* Italy beat Netherlands in third place match
In the early morning of June 19, Spain defeated Croatia 5-4 in a penalty shootout, after 120 minutes of a 0-0 draw in the final, to be crowned champions of the UEFA Nations League for the first time.
In contrast to the openness in the most recent confrontation, when Spain beat Croatia 5-3 in the round of 16 of EURO 2020, the two teams played tightly in the match at De Kuip Stadium (Rotterdam).
Spain created a better game thanks to good control of the midfield. But Luka Modric and his teammates still showed the spirit of the 2018 World Cup runner-up and 2022 World Cup third place finisher.
The caution made the 90 minutes of the match not go as expected when there were very few dangerous situations towards each other's goal.
During the first half, Spain only had one significant attack from Gavi's long-range shot that missed the target. Before that, goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made a mistake that almost gave Alvaro Morata a chance to tap in. At the end of the second half, a valuable opportunity was given to Ansu Fati, but the Barca striker missed from just 6 meters away.
In extra time, Croatia demanded a penalty after Nacho tripped Lovro Majer in the Spanish penalty area in the 100th minute. However, referee Felix Zwayer rejected it, saying Majer had touched the ball enough to not constitute a foul for the Spanish defender.
In the penalty shootout, Unai Simon became the hero for Spain. The Bilbao goalkeeper saved two penalties from Majer in the fourth round and Bruno Petkovic in the sixth round. Meanwhile, Spain only missed one, with Aymeric Laporte's kick in the fifth round.
A dramatic penalty shootout victory brought Spain to the top of the Nations League for the first time. The Reds' best performance in the past was the 2021 final, where they lost 1-2 to France. Meanwhile, Modric and his teammates once again missed out on an international title. In 2018, they lost 2-4 to France in the World Cup final.
The Nations League title helped Spanish football end its championship drought of more than a decade, since winning EURO 2012. This is also La Roja's 5th title in history, after the EURO 1864, 2008, 2012 and World Cup 2010 championships.
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| Federico Chiesa celebrates after making it 3-1 for Italy. Photo: Reuters |
* Previously, the Italian team struggled to overcome the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League third-place match.
Leading by two goals early, Roberto Mancini and his team had to struggle to keep the result in the final minutes to win 3-2.
The Netherlands were superior in every aspect with 57% possession, 9 shots, 6 of which were on target, and 2 goals. Meanwhile, Italy only had 7 shots, 3 of which were on target, but they were extremely efficient, scoring all 3 times.
M.HUNG (synthesis)
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