The Euro 2012 has claimed its first victim: The Republic of Ireland are the first team knocked out of the tournament, which is sad for me (big fan of Ireland) but hey, deserved; the rest of Group C have produced excellent, competitive football. This has been a great Tournament so far, with 11 of 12 teams still alive on the final day of Group play. Group C provided two very different matches on their second match day, each thrilling in its own way. To the recaps!
Croatia v Italy
Two matches, two leads lost, two draws; the Italian philosophy of “score and shut the door” has been a failure so far. And while every team in the world can be forgiven for shipping a goal to Spain, Mario Mandzukic ’s 72nd minute strike, which cancelled out a brilliant, clinical 39th minute Andrea Pirlo free kick, was a different story; the game should have been done and dusted by the time the Croatians found the net. Italy were simply unable to convert their chances, with blog favorite striker Mario Balotelli missing a slew of opportunities. The Italians seemed to fade in terms of their commitment and their fitness; by the time Ivan Strinic’s great cross found Mandzukic on the far post, it seemed like the simple mistake of leaving him unmarked was a symptom of Italy’s plan to sit back and defend. You must play positive, possession football when you can. It doesn’t mean you cannot defend, but you have to play smart.
Highlights:
Kiss Your Sister.
A quick word on Pirlo– how about that free kick? Classic Pirlo, he’s been an ageless wonder this tournament. Incredible to see him play at this level at age 33; you cannot hide as a CAM, and his ability to make plays has lead directly to both of Italy’s goals this Tournament. On the other hand, you have to wonder about Daniele De Rossi, who has been brilliant playing in a modified “sweeper” role at the back, and what he might be able to do if Italy went to a single striker, played a true back four and put De Rossi in a more advanced DM role. You just get the feeling that manager Cesare Prandelli is playing a little too much with his players in odd positions and while the team have been very good, if he’s serious about locking the door, he may want to add some possession to the midfield while adding to the back line.
He can’t do it all: Italy’s Andrea Pirlo
Croatia, on the other hand, have put themselves in good shape to go through. If they can earn a draw with Spain, it would go a long way toward helping them into the next round. Spain will be playing, though; with two teams on four points and Italy likely to earn five points by beating Ireland, it could come down to the third (goal differential) or fourth (goals scored) tiebreakers to decide the Group.
Ya Heard? Mandzukic makes it 1-1
Republic of Ireland v Spain
OK. What can you say? This was a total destruction, one of the most dominant performances you are likely to ever see at an international tournament. The gulf in class could be measured in miles. I mean, this…
God Damn.
Let’s look at some statistics to outline Spain’s dominance, shall we?
4-0 score (duh)
20 shots on goal vs 4 for Ireland
860 passes attempted
78% of possession
Xavi broke the Euro record for passing, completing 127 of 136 passes
Xavi and Iniesta combined had more successful passes than the entire Irish team
Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.
I could go on all day. This was Spain at its most incredible. Even Fernando Torres looked to his old Liverpool-era form, which, wow. Iniesta, Xavi and Xabi Alonso absolutely bossed the match like nothing I’ve ever seen. I won’t rub it in any more. Like I said, what can you say?
They’ll want to keep it going; Spain have to be nailed on as favorites against Croatia and to win Group C. Good news for Italy? Stay tuned.
The Back Row Manifesto 