Monday, June 11, 2012

Fabregas rescued Spain

Cesc Fabregas goal earns the reigning champion a draw after the opener of Antonio Di Natale to secure 1-1 draw for the reigning champion.

Torres had two good chances after introduced at the second half, but wasn't able to conjure up a winner. Until the introduction of Torres, for 74 minutes Spain had been playing without a real striker although there were moments of promise from offensive midfielders Fabregas, Iniesta and David Silva.



Di Natale scored just few minutes after coming off the bench.

Azzuri's trio in the box, De Rossi, Bonucci, and Chiellini, have been impressive last night and denied many of Spain's forward. On occasions the ball went through, Buffon was just too good.

At the other end, Italy, inspired by Cassano impressive form, had few chances which could be converted to goal. One of which was saved by incredible reflex of Casillas.

Started off a bit frustrated when possession wasn't dominated as supposed to, Spain improved significantly after the break and showed great focus. However, Italy was still causing Spanish fans worry at the back. Just a momentary lapse of concentration by Sergio Ramos, Mario Balotelli was 1 on 1 with Casillas. However, Manchester City striker was too slow, allowing Ramos to get back and correct his mistake.

Balotelli was then hauled off by Italy boss Cesare Prandelli to introduce the veteran Di Natale. This change made immediate impact, as just 4 minutes later he scored the opener after the perfect set up by Pirlo.

Italy's happiness did not last long as the reigning champion hit back immediately. Silva's beautiful flicked pass left Fabregas in front of Buffon, and Real Madrid player made no mistake to level the game.

Torres then was introduced at 75 minutes, and he looked sharp in positioning but still appeared short on confidence in front of goal.

1-1 was a fair result, and both teams still have a good chance of going through the next round.

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