva SUBS: Valdés, Reina, Albiol, Martínez, Juanfran, Cazorla, Navas, Rodríguez, Torres, Negredo, Mata, Llorente.
Vicente del Bosque and Cesare Prandelli believe the attacking approaches favoured by their Spain and Italy sides will make for a thrilling conclusion to UEFA EURO 2012 in Kyiv.
