Casillas Spain's shoot-out saviour

Euro 2008 Quarter Finals
Spain 0
Italy 0

* Kevin McCarra at Ernst Happel Stadium
* The Guardian,
* Monday June 23, 2008

Cesc Fabregas celebrates after scoring the desicive penalty

Cesc Fabregas celebrates after scoring the winning penalty. Photograph: G Hochmuth/EPA

Spain overcame a dreadful history and a phobia. Their dread of shoot-outs was conquered and so, too, were Italy, opponents they had not beaten in competitive football for 88 years. The decisive penalty was taken by the substitute Cesc Fábregas, who displayed all the calm so associated with Arsenal as he slipped the ball past the left-hand of Gigi Buffon.

Previously, Daneiele de Rossi and Alessandro Di Natale had failed for Italy, while Daniel Guiza, of Italy, also had his effort saved. With a day's less rest that than the opposition in their legs, as well as the effects of extra-time, Spain go on to face Russia in the semi-fnals on Wednesday. They will, all the same, be fired by joy after getting through this tiresome match.

The main purpose of this match was to remind us of how spoiled we have been at Euro 2008. Here was the sedative for those still in a state of excitement following Russia's defeat of Holland on Saturday. When it seemed that extra-time might be avoided it was because of a blunder. Buffon spilled a long-range effort by Marcos Senna after 81 minutes and watched the ball trickle against the post.

No one can plan for such events and Spain, in particular, were so disappointed with their bluntness that Fernando Torres was replaced. He took the news badly but may have been as unhappy with his work as with the verdict of his coach, Luis Aragonés.

There are moments when a spectator wonders if it is greedy of him to expect that one piece of sharp play will be followed by another. Italy ought to have all the calm that rightly belongs to footballers who conquered the world two years ago and Spain, by the same token, should have developed confidence on the basis of recent form. Both, instead, seemed burdened by the importance of the occasion during the first half.

In Spain's case that anxiety manifested itself in passing that was pedantic even by their standards. Italy, for their part, were wholly unambitious. The interval was in sight before it suddenly dawned on the participants that something bold and decisive had to be attempted. Roberto Donadoni's team would have been less worried by the lack of impact.

There can, of course, be a pitfall in all this indifference to the moderate displays put on before last night. It is terrifyingly smug to assume that Spain would be beaten purely because Italy had won every previous competitive match between the countries since losing the very first, at the 1920 Olympics. Aragonés's team were close to going in front here eight minutes from the break.

Torres cut in from the left and, when his effort was blocked, David Silva, from the other side of the area, flashed a drive narrowly wide of the far post. Slightly earlier, all the same, Italy had indicated that they did not need long periods of possession to build menace. Antonia Cassano, free of Sergio Ramos, crossed precisely for Luca Toni, but the striker's header bounced off his marker Carlos Marchena.

Around that time Italy mustered a modicum of adventure. Some kind of progress was essential. They have not been secure in defence or sharp-witted in attack and both aspects of the side's play were potentially hindered further here by the suspensions of Rino Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo. Ostensibly Spain were in better shape, enjoying a full squad that had scored eight goals to Italy's three while being slightly superior in their defending, too. Aragonés' squad did take the initiative but there was a predictabilty to the first-half showing. Perhaps it is unwise to hold up the direct style of an average Premier League game as a model but it did seem odd that Spain would not vary their build-up with a straightforward cross when someone such as Torres has the credentials to make the most of it. As it was, a Villa free-kick that Buffon saved routinely was one of their better attempts before half-time.

The action did improve after the break. Having been eliminated in shoot-outs on this very date in the quarter-finals of two World Cups and a European Championship Spain could not have been counting on luck. There was more forcefulness and, when a Christian Panucci clearance cannoned off Daniele de Rossi, the impressive Giorgio Chiellini made an excellent challenge on Silva.

After 56 minutes the Juventus defender had to react sharply to challenge Torres after the striker had got past Panucci. Substitutions ensued with Aragonés dissatisfied enough to remove Andres Iniesta after an hour. An Italian alteration, three minutes before, nearly had greater impact. Mauro Camoranesi, on for Simone Perrotta, fastened on to a loose ball after Luca Toni had thrown his weight around and demanded that Casillas make a good save. Spain had the greater enterprise yet did not bring enough focus to their work.

Despite the eventual drama of the penalty shoot-out, the tournament had not been afflicted with a game of this sort since the opening set of fixtures in which Romania and France held one another to a turgid 0-0 draw.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer