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UEFA Euro 2012 final

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UEFA Euro 2012 Final
File:NSC Olimpiyskyi-2011.jpeg
EventUEFA Euro 2012
Spain Italy
Spain Italy
4 0
Date1 July 2012
VenueOlympic Stadium, Kiev
RefereePedro Proença (Portugal)
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The UEFA Euro 2012 Final was a football match that place on 1 July 2012 at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine, to determine the winner of UEFA Euro 2012.[1] The defending champions are Spain, who defeated Germany 1–0 in 2008.[2] Spain are scheduled to play Italy, as they attempt to retain their title. Spain won 4–0 against Italy, becoming the first team to win two consecutive European Championships, and the first international football team to win three consecutive major tournaments (Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup).[3][4] It will also be the fourth time in the history of the European Championships that teams who played each other in the group stage played each other again in the final (1988, 1996 and 2004).

The winner of the final gains automatic entry to the 2013 Confederations Cup. However, since Spain already qualified as the 2010 World Cup champions, Italy qualified automatically (as the UEFA representative) with their win in the semi-final against Germany, regardless of result of the final.[5]

Background

Prior to the tournament, the two teams have met 30 times, with Italy winning ten times of their matches, Spain eight, and twelve of their remaining games finishing in draws. The last time the two teams met was in a friendly on 10 August 2011 in Bari, which Italy won 2–1.[6] Italy has won the UEFA European Football Championship once in 1968, while Spain won it in 1964 against Soviet Union, and another one at the previous edition in 2008, against Germany. In 2000, Italy reached the final for the second time, losing 1–2 in extra time against France, while Spain also reached it in 1984, also losing 1–0 to the same side. Spain started the tournament as favorites, being ranked as the top team in the FIFA World Rankings, while Italy was ranked on the 12th position, and the 8th team among the UEFA teams. However, Italy has won the World Cup four times in 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006 (the most among UEFA teams) and has lost a World Cup final on two occasions, in 1970, and 1994, both against Brazil. while Spain has only won the World Cup once, in 2010.

Route to the final

Spain

Spain were drawn in Group C in the group stage, alongside Italy, Croatia, and Republic of Ireland. Spain opened their group stage match against Italy on 10 June 2012. Italy took the lead in the second half of the match, through substitute and Italian striker Antonio Di Natale in the 61st minute, who had come on to replace another striker, Mario Balotelli.[7] Three minutes later, Spain found a equalizer, in which midfielder Andrés Iniesta assisted another midfielder, Cesc Fábregas, who in turn slotted the ball past goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.[7] Spain's next match was on 14 June, against Republic of Ireland. Spain striker Fernando Torres opened the goalscoring, early in the fourth minute, retaining the ball, after Republic of Ireland defender Richard Dunne's unsuccessful tackle, before scoring the goal from 10 yards, past chanceless goalkeeper Shay Given.[8] It did not take until the second half, in the 49th minute, where David Silva extended the lead for Spain, nutmegging three defenders in the process, Stephen Ward, Sean St Ledger, and Dunne, after Given blocked Iniesta's shot.[8] With 20 minutes of the match remaining, Torres scored his second goal, after a successful assist from Silva, as he chipped the ball past Given.[8] The final goal was scored by Fábregas, in which he received the ball after a Silva corner, and scored from a difficult angle.[8] Their third and final group stage match against Croatia on 18 June, proved to be more difficult than expected, as Croatia had several goalscoring chances, notably from Croatian players Ivan Strinić and Ivan Perišić, which Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas had no problems dealing with.[9] The match looked like it was heading for a draw, until the 88th minute, in which substitute Jesús Navas struck the winning goal, from an Iniesta assist.[9]

In the quarter-finals, on 23 June 2012, Spain took on France. Spain opened the goalscoring, after defender Jordi Alba's assist, which midfielder Xabi Alonso scored with a header past France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.[10] Spain completed their win, late in the second half, with Alonso stepping up to score the penalty kick, after France defender Anthony Réveillère brought down Spain striker Pedro inside the penalty area.[10] Spain faced Portugal on 27 June in the semi-finals, who had previously beaten Czech Republic in the quarter-finals, courtesy of an late Cristiano Ronaldo goal.[11] The decisive match proved to be more difficult than expected, with Portugal having numerous goalscoring chances.[12] However, Spain managed to hold on, which required the match to go into extra time.[12] Spain showed signs of improvement, but nevertheless, failed to score over both halves.[12] A penalty shoot-out was then ensued.[12] Alonso, who had previously taken an penalty kick against France, had his spot kick saved by Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patrício.[12] Portugal looked to take the advantage, with midfielder João Moutinho as the next penalty taker, however, Casillas produced a tremendous diving save to prevent Portugal from taking the lead.[12] Iniesta stepped up to take the second penalty, which was successfully taken.[12] Defender Pepe's effort proved to be successful as well, as he struck the ball just past Casillas.[12] Defender Gerard Piqué showed no sign of nervousity, as he struck the ball past Rui Patrício, identically to Pepe's spot kick.[12] Defender Bruno Alves stepped up to take the third penalty for Portugal, however, midfielder Nani encouraged Alves to let him take the penalty, which Nani struck high in the left corner of the goal and sending Casillas to the wrong side of the goal.[12] The fourth penalty was taken by defender Sergio Ramos, who produced a Panenka-like penalty, chipping the ball past Rui Patrício.[12] The turn finally arrived to Alves, who missed the spot kick and hit the right post.[12] Fábregas scored Spain's fifth goal, as the ball went in via the left post.[12] Spain emerged victorious, and were in a UEFA European Football Championship final for the fourth time, since 1960, 1984 and 2008.[12]

Italy

As well as Spain, Italy were placed in Group C in the group stage. Italy started their group stage match against Spain on 10 June 2012. Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo provided the assist to Di Natale, who opened the goalscoring, as he pipped Piqué and Ramos to the ball, before striking it inside the right corner of the goal.[7] It took just three minutes, before Spain found an equalizer, through Fábregas.[7] Italy's next fixture was against Croatia on 14 June. Italy were dominant in the first half of the match, and had numerous chances to score.[13] A foul from Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitić on Balotelli, meant Italy were awarded a free kick.[13] Pirlo stepped up, and struck the free kick,[13] which went past Croatia goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa, inside the left side of the goal.[13] However, just minutes before the end of the second half, Croatia striker Mario Mandžukić headed in the equalizer, after an assist from Strinić.[13] Their third and final match against Republic of Ireland was on 18 June. Striker Antonio Cassano struck the first goal, from an Pirlo corner, which Republic of Ireland defender Damien Duff failed to clear.[14] Near the end of the match, centre midfielder Keith Andrews was booked for the second time, after committing a foul on Pirlo, resulting in a sending off by Turkey referee Cüneyt Çakır.[14] As the match headed it's way into the 90 minutes, in injury time, Balotelli struck a volley past Given, assisted by attacking midfielder Alessandro Diamanti.[14]

In the quarter-finals, Italy faced England. Both sides were dominant and had possession in the first half. Italy players, such as midfielders Riccardo Montolivo, Pirlo, Balotelli, and Cassano had chances to score, but failed to do so.[15] England players also rounded off chances, through England strikers Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck, midfielders Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker, and defenders Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole.[15] In the second half, Italy proved to be the more dominant side. However, none of the sides failed to produce a goal in both of the halves, and the match was taken into extra time.[15] Diamanti had the best chance to score in the first half, with the ball hitting the outside of the left post.[15] Both sides, however, still failed to take the plaudits, as the match headed into a penalty shoot-out.[15] Balotelli was the first penalty taker for Italy, as he struck the penalty kick into the left corner, past England goalkeeper and his club team-mate at Manchester City, Joe Hart.[15] Gerrard did not hesitate, and scored into the same left corner.[15] Montolivo became the second player for Italy to take the penalty kick. He made an attempt to slot the ball, past into the same corner, but missed the penalty wide, outside the goal.[15] Pirlo became Italy's third penalty taker, as well as Ramos, produced a Panenka-like penalty.[15] Midfielder Ashley Young stepped up to take England's third penalty, but failed to convert his goal, and instead hit the crossbar.[15] Italy now had the advantage, as Antonio Nocerino stepped up, and successfully scored the fourth penalty.[15] The pressure was now on England, and it proved to be decisive for Italy,[15] as defender Ashley Cole stepped up to take the fourth penalty for England, which Buffon saved.[15] In the semi-finals, Italy faced Germany. Italy dominated possession early, and after receiving the ball from Cassano, Balotelli opening the goalscoring in the 20th minute of the first half in the left corner inside the goal, heading past German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.[16] It only took a few minutes, before Balotelli struck again, this time in the top right corner, assisted by Montolivo.[16] In the second half, Germany improved, and were awarded a penalty during the late minutes, after Federico Balzaretti was penalized for handball.[16] Germany midfielder Mesut Özil struck the penalty kick into the right corner.[16] Despite this, Italy managed to hold on their lead, and were victorious at the end, as they progressed into the final, having won the competition last in 1968.[17]

Spain Round Italy
Opponent Result Group stage Opponent Result
 Italy 1–1 Match 1  Spain 1–1
 Republic of Ireland 4–0 Match 2  Croatia 1–1
 Croatia 1–0 Match 3  Republic of Ireland 2–0
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Spain 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 7
 Italy 3 1 2 0 4 2 +2 5
 Croatia 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4
 Republic of Ireland 3 0 0 3 1 9 −8 0
Final standings
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Spain 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 7
 Italy 3 1 2 0 4 2 +2 5
 Croatia 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4
 Republic of Ireland 3 0 0 3 1 9 −8 0
Opponent Result Knockout stage Opponent Result
 France 2–0 Quarter-finals  England 0–0 (aet) (4–2 pen.)
 Portugal 0–0 (aet) (4–2 pen.) Semi-finals  Germany 2–1

Pre-match

The Olympic Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine, the largest stadium of the eight Euro 2012 venues, was selected as the venue for the UEFA Euro 2012 Final, after a meeting held in Ukraine on 25 June 2007.[18][19]

Prior to the start of the match, the closing ceremonies were held, featuring a live performance by six hundred volunteer performers, performing a field march of a football match. Also featured was a performance by German singer Oceana, performing the official theme to Euro 2012, “Endless Summer”.[20]

Match ball

Main article: Adidas Tango 12

The Adidas Tango 12 Finale, part of the Adidas Tango family, was used as the official match ball used throughout the tournament, provided by German sports equipment company, Adidas.[21] It is designed to be easier to dribble and control than the reportedly unpredictable Adidas Jabulani used at the 2010 World Cup.[22]

Broadcasting

Main article: UEFA Euro 2012 broadcasting rights

The match was aired on ITV and BBC in the United Kingdom.[23] In the United States, the match was shown on ESPN.[24]

Match

Summary

In the final match at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine, Spain won the tournament by a score of 4-0 over Italy.[25] Spain quickly took control in the first half by goals in the 14th minute by a header by David Silva, and in the 41st minute by Jordi Alba. In the second half, Italy used the last of their three substitutions, putting Antonio Di Natale and Thiago Motta into the game. Thiago Motta injured his hamstring shortly after entering the match, and had to leave the pitch, forcing Italy to play with ten men for the remainder of the match. Spain was able to increase their lead to 4-0 in the second half, with goals by Fernando Torres in the 83rd minute,[26] and in the 88th minute by Juan Mata,[27] to win their second straight UEFA European Championship, and their third straight international title (UEFA Euro 2008, 2010 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2012).

Gerard Piqué for Spain and Andrea Barzagli for Italy both received yellow cards in the match.

Spain became the first national team to win three major tournaments in a row. The game was the first time in 33 games at the EURO tournament that Italy has been scored 3 goals. It was also the first time a team has scored 4 goals in the final, and the first time in the history of the tournament that a team (Spain) had been scored only once (the previous record has been 3 goals).

Details

Spain 4–0 Italy
Silva 14'
Alba 41'
Torres 84'
Mata 88'		 Report
Attendance: ,[28]
Spain[29]
Italy[29]
Spain
SPAIN:
GK 1 Iker Casillas (c)
RB 17 Álvaro Arbeloa
CB 3 Gerard Piqué Yellow card 25'
CB 15 Sergio Ramos
LB 18 Jordi Alba
CM 8 Xavi
CM 16 Sergio Busquets
CM 14 Xabi Alonso
AM 10 Cesc Fàbregas downward-facing red arrow 75'
RF 21 David Silva downward-facing red arrow 59'
LF 6 Andrés Iniesta downward-facing red arrow 87'
Substitutions:
FW 7 Pedro upward-facing green arrow 59'
FW 9 Fernando Torres upward-facing green arrow 75'
MF 13 Juan Mata upward-facing green arrow 87'
Manager:
Vicente del Bosque
Italy
ITALY:
GK 1 Gianluigi Buffon (c)
RB 7 Ignazio Abate
CB 15 Andrea Barzagli Yellow card 45'
CB 19 Leonardo Bonucci
LB 3 Giorgio Chiellini downward-facing red arrow 21'
DM 21 Andrea Pirlo
RW 8 Claudio Marchisio
AM 18 Riccardo Montolivo downward-facing red arrow 57'
LW 16 Daniele De Rossi
CF 9 Mario Balotelli
CF 10 Antonio Cassano downward-facing red arrow 46'
Substitutions:
DF 6 Federico Balzaretti upward-facing green arrow 21'
FW 11 Antonio Di Natale upward-facing green arrow 46'
MF 5 Thiago Motta upward-facing green arrow 57' downward-facing red arrow 60' (inj.)
Manager:
Cesare Prandelli

Man of the Match:
[28]

Assistant referees:
Bertino Miranda (Portugal)
Ricardo Santos (Portugal)
Fourth official:
Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)
Additional assistant referees:
Jorge Sousa (Portugal)
Duarte Gomes (Portugal)
Reserve official:
Bahattin Duran (Turkey)

References

  1. ^ "Fixture plan brings Euro dream closer". Union of European Football Associations. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  2. ^ McNulty, Phil (29 June 2008). "Germany 0–1 Spain". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  3. ^ Logothetis, Paul (27 June 2012). "Euro 2012: Spain won't change game plan for Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo". National Post. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  4. ^ Evans, Simon (27 June 2012). "Spot-on Fabregas sends Spain into Euro 2012 final". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  5. ^ "Italy qualify for Confederations Cup". Soccerway. 29 June 2012.
  6. ^ "Match Press kit – Final – Spain-Italy" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 July 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d Smith, Ben (10 June 2012). "Euro 2012: Spain 1–1 Italy". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d Chase, Graham (14 June 2012). "Spain 4–0 Republic of Ireland". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  9. ^ a b Smith, Ben (18 June 2012). "Croatia 0–1 Spain". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  10. ^ a b Sanghera, Mandeep (23 June 2012). "Spain 2–0 France". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  11. ^ Rostance, Tom (21 June 2012). "Czech Republic 1–0 Portugal". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Smith, Ben (27 June 2012). "Portugal 0–0 Spain". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  13. ^ a b c d e Jurejko, Jonathan (14 June 2012). "Italy 1–1 Croatia". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  14. ^ a b c Sanghera, Mandeep (18 June 2012). "Italy 2–0 Republic of Ireland". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m McNulty, Phil (24 June 2012). "England 0–0 Italy". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  16. ^ a b c d McNulty, Phil (28 June 2012). "Germany 1–2 Italy". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  17. ^ "Cesare Prandelli urges Italy to 'turn the page' from England game". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 25 June 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  18. ^ "Poland and Ukraine host Euro 2012". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 18 April 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  19. ^ "Volodymyr Rybak: Final tournament of the 2012 European Championship to take place at the NSC "Olimpiysky"". Ukrainian Cabinet Portal. 25 June 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  20. ^ "Euro 2012 closing ceremony to last 12 minutes". Kyiv Post. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  21. ^ "Casillas on hand to unveil Euro final ball". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  22. ^ Liew, Jonathan (2 December 2011). "Adidas's new Tango 12 ball moves on from the World Cup Jabulani". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  23. ^ Burnton, Simon (7 June 2012). "Euro 2012: How BBC and ITV teams will battle it out to the final". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  24. ^ Blum, Ronald (30 June 2012). "Preparing for Euro 2012 final, ESPN convinced US soccer audience knows its stuff". Winnipeg Free Press. Associated Press. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  25. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17875873
  26. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17875873
  27. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17875873
  28. ^ a b "Full-time report Spain-Italy" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 July 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  29. ^ a b "Tactical Line-up – Final – Spain-Italy" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 July 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
Spain men's national football team results
Italy national football team results
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