Ah the knockout stages of a major tournament. The point in life where a football fan can go crazy if a silly decision goes the opposing team’s way but cherishes the moment the same decision is given to their team. The point where the referee has suddenly become biased towards the opponents and will avoid giving out yellow cards to their players. The life of a football fan is tough. But no test of faith will be stronger than this moment.
Spain v France
With Portugal and Germany pretty much strolling through, it was up to the remaining four teams to decide their winner and move on to the semi-finals. Spain, who were one goal away from losing it all won their group and faced a French side who showed so much promise but deteriorated in their final game to Sweden. It mattered little as they were still doing better than what they achieved in the 2010 FIFA World Cup: one points and one goal from three games.
In all honesty, it was no real surprise to see that people had become sick of Spain’s tiki-taka passing style. For the neutral, it became so boring after their World Cup triumph, that you just wanted to see someone finally beat them at their own game. Or more likely beat them in a scrappy ugly game. Either way, Spain were undefeated for 17 games and won 16 of them, prompting a French team who had just lost their 23 game undefeated streak.
And it was Spain who came out the traps raring to go. Instead of playing their usual ball-into-feet process, Vicente Del Bosque’s side tried something Stoke City are famous for. Xabi Alonso’s long ball over the top found the ‘false nine’ Cesc Fàbregas who controlled with his chest before falling under pressure from Gaël Clichy in the box. It looked like the French left-back got none of the ball and all of his ex-Arsenal teammate. Looked like a penalty but it wasn’t given.
It wasn’t long as justice looked to be done as Andrés Iniesta did his customary dribble and pass as he played Jordi Alba in on the left wing. Alba had the pace to go past Mathieu Debuchy who attempted to tackle him with his head but failed, and when the cross was played in, an unmarked Alonso was on hand to calmly head into the net. Why he wasn’t being tracked remained a mystery but Clichy was the culprit as he was looking to trip over Fàbregas again and didn’t stay in position. Alonso wouldn’t have cared as he grabbed a goal on his 100th appearance for his national team.
With Spain now capable of keeping a 1-0 lead and putting the ball in a cage and walking home, France had to find something special to get that all-important equaliser. With Karim Benzema now officially diagnosed to have been allergic to the opposition penalty box, the only source of attack was coming from a very energetic Franck Ribéry. Yet the closest shot on target eventually came from a free-kick. Yohan Cabaye stepped over it and sent in a wonderful curling effort from 35 yards but Iker Casillas saw it all the way and touched it over.
France didn’t sit back as the first half came to a close; in the second, they ramped up the pressure. Through the impressive Ribéry, he managed to create some havoc on the wings time and time again. Getting the better of Sergio Ramos, the Frenchman kept possession of the ball and waited for someone in the box to make the perfect run. Already confirmed that Benzema wasn’t going to do it, Ribéry crossed deep to pick out the onrushing Debuchy whose header went sailing just over the bar. It was a chance to score nonetheless and France were very much still in it.
Spain bossed the game now and just needed that second blow to kill the game off but looked to be a little complacent. Sergio Busquets back-heeled the ball straight to the opposition and it was Yann M’Vila who was on hand to superbly play in Ribéry. The Bayern Munich winger looked to have overdone himself when the ball got away from him but amazingly, Ribéry wrapped his foot around the ball and crossed into the box. Jeremy Ménez was almost in but an outstretched hand by Casillas took it away. With the game nearing an end, Spain attacked once more. Good work from Fàbregas played in substitute Pedro and his neat footwork took him away from Adil Rami before he clashed with Anthony Réveillère in the penalty box. A penalty was given and Alonso took it with aplomb and sent Hugo Lloris the wrong way as he wrapped up the game and won his 100th cap in style.
It was the usual business from Spain as they easily swept France aside and with Laurent Blanc’s men needing to come back from a goal down early on, they were always going to struggle against a vastly superior Spanish side.
England v Italy
It was now England and Italy’s chance to entertain their fans with both sides doing well in the group stages. England topped Group C with their backs-to-the-wall attitude and Italy finished second in Group D with their no longer backs-to-the-wall game plan. As a result, the game was then touted Old Italy vs New Italy. And it was New Italy who looked to take the early advantage when the ball harmlessly fell to Daniele De Rossi’s feet. With English players surrounding their own box, he decided to have a go himself and smashed a brilliant effort onto Joe Hart’s post. It was a fantastic start to what many predicted would be a tense and eventless fixture.
It wouldn’t be all Italy though as just minutes later Roy Hodgson’s side fashioned a great chance of their own. James Milner teased and turned Federico Balzaretti before whipping in a cross which took a deflection and landed in Glen Johnson’s feet in the box. Quite what he was doing there was anybody’s guess but the Liverpool defender swiped at it towards goal only to be denied by an instinctive save from Gianluigi Buffon. It could have been 1-1. Two good chances in the first ten minutes? What interesting, unexpected open game was going to unravel itself before our eyes now? Oh wait…
Not only did the first half then come to pretty much nothing, England were back to their old tricks and weren’t allowed to bring the ball past the halfway line meaning the Italians kept possession. Andrea Pirlo was at the heart of every attack and it wasn’t long till the next chance came by in the second half. A Pirlo corner was punched away by Hart only to be headed back in by Claudio Marchisio and when the ball came back to De Rossi, he had the easiest options to either take a touch to set himself, pass it to the open Leonardo Bonucci or knock it past a helpless Joe Hart. He chose instead to volley it with his left foot that was scuffed wide with Bonucci putting his hands out and wondering why he didn’t score. It was a great opportunity to get the opening goal.
And if the Roma midfielder didn’t think he could score from 3 yards, he tried from 25. A cross was cut out by an outstanding John Terry only to fall to De Rossi who absolutely lashed it powerfully. Hart parried it straight to Mario Balotelli and when he took a swipe, Hart saved again but the trouble wasn’t over as Riccardo Montolivo volleyed the rebound only to fire narrowly over the bar. England were spared; Italy were throwing away chances. Italy continued to press but couldn’t find the goal they needed and the game needed to go into extra-time.
Twenty-seven games into Euro 2012 and it was the twenty-eight which sparked the first ever 0-0 in this tournament. What was already predicted to be a tense game turned out to be exactly that but it was the Italians who came out in extra-time as England continued to just stand there and kick the ball as far away as they could. Mario Balotelli held off two defenders before playing Alessandro Diamanti in and when his cross found Antonio Nocerino, his header found the back of the net. Screams of ecstasy from the Italian fans soon turned to collected gasps as the linesman correctly flagged for offside. Nocerino was frustrated and England breathed again.
Extra-time came to a close and penalties beckoned. England had only won one penalty shoot-out in their entire history out of five and the Italians boasted a slightly better record as they won two out of five, including the winning 2006 World Cup Final. And it started off terribly for Italy after Balotelli and Steven Gerrard converted their kicks, Montolivo stuck his wide. Wayne Rooney kept his nerve to score and when Pirlo stepped up centre-stage, he just oozed class as he chipped a diving Hart to keep Italy in it. Ashley Young fired his onto the crossbar and Nocerino kept his nerve to make it 3-2. A normally assured scorer, Ashley Cole completely fluffed his lines and pretty much passed it into the grateful hands of Buffon. It was up to Diamanti to keep his cool and he did exactly that by firing low to win the shoot-out.
Italy kept their nerve and deserved to be in the semi-finals at England’s expense, but it is Hodgson’s side who crash out on penalties yet again. They didn’t attack in the game and were happy to sit back and maybe that gave Italy just enough motivation to win on penalties.
Where Did He Come From?
Andrea Pirlo
Thirty-three years of age and critics will be moaning about the lack of pace or the inability to go past a player. But who needs that when you’re as good as Andrea Pirlo. The Italian midfielder completely led the fight against England and was very assured with his passing. He played excellent long balls over the top and dictated play throughout.
Having already got a goal at the Euro’s, his next aim will be to lift the trophy and with Italy outclassing, out-passing and dominating England, he will go against Germany hoping to recreate his form. At thirty-three, it just shows – form is temporary, class is permanent.
Was He Even Playing?
Ashley Young
He’s been in this category before but Ashley Young has just had the worst tournament of his life. The liveliest he has been was in the opening game against France but when he played on the left-wing, he suffered as if he’s never played there before. Week in, week out, we’ve seen Young do the business for Manchester United as a winger, cutting in and supplying deadly crosses but for England, he was practically non-existent.
You have to say in his defence, he did have Ignazio Abate to deal with as he constantly bombed down the right, but Young didn’t test the Italians enough as he should have. His penalty summed up his game and just showed the lack of experience he has in major competitions. Maybe the next one will be better but Euro 2012 was a major failure for Ashley Young.
What Happens In Football 
England didnt play so well but should have at least scored all penalties…