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Italy–Spain football rivalry
Football rivalry between the national football teams of Italy and Spain From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Italy–Spain football rivalry (Italian: Rivalità calcistica Italia-Spagna; Spanish: Rivalidad futbolística Italia-España) sometimes referred to as the Mediterranean derby,[1] is a football rivalry between the national football teams of Italy and Spain.[2] The two countries have won five FIFA World Cups and six UEFA European Championship between them; Italy have won four World Cups and two European Championships, while Spain have won one World Cup and four European Championships. They have played against each other three times in the World Cup and seven times in the European Championship, including each of the five most recent Euros from 2008 to 2024. Most notably, the two met at the UEFA Euro 2012 final, which Spain won. They also met at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the UEFA Nations League semi-finals in both 2021 and 2023.
Spain has won 14, and Italy 11, of the 41 matches between them (including four at the Summer Olympic Games in the 1920s).[3] Although the two nations are not immediate geographical neighbours, their rivalry at international level is enhanced by the strong performances of the representative clubs in UEFA competitions, in which they are among the leading associations and have each enjoyed spells of dominance. Including the defunct UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, twelve continental finals have been contested between an Italian and a Spanish representative (Spain dominate this with eight victories).[4][5] The frequent meetings between the clubs have led to the elite players becoming very familiar with one another when they meet at national level. The two nations' under-21 teams, which are also among the strongest in the world, are also acknowledged as rivals.[1]
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List of matches
| Number | Date | Location | Competition | Results |
| 1 | 2 September 1920 |  Antwerp | 1920 Summer Olympics | Spain 2–0 Italy |
| 2 | 9 March 1924 |  Milan | Friendly | Italy 0–0 Spain |
| 3 | 25 May 1924 |  Colombes | 1924 Summer Olympics | Italy 1–0 Spain |
| 4 | 14 June 1925 |  Valencia | Friendly | Spain 1–0 Italy |
| 5 | 29 May 1927 | Bologna | Italy 2–0 Spain | |
| 6 | 22 April 1928 | Gijón | Spain 1–1 Italy | |
| 7 | 1 June 1928 |  Amsterdam | 1928 Summer Olympics | Italy 1–1 Spain[a] |
| 8 | 4 June 1928 | Italy 7–1 Spain[b] | ||
| 9 | 22 June 1930 | Bologna | Friendly | Italy 2–3 Spain |
| 10 | 19 April 1931 |  Bilbao | Spain 0–0 Italy | |
| 11 | 31 May 1934 | Florence | 1934 World Cup | Italy 1–1 Spain[c] |
| 12 | 1 June 1934 | Italy 1–0 Spain[d] | ||
| 13 | 19 April 1942 | Milan | Friendly | Italy 4–0 Spain |
| 14 | 27 March 1949 |  Madrid | Spain 1–3 Italy | |
| 15 | 28 February 1959 |  Rome | Italy 1–1 Spain | |
| 16 | 13 March 1960 | Barcelona | Spain 3–1 Italy | |
| 17 | 21 February 1970 | Madrid | Spain 2–2 Italy | |
| 18 | 20 February 1971 | Cagliari | Italy 1–2 Spain | |
| 19 | 25 January 1978 |  Madrid | Spain 2–1 Italy | |
| 20 | 21 December 1978 | Rome | Italy 1–0 Spain | |
| 21 | 12 June 1980 | Milan | Euro 1980 | Italy 0–0 Spain |
| 22 | 14 June 1988 |  Frankfurt | Euro 1988 | Italy 1–0 Spain |
| 23 | 9 July 1994 |  Foxborough | 1994 World Cup | Italy 2–1 Spain |
| 24 | 18 November 1998 | Salerno | Friendly | Italy 2–2 Spain |
| 25 | 29 March 2000 |  Barcelona | Spain 2–0 Italy | |
| 26 | 28 April 2004 |  Genoa | Italy 1–1 Spain | |
| 27 | 26 March 2008 | Elche | Spain 1–0 Italy | |
| 28 | 22 June 2008 |  Vienna | Euro 2008 | Spain 0–0 Italy[e] |
| 29 | 10 August 2011 | Bari | Friendly | Italy 2–1 Spain |
| 30 | 10 June 2012 |  Gdańsk | Euro 2012 | Spain 1–1 Italy |
| 31 | 1 July 2012 |  Kyiv | Spain 4–0 Italy | |
| 32 | 27 June 2013 |  Fortaleza | 2013 Confederations Cup | Spain 0–0 Italy[f] |
| 33 | 5 March 2014 | Madrid | Friendly | Spain 1–0 Italy |
| 34 | 24 March 2016 | Udine | Italy 1–1 Spain | |
| 35 | 27 June 2016 |  Saint-Denis | Euro 2016 | Italy 2–0 Spain |
| 36 | 6 October 2016 | Turin | 2018 World Cup qualification | Italy 1–1 Spain |
| 37 | 2 September 2017 | Madrid | Spain 3–0 Italy | |
| 38 | 6 July 2021 |  London | Euro 2020 | Italy 1–1 Spain[g] |
| 39 | 6 October 2021 | Milan | 2021 Nations League finals | Italy 1–2 Spain |
| 40 | 15 June 2023 | Enschede | 2023 Nations League finals | Spain 2–1 Italy |
| 41 | 20 June 2024 | Gelsenkirchen | Euro 2024 | Spain 1–0 Italy |
- The quarter-final match ended in a draw after extra time.
- Spain won 4–2 on penalties after extra time.
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Comparison of Italy's and Spain's positions in major international tournaments
- Key
Denotes which team finished better in that particular competition.
DNQ: Did not qualify.
DNP: Did not participate.
TBD: To be determined.
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Major encounters
Summarize
Perspective
1934 FIFA World Cup
On 31 May, Italy faced Spain in the quarter-final of the 1934 FIFA World Cup, where the two sides drew 1–1 after extra time with Spanish goal by Luis Regueiro in the 30th minute and Italian goal by Giovanni Ferrari in the 44th minute. They then faced off again in the replay match the following day to settle the team that advances; Italy won the replay 1–0 win the goal coming from Giuseppe Meazza in the 11th minute.[6] Italy went on to win their first Fifa World Cup title.
- Replay
UEFA Euro 1988
On 14 June, Italy and Spain were matched up for the second match in the group stage, where Italy won 1–0 with the goal coming from Gianluca Vialli in the 73rd minute.[6] Italy went on to win their last group match, while Spain lost theirs; Italy made it out of the group, while Spain did not.
1994 FIFA World Cup
On 9 July, Italy won the quarter-final match up against Spain in the 1994 World Cup 2–1 quarter-final at Foxboro Stadium, with Italian Dino Baggio scoring first in the 25th minute, the Spaniards equalised with a goal from José Luis Caminero in the 58th minute, before Roberto Baggio sealed the Italian victory in the 88th minute.[6] A controversy in the match was Mauro Tassotti's elbow on Spanish player Luis Enrique,[7] but during the match the incident went unpunished – Tassotti was later banned for eight games.[8]
UEFA Euro 2008
On 22 June, Italy and Spain were matched up for a quarter-final in Euro 2008; the game ended a goalless draw after 120 minutes and resulted in a penalty shoot-out which Spain won 4–2.[6] Spain went on to win the European Championship for the second time.
UEFA Euro 2012
On 1 July, Spain and Italy were matched up for the final of Euro 2012. The sides had already met in the group stage, drawing 1–1. Spain took the lead in the 14th minute, though, when Andrés Iniesta played a through-ball to Cesc Fàbregas, who drove past Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini to the by-line before pulling back a cross for David Silva to head into the net from six yards.[10] Chiellini was clearly struggling with a thigh injury he had picked up in the earlier rounds, and he was replaced by Federico Balzaretti after 20 minutes.[10] Italy responded with a couple of shots from Antonio Cassano that were saved by Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas,[10] but Spain doubled their lead before half-time when Xavi picked out left-back Jordi Alba, who capped a long forward run with a precise finish past Gianluigi Buffon in the Italy goal.[10]
Antonio Di Natale came on for Cassano at half-time and twice went close to scoring, the second effort forcing a save from the onrushing Casillas.[10] Italy's final substitution saw Thiago Motta replace Riccardo Montolivo, but he soon suffered a hamstring injury; with all of their substitutes used, Italy had to play the last 30 minutes of the match with ten men.[10] Fernando Torres replaced Fàbregas with 15 minutes left to play, and scored in the 84th minute – assisted by Xavi – to become the first man to score in two European Championship finals.[11] Torres then turned provider four minutes later, cutting the ball back with the outside of his boot for fellow substitute and Chelsea forward Juan Mata to sweep into an empty net for a final score of 4–0,[10] the widest margin of victory in any European Championship final. Spain became the first team to retain the European Championship title and also the first European team to win three major international competitions in a row.
2013 FIFA Confederations Cup
On 22 June, Italy and Spain faced off in the semi-final of the 2013 Confederations Cup hosted by Brazil. The game finished 0-0 after 120 minutes, with Spain edging Italy, this time 7–6 on penalties.[14] Italy still then beat out Uruguay in the third-place position, while Spain lost to the host nation Brazil in the final, ending their world-record 29-game unbeaten streak in competitive matches.[15][16]
UEFA Euro 2016
On 27 June, Italy and Spain matched up for the round of 16 in the Euro 2016, in a rematch of the previous tournament's final and the group game, both four years ago. Italy won 2–0 with goals from Giorgio Chiellini in the 33rd minute and Graziano Pellè in stoppage time of the second half. Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea made several impressive saves to keep Spain in the match, notably on Pellè's first-half header attempt, however, it ultimately ended in defeat, eliminating the two-time defending European champions Spain.[17][18]
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
The two teams were drawn together for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, in UEFA Group G.[20][21] In the rematches of the last four matches of the UEFA European Championships, Italy and Spain drew 1–1 in the first leg in Turin[22] and then Spain defeated Italy 3–0 in the return leg in Madrid.[23]
UEFA Euro 2020
On 6 July 2021, Italy and Spain faced each other in the semi-finals of the Euro 2020 (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) at Wembley Stadium in London, marking the fourth consecutive European Championship that the sides meet. Italy and Spain, could not break the deadlock after 120 minutes, and Italy won 4–2 in the resulting penalty shoot-out en route to their first European title in 53 years and their first major international football title in 15 years.[24]
UEFA Euro 2024
On 20 June 2024, Italy and Spain faced each other in the second match of Group B, the fifth consecutive European Championships they played each other.[26] Spain won 1–0 through a Riccardo Calafiori own goal, marking their first victory over Italy in a major tournament since the Euro 2012 final. Spain would go on to lift the European Championship for a record fourth time.
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Statistics
Overall
- As of 20 June 2024
Trophies
- Spain defeated Italy in the 2013 Confederations Cup semi-finals 7–6 on penalties after a 0–0 draw in 120 minutes.
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See also
References
External links
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