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Italy have moved into the final eight at Euro 2016, following a 2-0 victory against European heavyweights Spain.
The Italians applied stern defensive pressure to stifle the Spanish, who took 28 minutes to register a shot on goal.
With goals to Giorgio Chiellini and Graziano Pelle, Italy will be confident of troubling Germany in the quarter-finals.
Final score:
Italy 2
Spain 0
Group E winners Italy host defending champions Spain in a rematch of the 2012 Euro final. Join The Roar from 2am (AEST) for live scores and commentary.
After impressive wins over Belgium and Sweden in their first two group fixtures, Italy decided to take a more relaxed approach against the Republic of Ireland, and the decision cost them three points.
However, they are taking no such chanceas against Spain, with a full-strength squad back on the pitch.
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Revenge will also be on the Italians’ mind – the last time they met Spain in a Euro fixture was the 2012 final, where they suffered an embarrassing 4-nil loss in Kiev.
Having won only three of their past five fixtures, Spain have failed to regain the form that saw them dominate the 2010 World Cup and 2012 Euro tournament.
After being eliminated from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil in the group stages, Spain want to prove that they are still one of the premier teams in Europe.
The Spanish showed how dominant they can be with wins over Czech Republic and Turkey in their first two group games, however a harsh 2-1 loss to Croatia in the final group game slowed their momentum.
Italy like to defend and strike on the counter, and Spain enjoy possession-based football where they expose openings before striking. Expect a close game, which may very well be ended only via penalties.
Prediction
Italy to win via penalties.
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