Spoke2U's Blog

England vs. Italy 1-1 (PSO 2:3) The first goal came from the start of the game with England's first attack move. The goal happened in 2 minutes from a long cross that was connected by Shaw who was near the goal post for an easy tap in. Italy needed to respond. Around the middle of first half, Italy gained more momentum in terms of possession. They tried to craft their way with passes to penetrate England's defence but to no avail. When that did not work, they tried a more direct approach of long passing and quicker pace. England in the meanwhile played direct and looked for holes in Italy's defence involving long passes and penetrating runs. English defenders did a good job closing down the incoming opponents and guarding their spots. Italians could not find spatial openings so they ended doing long range shots that were off target and futile. In the second half, Italians continued to find ways to equalize and England focused on defending. When England was in attack mode, t

  Italy vs Spain 1-1 (PSO 4-2) It was neck and neck from start to finish. Spain may have been more dominant in possession but they fell short in finish, while Italy looked more threatening in attack with their direct style. The goals finally came in late in the second half. First was by Italy from the beginning of the keeper's throw to fast passes and runs, persistence then to a rebound that led to a goal. Spain continued to dominate possession and eventually scored from an excellent penetrating pass in the centre. The second half ended with a one goal draw so their fate needed to be decided in 30 minutes of extra time. After Spain tied, the momentum was in their way as their move seemed more vibrant than before. This mood continued in extra time. Ball possession remained mostly on Spain's side as usual but the difference was that they became more direct in attack. All in all throughout the match, both teams had difficulty penetrating through the defence so extra time was not e

  Switzerland vs Spain 1-1 (PSO 1:3) Spain dominated in possession (as expected) and tried to be calm in pace while Switzerland tried to be swift in counterattack. Spain got their first goal early on from a corner kick whereby it was connected with a long range volley; the ball was deflected from a defender and went back into net out of keeper's reach. Swiss in turn made the effort to equalize and made Spain's defence busy. In the middle of second half, Spanish defenders were sloppy and Swiss took advantage of that and scored to tie it up. Whenever Switzerland moved, they were dynamic and exciting. However, they got into trouble as they lost a player due to a red card. Spain needed one more goal for security but it was a difficult feat. Thus, they went into extra time. In extra time, Switzerland locked themselves in defensive mode while Spain kept attacking. Swiss keeper Sommer was the saviour for Switzerland as he made many amazing saves. Many opportunities were created by Spa