KIEV, UKRAINE — Maybe it was fate, but Spain and Italy seemed destined to close this memorable European Championship.
The opening Group C match between the Mediterranean neighbours three weeks ago ended in a 1-1 draw in a display marked by the best of what European soccer has to offer: Flare, technique, vision and style.
Remarkably, it is Italy’s play that has stuck with us going into Sunday’s final at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev.
And, with Rafael Nadal and Usain Bolt both enduring surprise defeats these days, one can’t help think: Why not also Spain?
Spain, the reigning European and world champions, haven’t lost a match in this competition for eight years. They haven’t conceded a goal in nine elimination games in all major tournaments. Their legacy is already certain but their place in soccer history books will be tough to topple should they do one better than West Germany and win a third straight major title.
The West Germans lost the 1976 final to Czechoslovakia and Antonin Panenka’s famous chip shot in the penalty shootout, and since then only France and Brazil have come close to securing the unprecedented three straight major wins that include the World Cup in the trophy cabinet.
This Germany side again capitulated against a better opponent in the semifinal, just as it had done against Spain four years ago in the final and again in Cape Town, in the World Cup semifinal.
If one team can end Spain’s golden era, it could only be Italy.
The 1-1 draw in Gdansk ended Spain’s run of 14 straight competitive victories, leaving them one short of the record. While Spain is unbeaten in 19 competitive fixtures stretching to its 1-0 loss to Switzerland in South Africa, it hasn’t beaten Italy in a competitive match that doesn’t include penalties since the 1920 Olympic Games.
Thankfully the Italians go into Sunday’s final playing a game that has come to be characterized by Spain over recent years, even if the Spanish have had trouble showing it this time around.
That alone speaks volumes to how Spain has changed and reshaped European football since its mesmerizing Euro 2008 campaign.
Back in Gdansk, the Azzurri held the defending champions in a match in which Italy looked more similar to Spain than to their stereotypical defensive selves.
Italy’s facelift under Cesare Prandelli is all the more impressive considering Italy’s history of defensive calcio.
But a gaze across Europe reveals the ripple that has resulted from Spain’s play. Germany coach Joachim Loew has openly admitted he wanted his team to emulate Spain, and they largely have on the attacking end while lacking the defensive pillars that Spain seems to be churning out at the same time that visionary playmakers like Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez were being produced.
While the Netherlands abandoned its attacking ways against Spain in the World Cup final, it certainly prefers to score than defend. France looked to have rebounded behind its exciting forwards only to take a step backward with its quarter-final loss against Spain, when it followed the lead of every other Spanish opponent and sat back.
The “park the bus” mentality that has been glorified by Jose Mourinho and his former teams like Inter Milan and Chelsea remains, but doesn’t necessarily succeed as displayed by the four semifinalists in this tournament.
So now, Italy has a chance to continue this trend. And maybe Spain’s attack will respond in kind after having come under unfair criticism for boring us all.
“We have to accept everyone’s opinion but I think we’ve played well in certain aspects, especially in defence,” Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said. “Sure, our attack may not have been as aesthetically pleasing to watch as we would have liked, but we were always in control of all of our matches.”
There was never any intention to bore, but when your all-time leading scorer is sidelined, your defence is so reliable and teams are sitting back to defend, that is when it is time to show maturity. Perhaps Spain’s game is evolving and Sunday’s final will provide the final chapter of a complete team, able to attack, defend and, above all, win.
Italy will provide a stern opponent, with Andrea Pirlo leading an attack marked by the genius and unpredictability of its two strikers Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano.
Hopefully Italy hasn’t peaked too early as Spain has played this way for so long that whatever is thrown at them, won’t ruffle them. Plus David Villa and Carles Puyol’s arrival to watch the final will be a reminder to the team of all of its previous success to possibly provide fresh inspiration, as if it really needed that anyway.
Prediction: Spain 2, Italy 1.
Paul Logothetis is a Madrid-based reporter who is in Poland and Ukraine covering Euro 2012 for sportsnet.ca. Follow Paul on Twitter.