Spain 1-0 Italy: Player ratings for La Roja as Riccardo Calafiori own goal sends them into last-16 | UEFA Euro 2024
Spain reached the Round of 16 of UEFA Euro 2024 with a 1-0 defeat of defending champions Italy at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen on Thursday (June 20).
An own goal from Riccardo Calafiori in the 55th minute earned La Roja all three points, confirming their place in the knockouts.
Having started brightly, Luis de la Fuente's side nearly broke the deadlock just a few minutes into kick-off, as Pedri headed towards goal, but Gianluigi Donnarumma made an excellent save. Neco Williams also came close as Italy were on the ropes.
Yet, the sides went into the break level, as Spain were unable to make their dominance count. However, it paid off just 10 minutes into the restart, when Calafiori inadvertently diverted a flick-on by Alvaro Morata into his own net.
The Reds threatened to extend their lead, with Lamine Yamal and Williams both coming close as Italy remained on the backfoot. Ayoze Perez saw two good chance smothered late on, but it mattered little, as the holders were eventually beaten.
Spain finished with a staggering 20 shots in the game, of which nine were on target, while Italy had just one in four. The two sides play Albania and Crostia respectively in their final group fixtures next week.
Here are the player ratings for Spain:
Unai Simon - 6.5/10
With Italy struggling to create anything meaningful, Simon had a comfortable outing in goal and had another clean sheet to boot.
Daniel Carvajal - 7/10
The Real Madrid ace built on his superb opening game with a resolute display to keep Italy at bay. He also demonstrated unerring passing accuracy, completing 91% of his passes.
Robin Le Normand - 7/10
A reliable figure in defense for Spain, Le Normand offered incredible resistence in defence to keep Italy at bay while never hesitating to jump into duels. He competed in a total of 11, winning five.
Aymeric Laporte - 7/10
The former Manchester City star perfectly complemented Le Normand in the backline. His excellent vision saw him make four clearances and win both his aerial duels.
Marc Cucurella - 8.5/10
It was a phenomenal display from Cucurella, Spain's undisputed man of the match. Bustling with energy and purpose, he made four clearances, two interceptions and five tackles.
The 25-year-old was a thorn in Italy's flesh, winning eight ground duels, while his three key passes were a testament to his ingenuity.
Pedri - 7/10
His tackles were perfectly timed. He competed hard for the ball and possessed a keen eye for a chance. Pedri laid three key passes and won five ground duels, mustering two shots on target.
Rodri - 8/10
The midfield maestro was key to dictating Spain's tempo and sprayed passes all around to help maintain momentum. With a 98% accuracy, Rodri was at his usual best while also being a battering ram to Italy with three clearances and two tackles.
Fabian Ruiz - 8/10
Another bright spark on the night for Spain, Ruiz cut a swathe through Italy with his pace and ball control. He made three key passes and crosses each, winning five ground duels.
Lamine Yamal - 7/10
The 16-year-old offered moments of attacking quality, especially with his precocious dribbling skills but couldn't test Italy enough.
Alvaro Morata - 7/10
The Atletico Madrid ace asked questions of Italy's defence with his directness and unerring accuracy, while forcing an own goal from Calafiori. He had two shots on target and created one big chance before going off in the 78th minute.
Neco Williams - 8/10
Spain's best player on the field given his output, Williams came of age. His confidence on the ball belied his age, and he came agonizsngly close to scoring in the seocnd half when he sliced a wonderful effort against the crossbar. He had four key passes and five crosses to his credit, as well as one big chance created.
Ratings of Spain substitutes against Italy
Alejandro Baena - 6/10
The Villarreal star had one moment of quality in the 80th minute, turning in the middle of the park and picking out Perez inside Italy's penalty area.
Ferran Torres - 6.5/10
He was thrown in to boost Spain's offence but came up short.
Ayoze Perez - 8/10
What a barnstorming run by Perez, who conjured two good chances inside two minutes as Italy were all over the place in defence.
Mikel Oyarzabal - N/A
It was poor substitution, as the Real Sociedad ace barely got involved.
Mikel Merino - N/A
He replaced Ruiz in the 90th minute to see the game off.