Italy vs Spain LIVE: Nations League result, final score and reaction tonight
Relive all the action from the San Siro
Spain ended European champions Italy’s world record 37-match unbeaten run as Ferran Torres scored twice in a 2-1 win at the San Siro stadium in their Nations League semi-final.
Spain will face the winners of Thursday’s other semi-final between France and Belgium in Sunday’s decider.
Torres put Spain ahead in the 17th minute, steering a left-wing cross from Mikel Oyarzabal into the far corner past Italy keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Roberto Mancini’s side, who beat Spain on penalties in the Euro 2020 semi-final in July, found themselves down to 10 men in the 42nd minute when Leonardo Bonucci was sent off for a second yellow card after elbowing Sergio Busquets.
Torres then sent Luis Enrique’s side in with a two-goal lead at the break when he was left unattended to head in another fine cross from Oyarzabal.
Italy ensured a tense end to a quality match when they pulled a goal back, seven minutes from the end, as Enrico Chiesa took advantage of hesitant Spanish defending, broke from the halfway line to the box and then slipped the ball to substitute Lorenzo Pellegrini to convert. Relive all the action below:
RED CARD! Bonucci is off!
Italy 0 - 1 Spain
41 mins: Things go from bad to worse for Italy. Leonardo Bonucci jumps into an aerial challenge elbow first and hits Sergio Busquets in the face. The Spain captain makes a meal of it but it is a yellow card. It’s also Bonucci’s second of the match and Italy are down to 10 men.
Italy 0 - 1 Spain
38 mins: Chance! Insigne goes wide from inside the box! This is probably Italy’s best chance of the match so far. They break past Spain on the left side with an overlapping run from Emerson. The left-back drives into the box and cuts the ball back into the middle where Insigne is wide open. He just has the goalkeeper to beat but fires his effort on the volley well wide of the back post.
Italy 0 - 1 Spain
36 mins: SAVE! A hopeful long ball sees Bernardeschi played in behind on the right side of the pitch. He brings the ball into the box and has Chiesa up with him. He decides to go it alone and aims for a small gap at the near post. Unai Simon is aware of the danger and reacts sharply to push the ball onto the post denying Bernardeschi an equaliser!
Italy 0 - 1 Spain
33 mins: There’s a few heavy tackles flying in and Leonardo Bonucci isn’t best pleased with some referee, Sergey Karasev’s, decisions. The Italy captain voices his displeasure and is rewarded with a yellow card.
It’s all getting a bit spicy out there, as it usually does when Italy find themselves behind.
Italy 0 - 1 Spain
30 mins: It’s been a good response from Italy. They’ve won a few decisions and caused a few problems from set pieces. A free kick from about 30-yards is cleverly knocked into the box by Insigne and Barella is in behind. His first touch is poor though which allows Gavi to get across and win the ball for Spain.
Italy 0 - 1 Spain
27 mins: Gavi gets back to stop Verratti from crossing the ball into the box and sends the ball behind for an Italian corner. Giovanni Di Lorenzo makes a darting run towards the near post and meets the cross as it comes in. He dives at the ball and whips his head towards goal only to see his effort narrowly fly wide of the near post.
Italy 0 - 1 Spain
24 mins: The goal has really put Spain into the ascendancy. Italy’s early momentum has been evaporated and the visitors are seeing more of the ball. Marco Verratti is overwhelmed in midfield but gets lucky as a poor tackle from Gavi gifts Italy a free kick in the middle of the pitch.
Italy 0 - 1 Spain
20 mins: How is it not 0-2? Spain play the ball out to Oyarzabal on the left. He carries it back into the box but has his shot blocked. The rebound comes to Busquets who shoots to no avail but Spain get a third crack at goal as the ball squirts out to Alonso. He drills one at Donnarumma who spills the ball onto the post before Bonucci clears it off the line!
GOAL! Italy 0 - 1 Spain (Ferran Torres, 17’)⚽️
17 mins: There’s the breakthrough! Spain have just started to up the tempo of their attacking play in particular down the left wing. A long ball comes up to Oyarzabal who knocks it down to Alonso before sprinting down the wing. The left-back finds him with a lovely forward pass as Ferran Torres sprints into the box. Oyarzabal whips in the cross and Torres meets it on the volley and guides the ball into the far bottom corner!
Italy 0 - 0 Spain
12 mins: Jorginho fouls Sergio Busquets in the middle of the pitch and Spain win a free kick. Instead of punting it long the visitors knock the ball back to their defenders in order to push higher up the pitch. Busquets gets it back and flicks the ball out to Alonso on the left. He slides it into the box and picks out the run of Pablo Sarabia. Sarabia pulls it back for Mikel Oyarzabal but his shot is blocked by Bastoni and Italy boot it clear.
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