Defeating the defending champion, Spain entered the round of 16 of Euro 2024

An own goal by Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori decided the fate of the most exciting match of the tournament as Spain qualified early with a perfect record of two wins in their opening two matches.

Winning means advancing to the knockout round, and maybe even winning the top spot in the group to gain a slight advantage in "choosing" opponents. Both Spain and Italy aim to take all 3 points in the big match at Gelsenkirchen.

Pedri issued a warning with a header in the 3rd minute.

Possessing the strongest attack in this final round, Spain overwhelmed their opponents right from the opening whistle. Pedri headed the ball close to the goal in the 3rd minute from a pass from Nico Williams, forcing goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to throw himself at the ball and use his fingertips to save the goal.

Fabian Ruiz had a long-range shot that almost scored.

Nico Williams himself headed the ball just inside the Italian penalty area a few minutes later, but unfortunately, he sent it just wide of the post. Of the nine shots on goal in the first half, Fabian Ruiz's shot from outside the area in the 25th minute was the most dangerous, even though it was the third time in the match that goalkeeper Donnarumma had to show all his skills to save the danger.

Gianluigi Donnarumma is a solid steel wall in the Italian national team's goal.

Being pressured to the point of suffocation, Italy only had one shot towards the Spanish goal in the entire first half, but Federico Chiesa's finish lacked power and was inaccurate, leaving many Italian fans shaking their heads in disappointment.

Defender Riccardo Calafiori deflected the ball off his foot, resulting in an own goal.

After the break, the match became even more exciting and the battle between the strong attack (Spain) and the solid defense (Italy) made the international media immediately label this match as "super classic". Playing very well from the beginning of the match with many classy saves, but in the 55th minute, Gianluigi Donnarumma had to pick the ball out of the net from a teammate's own kick.

Spain took the lead in less than an hour.

Nico Williams crossed the ball from the left wing very dangerously, Alvaro Morata lightly headed the ball to the far corner causing goalkeeper Donnarumma to miss and behind, center back Riccardo Calafiori fumbled and let the ball bounce off his knee and go back into his own net. 1-0 for Spain!

Ayoze Perez couldn't get the ball past goalkeeper Donnarumma.

With a little more luck, Pedri, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams could have added to Spain's lead. Even substitute Ayoze Perez had a chance to double the lead in the 90+2 minute of injury time, but his shot could not beat Donnarumma's "sticky" hands.

Spain has secured their place in the next round early...

...to the delight of the large number of home fans.

One goal was more than enough to secure a complete and well-deserved victory for Spain, the second team after Germany to qualify for the Round of 16, even with one group stage match still to be played. Defending champions Italy are not yet without hope, and may even still have a chance to advance if they avoid defeat against Croatia in their final match.

Vietnamese football fans can enjoy the full UEFA Euro 2024 Finals for free on TV360 at: https://tv360.vn/

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/ha-guc-duong-kim-vo-dich-tay-ban-nha-vao-vong-18-euro-2024-post385628.html