Player Ratings And Match Reaction

Spain dominate Italy to secure 1-0 win in Euro 2024 clash

Player ratings and match reaction

Spain produced a dominant performance to secure a 1-0 victory over Italy in the second round of the Euro 2024 Group B clash. Luis de la Fuente's side controlled the match from start to finish, with Alvaro Morata scoring the only goal of the game in the 25th minute. Italy rarely threatened the Spanish goal, and Spain could have won by a more comfortable margin had they taken their chances.

Player ratings

Spain * Unai Simon - 7/10 - Made a few routine saves and was rarely troubled. * Cesar Azpilicueta - 8/10 - Solid at the back and provided good width going forward. * Pau Torres - 8/10 - Dominant in the air and made several important tackles. * Aymeric Laporte - 8/10 - Composed on the ball and made several key interceptions. * Jordi Alba - 8/10 - Energetic down the left flank and created several chances. * Sergio Busquets - 9/10 - Controlled the tempo of the game and made several crucial tackles. * Pedri - 9/10 - Excellent on the ball and created several chances. * Gavi - 8/10 - Energetic and tenacious in midfield. * Dani Olmo - 8/10 - Creative and dangerous going forward. * Ferran Torres - 7/10 - Worked hard but was wasteful in front of goal. * Alvaro Morata - 8/10 - Scored the winning goal and was a constant threat to the Italian defence. Italy * Gianluigi Donnarumma - 6/10 - Made a few good saves but was let down by his defence. * Giovanni Di Lorenzo - 6/10 - Solid at the back but struggled to get forward. * Leonardo Bonucci - 5/10 - Made several mistakes and was at fault for Spain's goal. * Alessandro Bastoni - 6/10 - Made a few important tackles but was often caught out of position. * Emerson Palmieri - 5/10 - Offered little going forward and was shaky at the back. * Nicolo Barella - 6/10 - Worked hard but was ineffective on the ball. * Jorginho - 5/10 - Slow and ponderous in possession. * Sandro Tonali - 6/10 - Energetic but often misplaced his passes. * Federico Chiesa - 6/10 - Dangerous in spells but was well-marshalled by the Spanish defence. * Ciro Immobile - 5/10 - Isolated up front and had little impact on the game. * Lorenzo Insigne - 6/10 - Created a few chances but was often wasteful in front of goal.

Match reaction

"We played very well today," said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente. "We controlled the game from start to finish and created several chances. We could have won by a more comfortable margin, but I'm happy with the performance and the result." "We are very disappointed," said Italy coach Roberto Mancini. "We didn't play well enough and we made too many mistakes. We need to improve our performance if we want to advance to the knockout rounds."

Conclusion

Spain's victory over Italy was a deserved result. They were the better team on the night and created several chances. Italy, on the other hand, were disappointing and rarely threatened the Spanish goal. Spain will be confident of reaching the knockout rounds, while Italy will need to improve their performance if they want to have any chance of progressing.