Tiki-taka takes trophy

Spain: Casillas, Piqué, Ramos, Arbeloa, Alba, Iniesta, Xavi, Fàbregas, Alonso, Busquets, Silva SUBS: Valdés, Reina, Albiol, Martínez, Juanfran, Cazorla, Navas, Rodríguez, Torres, Negredo, Mata, Llorente.

 

Xavi shot over from just outside the area on 10' in a first quarter-hour of end-to-end football, the scoreline broken by Spain on 14' when Fàbregas ran down to the line, squared to the centre and David Silva headed past Gianluigi Buffon. Italy reacted with 3 corners inside 2 minutes and tried to put the game together.

 

28' Cassano shot at Casillas; 29' free kick; 32' Cassano's shot was saved by Casillas. Italy's transition was slow, giving Spain time to put men behind the ball; Spain's transition and passing game is remarkable and several times they put seven players in the area of the ball. 41' 2-0, Jordi Alba finishing a lightning attack which took ten seconds from Casillas' long pass upfield to Jordi Alba putting away an excellent through pass from Xavi Hernández.

 

43' Cassano's shot was saved by Casillas.

 

Second half, two more goals for Spain. Italy continued slow in the transition from defence to attack, Spain passed the ball where it was needed and all the time it seemed to be glued to the players' feet. Di Natale came on as a substitute and on 46' was already creating danger; Fàbregas replied for Spain shooting just wide on 47'.

 

51' Di Natale shot at Casillas from 3 metres; 58' Balotelli rifled just over and Thiago Motta was carried off with a thigh injury just after the hour; being the third substitute, Italy was reduced to ten men.

 

Spain replied with two corners, 76' and 80', then 2 goals, the first by Fernando Torres on 84' tapping Xavi Hernández' through ball past Buffon. Mata fixed the final score on 88' after an assist by Torres.

  

Semi-finals

 

Wednesday June 27 PORTUGAL 0  SPAIN 0 Spain wins 4-2 penalties

Thursday June 28 GERMANY 1 ITALY 2

 

 

Quarter-final 1: Czech Republic 0 Portugal 1

                                                            Ronaldo, 79'

 

Quarter-final 2: Germany 4 Greece 2

                            Lahm, 39;     Samaras, 55'

                            Khedira 61;   Salpingidis, 89' (pen.)

                            Klose 68;

                            Reus 74

 

Quarter-final 3: France 0 Spain 2

                                             Xabi Alonso, 19; 90+1 (pen.)

 

Quarter-final 4: England 0 Italy 0

Italy wins 4-2 on penalties

 

Quarter-finals

 

1. Czech Republic 0 Portugal 1 Thursday June 21 in Warsaw

2. Germany 4 Greece 2 Friday June 22 in Gdansk

3. Spain 2 France 0 Saturday June 23 in Donetsk

4. England 0 Italy 0 Italy wins 4-2 on penalties Sunday June 24 in Kyiv

 

 

 

 

The Group Phase

 

Group A (FIFA ranking pre-tournament) After 3 games

 

                                   W        D         L          GF       GA      P

Czech Republic (26)  2          0          1          4          5          6

Greece (14)                1          1          1          3          3          4

Russia (11)                  1          1          1          5          3          4

Poland (65)                 0          2          1          2          3          2

 

Games

 

Russia 4             Czech Republic 1

Dzagoev (2)       Pilar

Shirokov

Pavlyuchenko

 

Poland 1              Greece 1

Lewandowski      Salpingidis

 

Czech Republic 2 Greece 1

Jiracek                  Gekas

Pilar

 

Poland 1                             Russia 1

Błaszczykowski                  Dzagoev

 

Czech Republic 1 Poland 0

Jiracek

 

Greece 1 Russia 0

Karagounis

 

Group B (FIFA ranking pre-tournament)

                                   W        D         L          GF       GA      P

Germany (2)              3          0          0          5          2          9

Portugal (5)                2          0          1          5          4          6

Denmark (10)              1          0          2          4          5          3

Netherlands (3)            0          0          3          2          5          0

  

Games

  

Germany 1 Portugal 0

Gomez

Denmark 1            Netherlands 0

Krohn-Dehli

 

Denmark 2    Portugal 3

Bendtner (2)  Pepe, Postiga, Varela

 

Germany 2 Netherlands 1

Gomez (2)  Van Persie

 

Denmark 1    Germany 2

Krohn-Dehli  Podolski, Bender

 

Netherlands 1 Portugal 2

Van der Vaart Ronaldo (2)

 

Group C (FIFA ranking pre-tournament)

 

                                   W        D         L          GF       GA      P

Spain (1)                     2          1          0          6          1          7

Italy (12)                    1          2          0          4          2          5

Croatia (8)                   1          1          1          4          3          4

Rep. Ireland (18)         0          0          3          1          9          0

 

Games

 

Italy 1               Spain 1

Di Natale     Fabregas

 

Croatia 3              Republic of Ireland 1

Mandzukic (2)       St. Ledger

Jelavic

 

Croatia 1      Italy 1

Mandzukic  Pirlo

 

Rep. Ireland 0 Spain 4

                        Torres (2); David Silva; Fabregas

 

Croatia 0 Spain 1

                Navas

 

Italy 2 Rep. Ireland 0

Cassano

Balotelli

 

 Group D (FIFA ranking pre-tournament)

                                   W        D         L          GF       GA      P

England (7)                 2          1          0          5          3          7

France (16)                1          1          1          3          3          4

Ukraine (50)                1          0          2          2          4          3

Sweden (17)                1          0          2          5          5          3

 

Games

 

Ukraine 2                    Sweden 1

Shevchenko (2)            Ibrahimovic

 

England 1        France 1

Lescott         Nasri

´

Ukraine 0   France 2

                   Ménez; Cabaye

  

England 3   Sweden 2

Carroll,       o.g. Johnson

Walcott      Melberg

Welbeck

 

 

England 1 Ukraine 0

Rooney

 

Sweden 2 France 0

Ibrahimovic

Larsson

 

 

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey

Pravda.Ru