Spain Vs. Italy, Euro 2012: Sides Exchange 2nd-Half Attacks But Match Ends At 1-1

That’s not to say that there wasn’t some pretty football played by Spain, but it was, depressingly, played only in a narrow band in midfield. This is what happens when you field as many playmakers as possible -- the instinct is to drop back towards the ball, because they want to be on the ball. No matter where you put a player on the pitch, no matter what instructions you give, he’ll still be the same player, with the same habits and tendencies.

What did he do with it? Most will focus, one would imagine, on the blown chances. The missed one-on-one where Gianluigi Buffon managed to tackle him after a poor first touch. The indecision in possession that broke up a Spanish attack. An attempted lob that sailed well over the bar. That’s fair enough, and his recent track record suggests that criticising him for poor play is completely valid. But what’s missed when you just look at what Torres did when he was on the ball is how much better Spain was after he came on. The team finally had a focal point for all that pretty play. It had a route to goal.

Surprisingly enough, the match wasn’t marked by minute upon minute of diving, rolling, and heartfelt appeals to the referee. It was, however, littered with yellow cards: Spain picked up three and Italy earned four. One can only hope this means we see changes to the lineups in the other Group C matches.

Well, he’s already made his presence felt, speeding toward goal and rattling Gigi Buffon. The Italian goalkeeper went out to meet him, tackling Torres to prevent any further damage. Oh, Torres, that just answers our questions. “Torresy” is going to become a new adjective in the wider lexicon.

El nino has roughly fifteen more minutes to make an impact. But the Italians, who likely didn’t even expect a point from this match, aren’t going to make it easy on him.

Follow along here, our Spain vs. Italy, Euro 2012 StoryStream, for live coverage of the match. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

Follow along here, our Spain vs. Italy, Euro 2012 StoryStream, for live coverage of the match. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

Follow along here, our Spain vs. Italy, Euro 2012 StoryStream, for live coverage of the match. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

Andres Iniesta made a decent attempt to encourage his team to threaten the goal, but Chiellini appeared as if from nowhere, rising up to get his head on the ball and stopping it from reaching the dangerous Xavi.

Just a bit of data to make you happy: last time these two sides met, there was no goal in 120 minutes. YAY.

Gotta wait until the end to score, guys...

The goal, for both sides, is to let the ball drift through the midfield for the maximum amount of time. Thus far, the strategy seems to be working, although both have wandered slightly too close to the edge of the area.

I think you’re probably safe to go grab a drink, assemble a sandwich, brush your teeth...this game’ll likely run on a loop for the next 60 minutes or so.

Kickoff is at 12 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. local time from Gdansk, Poland. You can catch the game on ESPN in the USA, BBC One in the UK and TSN in Canada.

We’ll have live coverage of the game in our Spain vs. Italy, Euro 2012 StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

In English-speaking footballing circles, ‘Italian’ is synonymous with ‘defensive’. When Serie A matches end 0-0, Premier League-centric analysts feel comfortable proclaiming that the match was yet another ‘typical boring Serie A’ encounter. Italy conceded just two goals in their 2010 World Cup winning campaign. Stereotypical Catenaccio.

Italy conceded just two goals in qualifying, but their recent performances have been less encouraging, and it might be time to shake things up in the back. In their final tune-up friendly against Russia, the Italian defense was a shambles, conceding three goals.

Fixed, you say? That’s partly why this match is looking like such a mismatch. A match fixing scandal in Italy has smacked the national team in its face and left it seeing stars, but not the good kind. Naturally, we must bet.

Lines: Spain, -1/2 (-125). Italy, +1/2 (+105).

Yeah, Spain are pretty -- and I do mean that in multiple ways. No one is disputing that fact, as far as I can tell. But at some point, it just makes you want to scream, “Do something already!” Instead, the Spanish midfield will continue to hold the ball, shunting it around and showing just how precious they really are.

Bitter? Perhaps. But I’m a jaded Italy fan fearing the worst for a team that doesn’t so much have chinks in its armour as is going around wearing bubble wrap and thinking it’s bulletproof. The 3-0 defeat to Russia prior to the tournament’s beginning showed just how far the team had fallen. The azzurri had allowed just two goals during qualification, and suddenly they’re gushing through like a geyser in Yellowstone.