The Regista

Easy is not the first word that comes to mind when one imagines a European final of any kind, but the last match of the fourteenth edition of the European Football Championship looked that way for Vicente Del Bosque’s outfit. It was La Roja’s fourth European final—their second in as many tournaments. They came up against a familiar opponent in Cesare Prandelli’s Italian battle-hardened side. In the quarter-final, the Italians eliminated the Three Lions as Andrea Pirlo channeled the spirit of Antonín Panenka to put Joe Hart on his back during the penalty shootout. In the semi-final, the Germans fell at the hands of the Azzuri on the back of an inspired performance by Mario Balotelli. In the face of racial controversy, Super Mario stood tall as he scored both goals for his nation—the second, a blistering strike that had Neuer rooted to his spot. He announced himself to the world in spectacular fashion that night. All that momentum came to a halt on Kyiv, Ukraine on July 1. 

The game was never a contest, a shocking turn of events as their previous meeting in the group stages ended in a 1-1 draw. On that night, the Italians drew first blood. It was the same Spanish line-up, albeit Cesc Fàbregas was better acquainted with his role as the false 9.