Once upon a time…. Spain was at the top of the World. They had conquered the World in an amazing fashion in the last four years. World champions and defending European Champions all while playing some of the most beautiful football we had ever seen. With the core of their team being based around a dominating Barcelona side, it was no surprise that Spain and Barcelona’s dominance was simultaneous. In 2012, Spain had a chance to become the first team to win a continental tournament followed by the World Cup and yet another continental tournament. They had been easily the best team of the tournament and the overwhelming candidates to win the trophy. In their way however, was a tricky Italy side that had progressively been improving throughout the course of the tournament and even knocked out the mighty Germany in the semifinals. The hype around the 2012 Euro final did not reflect what we saw on the pitch that night in Kiev.
Spain entered the tournament with a slightly different lineup than the one that took them to the promised land in South Africa two years prior. Notable injuries to David Villa and Carles Puyol saw Spain having to adjust their lineup for the Euro. Fortunately for them, they had an excessively deep bench filled with some of the greatest players in Europe. Despite not having a traditional “9”, Spain’s ability to move the ball and interchangeable positions allowed them to create havoc for any opponent.
Meanwhile, Italy had a disappointing World Cup in South Africa when they were knocked out in the group stage despite landing one of the easiest groups of the tournament. The 2012 Euro saw a more rejuvenated Italian side led by the most talked about striker of the tournament, Mario Balotelli. His brace against Germany saw them reach the final for a rematch against their fellow Group C rivals.
Right from the start of the game, Spain asserted their dominance on the ball and their hypnotizing possession left Italy powerless. It took them just 14 minutes of beautiful football to crack open the Italian defense. A nice little combination between Barcelona legends Xavi and Andres Iniesta found Cesc Fabregas down the line. Fabregas shielded the ball perfectly and his cross met the head of David Silva who slotted it home for the 1-0. An early lead for Spain that would allow them to be patient with the ball and forced Italy to come out of their defensive shape and go more offensively.
The scoreline would remain the same and with the end of the first half glooming, Italy began to feel confident knowing that one goal could change the entire trajectory of the game. That was until the 41st minute when Spain’s “Total Football” adaptation paid off. A play that began with captain Iker Casillas in the back who found Fabregas out wide. Fabregas’ one touch header back to Jordi Alba dragged Italy’s defense out of position leaving the middle exposed. Xavi would then have the ball and taught the World the beauty of controlling the speed and tempo of the game. He saw his future Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba racing down the middle through the opening left behind by Fabregas. Xavi’s perfectly timed ball found Alba all alone against Buffon and the Valencia right back finished as calm and cool as any other “9”. A run that began more than 50 yards away resulted in a 2-0 lead for Spain who were not only winning, they were showing off.
Not only were Spain magical at possessing the ball, they were also capable of recovering the ball with an amazing quickness. High pressure in the midfield would often result in their opponent’s giving up the ball and being exposed in the back. As the Italian legs were starting to get heavy, Spain took advantage of a ball they recovered inside Italy’s own half. It was Xavi again who recovered the ball and immediately looked up to find the gap between Italy’s line. He would find a wide open Fernando Torres who would calmly tuck it away to make it 3-0 with less than 10 to play. Torres had been on the pitch for less than 10 minutes and continued his impressive Euro by practically sealing the game for Spain.
With their heads hanging low and their energy depleted, Italy would continue to be exposed in the back. In the 88th minute, Spain between Italy with just three passes. The ball started with Sergio Ramos inside Spain’s own half. Ramos found no other than Xavi in the midfield. Xavi continued his magisterial performance with another dime to Fernando Torres. Despite being 1v1 with Buffon, “El Nino” decided not to shoot and laid it off for Chelsea teammate Juan Mata who would score on an empty goal to finish the 4-0 rout.
Spain will always be remembered for their historic World Cup win in 2010 but in reality, their performance in the 2012 Euro Final was some of the best football we have ever seen. An elite performance by everyone on the field wearing red that day. History, dominating and simply beautiful football by “La Roja”.
Since that final, both teams went through a rebuilding process as their star players began to age. Heading into the 2018 World Cup, they have become a tale of two teams. Spain has properly rebuild and are considered to be one of the candidates to win the tournament. Meanwhile, poor management has forced Italy to miss out on the World Cup for the first time since 1958. It will be years until we get another chance to see a rematch between these two teams. In the meantime, we can still watch and re-watch the masterpiece Spain gave us that night in Kiev.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6PgcAaMD-4