Spain vs. Italy is more than a soccer rivalry – it a clash of two nations with proud sporting and cultural traditions played out on the pitch.
Paella vs. pasta. Costa del Sol vs. the Amalfi Coast. Plaza Mayor vs. Piazza Navona. Picasso vs. Da Vinci. Camp Nou vs. San Siro. Andres Ineista vs. Andrea Pirlo.
The series could not be more even between the two European heavyweights. Both countries have eight wins, 11 draws and eight losses in 27-all-time meetings. And while Italy used to boss the series, Spain has asserted itself in recent years.
In anticipation for Thursday’s FIFA Confederations Cup semifinal in Brazil, here’s a look at the five of the most memorable matches between Spain and Italy.
Thursday programming alert: Watch Spain vs. Italy in the semifinals of the FIFA Confederations Cup live on Sportsnet World. Coverage begins at 3pm ET/11am PT. You can also watch the match live on a Sportsnet World Online| TV schedule
1934 World Cup
Italy lifted the World Cup for the first of four times in 1934 on home soil, but the Azzurri might not have won the crown if not for a few controversial decisions going their way in the quarter-finals against Spain. The teams battled to a 1-1 draw in Florence in a game that couldn’t be decided even with two extra time periods. Instead of going to a penalty shootout, they reconvened the next day at the Stadio Giovanni Berta to play another match. Both teams juggled their starting lineups – Italy made five changes, Spain seven. Forward Giuseppe Meazza’s goal in the 12th minute stood up as the winner. Spain felt aggrieved after having legitimate goals in both games disallowed by the referee, leading to speculation that Benito Mussolini fixed the result for his beloved Azzurri.
Euro 1988
Spain and Italy found themselves in the Group of Death at Euro ’88, grouped together with hosts West Germany and a dangerous Denmark side. The first half was a rather dull affair, with a 19-year-old Paolo Maldini marking Real Madrid attacker Michel Gonzalez out of the game. The Italians came alive in the second half and began to pin back the Spaniards. Italy’s attack flowed through the incomparable Gianluca Vialli, who made a dashing run down the left only to volley his attempt wide of the net. But in the 73rd minute, Vialli decided the matter with a brilliant team effort. Italy worked the ball down the left channel and Alessandro Altobelli dummied over Carlo Ancelotti’s clever pass, allowing it run to Vialli who slotted a low shot home past Spanish goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta. Italy went on to advance from the group and to the semifinals, while Spain went home early.
1994 World Cup
This loss to Italy, more than any other, rankles the most with Spaniards. The quarter-final meeting in Boston was a bright attacking affair, with Dino Baggio scoring on a magnificent long-range shot in the 25th minute to give Italy the lead. Things turned ugly, though, early in the second half when Italian defender Mauro Tassotti broke the nose of Spanish forward Luis Enrique inside the penalty box. Had the referee spotted it, it would have resulted in a Spanish penalty shot and possibly Tassotti being red carded. Instead, Tassotti avoided punishment and Roberto Baggio scored with two minutes left in the game to give Italy a 2-1 win and a spot in the semifinals. To this day, Spanish fans still feel justice was not served, and that if Italy was correctly punished that La Roja would have won the game.
Euro 2008
Fourteen years later, at Euro 2008, Tassotti’s actions on Enrique remained an open wound. In the build-up to the Italy-Spain quarter-final in Vienna, the front page of Spanish sports daily Marca featured the headline: “Italy – this cannot be forgotten” over a picture of Enrique with his blood-stained shirt and an agonized expression on his face. The Italian press also stoked the fires by pointing out Spain hadn’t won a competitive game against Italy since the 1920 Olympics. But buoyed by the brilliant goalkeeping of Iker Casillas, Spain finally got the better of Italy, prevailing in a dramatic penalty shootout after playing to a 0-0 draw following 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of extra time. This was the birth of the current Spanish dynasty — by exorcising its Italian demons, La Roja shed its label as choke artists, paving the way for them to win Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.
Euro 2012
Spain left no doubts as to its global dominance with an emphatic 4-0 win over Italy in the final in Kiev. La Roja ran the Azzurri ragged in one of the most lopsided major tournament finals on record. It paled in comparison to their group stage encounter in Poland, a thrilling and entertaining 1-1 draw that was easily the match of the tournament. Spain surprised many by using a "false 9" formation with no recognized strikers in its lineup, with Cesc Fabregas playing between David Silva and Andres Iniesta. A technical contest really came to life in the 61st minute when Antonio Di Natale, who replaced Mario Balotelli five minutes earlier, collected a pass from Andrea Pirlo as he slipped between two defenders and then beat Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas with a low shot. Italy was in the ascendancy, but its lead was short-lived. Three minutes after Di Natale’s strike, Spain put together a stunning passing sequence that concluded with an equalizer from Fabregas.