Spain-Italy, always with a rematch

Spain and Italy always invite us to take a look at the past. On Tuesday they will meet at Wembley in search of a place in the final of the European Championship in what will be their third consecutive head-to-head duel in the tournament, with two successes for La Roja and one, the last one, for the Azzurri, but which has a long history behind it and which, as far as official competitive matches are concerned, used to be negative for the Spanish team.

Since Spain won at the Antwerp Olympics in 1920 and until the 3-0 victory in September 2017 on the road to the World Cup in Russia, the two teams have met in 37 matches with an absolutely even balance: 11 wins each side and 15 draws, with 40 Spanish goals and 43 Italian ones…

But in the memories of both teams, there are some unforgettable matches to understand the meaning of this eternal rivalry.

1934 WORLD CUP: MUSSOLINI’S GOAL

Italy organized, and won, the 1934 World Cup under the fascist government of Benito Mussolini, whose encouragement to the team coached by Vittio Pozzo went down in posterity: ‘Win or die’. And in order not to find himself in this dilemma, the man who would become Hitler’s great ally even before World War II prepared everything thoroughly.

Considered one of the great favorites, Spain defeated Brazil in the round of 16 (3-1) and met the Italians in Florence on May 31 in the quarterfinals. Luis Regueiro gave Spain the lead on the half-hour mark, Giovanni Ferrari equalized on the brink of the break and the second half turned into a wild goose chase against the Spaniards.

The duel ended in a draw and a play-off had to be played… Which the organization set for the following day and in which Spain could not count on Ricardo Zamora (the best goalkeeper in the world at the time), Ciriaco, Fede, Lafuente, Iraragorri, Gorostiza and Lángara, all of whom were injured.

The tie was settled by a solitary goal from Giuseppe Meazza at the start of the game, and was sealed by the Machiavellian refereeing of Swiss referee Rene Mercet, who disallowed two goals for Spain without any logic.

EURO 1988: VIALLI’S STAB IN THE BACK

Eight years after the two sides had drawn in the group stage of the UEFA European Championship in Italy, they met again on the second matchday of the tournament organized by the old Federal Germany. The Spain of La Quinta del Buitre, beaten on penalties in the 1986 World Cup by Belgium in the quarter-finals, started happily by beating Laudrup’s Denmark (3-2) and a draw against Italy on the second day of the tournament seemed to be the key to qualification for the semi-finals…

And when the Reds coached by Miguel Muñoz began to savor that draw, which could even have been a victory due to the repeated chances of Michel, Bakero or Butragueño, a defensive mismatch left the ball at the feet of Vialli, who scored with a cross shot that would be the definitive 1-0 for Italy. The Spanish team was finally eliminated after losing to the German hosts on the last matchday…

WORLD CUP 1994: THE BLOOD OF LUIS ENRIQUE

Quarterfinals of the World Cup in the United States. Clemente’s Spain, now deprived of the command of a Quinta del Buitre, whom the coach had removed from the squad to provoke a schism among the press who laughed at what had happened to Luis Enrique, arrived at Boston after crushing Switzerland in the Round of 16 (3-0).

Confident and confident, they came up against Arrigo Sacchi’s Italy, who took the lead with a Dino Baggio goal in the first half, equalized by Caminero at the start of a second half in which the Spaniards dominated by far… Until the end, which was both unprecedented and controversial in equal measure. In the 85th minute, Fernando Hierro’s through ball left Julio Salinas alone in front of Pagliuca, who miraculously saved the Spanish striker’s shot before two more missed opportunities… And a counter-attack, in the 87th minute, which Roberto Baggio saved after a desperate save by Zubizarreta.

But there was still time for more. For the controversy that no one who saw it could forget: in stoppage time Luis Enrique goes to the finish of a cross from the right of Goikoetxea… And he falls collapsed on the ground victim of a monumental elbow by Mauro Tassotti. The blood from his nose, his cries, his protests and his indignation do not motivate the Hungarian referee Sándor Puhl to signal the clear penalty… And Spain falls.

EURO 2008: SAN CASILLAS

Two years after the defeat in the round of 16 at the World Cup in Germany and with the atmosphere once again heated since Luis Aragonés’ decision to remove Raúl from the national team, Spain and Italy (world champions) meet in the quarterfinals of the European Championship in Vienna.

The cursed quarter-final, so often an insurmountable wall, turns into a superb duel that ends goalless and leads to a penalty shootout that will be historic. David Villa scored for the first time and Grosso equalized; Cazorla scored the 2-1 and San Casillas appeared to deny De Rossi’s kick. Senna and Camoranessi did not miss the third kick and in the fourth Buffon saved from Güiza before Casillas saved Di Natale’s shot… And Cesc Fabregas converted the final one to give Spain a 4-2 win.

The quarter-final wall was broken and the critics silenced, Spain would end up winning the title that gave way to its best period of splendor…

EURO 2012: GLORY

Together in Group C of the group stage, Spain and Italy made their debut in the tournament with a draw in Pozna? Spain, reigning world champions under Vicente del Bosque, beat France 2-0 in the quarterfinals and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the semifinals on penalties, while Prandelli’s Italy reached the final after beating England in the quarterfinals and Germany 2-1 from 11 yards.

The final of Kiev is served and there the Spanish outrage, as unexpected as sensational, is reflected in the 4-0 that wins the match. David Silva and Jordi Alba scored in the first half; Fernando Torres and Juan Mata scored in the final stretch of the second half to give Spain the title.

Busquets and Alba; Bonucci and Chiellini met that afternoon, just as they would four years later… And as they will do this Tuesday in London.

EURO 2016: THE END OF AN ERA

The French national team, with Del Bosque at the helm and Casillas relegated to the substitutes’ bench, was unmitigatedly crushed at the World Cup in Brazil, and the Euro 2016 in France has the taste of a farewell for the Spanish national team. After being beaten by Croatia in the last matchday of the group stage, Spain came second and had to face Antonio Conte’s Italy in Paris in the round of 16. And there, at the Stade de France, the Spanish era came to a sad end.

A goal by Chiellini on the half-hour mark and another by Pellé in stoppage time sealed a 2-0 win for the Azzurri, who will be eliminated in the penalty shootout of the quarterfinals by Germany, and the fall of a Spain that will begin a new, and after all, turbulent stage with Lopetegui before the arrival of Luis Enrique on the bench.