Paris: Giorgio Chiellini and Graziano Pelle scored the goals as Italy exacted revenge for their Euro 2012 final hammering by dumping Spain out of Euro 2016 with a deserved 2-0 last 16 win on Monday. Chiellini forced home the winner from close range after goalkeeper David de Gea could only parry Eder’s fiercely struck free-kick. Pelle volleyed in a deflected cross in injury time to complete Spain’s heartbreak.
After crashing out of the World Cup in the first round, Vicente del Bosque’s team have now failed to get to the Euro quarterfinals. A series of De Gea saves kept Spain in the game, but their quest for an unprecedented third consecutive Euro title peetered out as Gianluigi Buffon saved from Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique late on to set up a mouthwatering quarterfinal clash with Germany on Saturday.
Spain had lost just one of their previous 11 meetings with Italy, including a 4-0 win in the Euro 2012 final. But the Azzurri were by far the better side in the opening 45 minutes and could have been more than one goal up at the break. Antonio Conte’s side finally made the breakthrough 12 minutes before half-time when Spain captain Sergio Ramos unncessarily dived in on Pelle to concede a free-kick on the edge of the box. Eder’s powerful effort was parried by De Gea only as far as Giaccherini and he nudged the ball into Chiellini’s path to bundle home. Italy comfortably held on to the one goal advantage and Pelle doubled the lead with his poacher’s strike in the first minute of injury time.
