Despite lacking the same cutting edge which saw them fire three first half goals beyond Croatia, La Roja produced a similarly dominant display. Spain had twenty shots, with eight being saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, relying on a rare defensive mishap to take the lead as the ball fizzed across the box and bounced in off Riccardo Calafiori.
Whilst Spain created more than enough to win the game, Italy will be disappointed that they had the deciding impact on the scoreline.
Spain
Unai Simón - 7/10
Back to back clean sheets for the Spanish shot-stopper, but in this game he had his side’s defensive stability to thank. He was forced into making just one save, but provided a calm figure at the back.
Daniel Carvajal - 7.5/10
Carvajal plays every game as if it were a European final, defending with passion and the perfect level of aggression. He locked up Italy’s primary threats in Chiesa and Pellegrini when they switched sides, limiting the wingers to superb effect.
Aymeric Laporte - 7.5/10
A classy Laporte performance, reflecting that of his teammates. He was solid throughout and produced an excellent block in the dying moments to deny a late equaliser.
Robin Le Normand - 7/10
Whilst he is a solid defender, Le Normand has his moments of clumsiness and gave away free kicks in dangerous areas, putting his side under unnecessary pressure as they looked to see out the game. However, he does well in aerial duels, and is strong in the challenge too, winning the ball but also keeping possession with his side.
Marc Cucurella - 8.5/10
De La Fuente opting for Cucurella over Alex Grimaldo is a decision which has resulted in many an eyebrow being raised, but the Chelsea man’s inclusion was more than justified by his performance in this game. Defensively elite, superb going forward, it was the perfect left-back performance.
Pedri - 7/10
On another night Pedri could have bagged himself a hat trick, with multiple huge chances which were either prevented by strong goalkeeping or skewed strikes. His overall play is at the elite level, consistently at the centre of Spanish attacks.
Rodri - 7/10
An astonishing 98% passing accuracy, misplacing only two of his 95 passes, Rodri put in a vintage performance from defensive midfield. The Manchester City man was at the base of most attacks, pinging long balls out to either Williams JR or Lamal which allowed them to take on their respective full-backs with space to build up momentum.
Fabián Ruiz - 7.5/10
There won’t have been many people predicting Fabián to have the impact he has prior to the tournament kicking off. He proved his excellence against Croatia was no fluke, replicating similar dribbling ability to open space for chances and passes. He was heavily involved in one of the best passing moves of the game in the first half, where he played a reverse pass down the line to Yamal who cut the ball back to set up Pedri.
Lamine Yamal - 7/10
Once again, Yamal and Williams JR were devastating on either wing for La Roja. The explosive nature of his dribbling deserved to produce a goal in the first half, but a combination of missed chances and excellent Donnarumma saves kept the scores level at halftime. He continued this into the second forty-five, and struck the post with a driven effort which deserved to find the net. If it hadn’t been said so many times in commentary, you would not believe his age.
Álvaro Morata - 7.5/10
A player who has received his fair share of criticism over the course of his career, Morata produced a stellar performance in this game. Whether he was dropping deep to link up play, or finding himself in wide positions to produce promising crosses, he did so with elite ability. His all round game is extremely impactful, and he could have bagged himself a goal or two had he been slightly more selfish inside the box.
Nico Williams JR - 9/10
What he did to Di Lorenzo in the first half should probably be illegal. The Athletic Club winger utterly destroyed the Italian right-back, turning him inside and out with his elite one-one-one ability and flair. This continued into the second half, as he spun his man once again before delivering a sizzling cross through the box, rebounding in off Calafiori for the opening goal of the game. Just after 70 minutes, he cut inside past Di Lorenzo again and unleashed a scorching effort which curled onto the top of the crossbar. A dazzling display to say the least.
Substitues
Alejandro Baena - 6.5/10
Introduced in the 71st minute in place of Pedri, he put in a solid cameo. Spain needed to disrupt the flow of the game as Italy attempted to fight back, which he did well.
Ferran Torres - 6.5/10
Also brought on in the 71st minute, it was a quieter 20 minutes for Torres. He touched the ball just nine times, but made one key pass which almost resulted in a second Spanish goal.
Ayoze Pérez - 7/10
A 78th minute substitute, Pérez put in a fine display, further tormenting Di Lorenzo with some sparkling footwork. He could have scored twice himself, one effort coming after a silky nutmeg on the Italian right-back.
Mikel Oyarzabal - N/A
Mikel Merino - N/A
Italy
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 8.5/10
Quite simply, Donnarumma did not deserve to be on the losing side in this game. Booked early on for speaking to the referee, he calmed himself down as he went on to make eight saves, all of great quality, to keep his side in the tie. He prevented a huge 0.89 expected goals, making four punched clearances. Quite possibly the best goalkeeping performance we have seen at this summer’s Euros so far.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo - 3/10
Di Lorenzo might’ve had a better night had he spent it inside a washing machine. He was torn inside and out all night long, bar a five minute spell in the second half when he seemed to remember how to tackle. However, when it wasn’t Williams JR, 30-year-old Ayoze Perez came on and gave him as tough of a time. A night to forget for the Napoli captain.
Alessandro Bastoni - 6.5/10
Another very strong display from Bastoni, who did his best to limit the openings Spain created. He made six clearances, one block and won six of his seven duels in the game. However, his passing was slightly sloppy, conceding possession on seven occasions.
Riccardo Calafiori - 6/10
Very unfortunate to see the ball bounce off his knee and into the net, it was a generally solid display from Calafiori. Eight defensive actions reinforced his selection in the side, although at times he was frantic, an element of his play which comes about due to his aggressive defensive techniques.
Federico Dimarco - 7/10
Di Lorenzo’s nightmare of an evening made his opposite full-back look reasonably solid. He is consistently involved in the attacking play that Italy produces, and he put in some brilliant blocks to prevent crosses finding the centre of the box.
Davide Frattesi - 5.5/10
Frattesi has been all-action in the opening games of this tournament, involved in countless duels against both Albania and in the first half against Spain. Whether he is winning free kicks or committing fouls himself, the Inter Milan midfielder was never far from the thick of the game. However, he was withdrawn at halftime as Spaletti opted for the experience of Cristante in an attempt to regain control of the game in the second half.
Jorginho - 4/10
Overrun in midfield in the first half, the Arsenal man lost possession on eight separate occasions. It was unsurprising to see him withdrawn at halftime.
Nicolò Barella - 6/10
After his sensational strike to win the game against Albania, Barella would have been hoping to produce some of the same magic in this game. Whilst he was strong in his defensive duels, he gave up possession thirteen times, demonstrating the dominance that Spain had in the midfield.
Federico Chiesa - 5/10
For a player that has the ability to offer so much, Chiesa really struggled to get into the game. The dominance that Spain had did not help his cause, as when Italy were able to regain possession of the ball, they looked leggy and lethargic.
Gianluca Scamacca - 6.5/10
By no means a poor performance from the Atalanta striker, but it was the lack of service to him which saw him struggle in this game. His hold-up play is strong, but he sometimes lacked the pace to meet the rare ball which came his way. He was withdrawn just after the hour mark.
Lorenzo Pellegrini - 6/10
He went down injured early on after a late challenge and never seemed to recover his performance. Making no successful dribbles and only producing one strike which sailed over the bar, Pellegrini will be looking to bounce back against Croatia.
Substitutes
Andrea Cambiaso - 7/10
Introduced at halftime, Cambiaso provided an energy which Italy had sorely missed in the opening half of the game. He made multiple tackles, also producing a teasing cross which almost resulted in an equalising goal.
Bryan Cristante - 6.5/10
Booked for a horrific challenge on Rodri, Cristante played the entirety of the second half after coming on to replace Jorginho. He produced Italy’s only shot on target of the game, also making no major errors.
Mattia Zaccagni - 6/10
Replacing Chiesa in the 64th minute, the Lazio winger who scored six goals in Serie A last term had a relatively quiet spell in the game. He worked hard defensively, which played into Italy’s upturn in form as the game developed.
Mateo Retegui - 4.5/10
Introduced to replace Scamacca in the 64th minute, Retegui desperately struggled to impact the game. He touched the ball just four times, making only one pass and also losing possession once. Similarly to the man he replaced, it was a quiet outing for the Genoa forward.
Giacomo Raspadori - N/A
