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Yesterday the C group played the second round of group stage matches. The meeting between Italy and Croatia ended in a draw 1 - 1, while Spain's match against Ireland ended in a crushing 4 - 0 victory for the Irish. Let's see how the press in these countries evaluates such results.
"Italy tired", "Elimination on the doorstep?" - that's how "Corriere.it" evaluates the draw achieved by the Italian national team. The newspaper emphasizes that in the first half of the match, the Italians dominated on the field, but later faltered, and mistakes by Mario Balotelli and Giorgio Chiellini did not help to increase the score.
In the third round of group matches, Italy must beat the group's underdogs Ireland and hope that the Spain - Croatia match will not end in a draw. Then they would have a chance to progress to the next stage. "Corriere.it" describes this as a "bad situation" despite Cesare Prandelli's promises that "Italy will fight to the end".
Spain, on the other hand, has a completely different mood, where Fernando Torres is a hero in the headlines - "Torres was our way out", "Torres is leading us forward". One of the country's largest newspapers, "El mundo", rejoices that Spain's national team coach Vicente del Bosque took a step back in the first match, and yesterday took two steps forward. Fernando Torres's performance is described as a work of art.
For Ireland, who suffered at the hands of the Spaniards, all that remains is the consolation of the fans' loyalty - "The ravaged Ireland still sings". The "Irish Times" compares yesterday's match to a bullfight, where Ireland could only offer courage, not a result. The Irish even find a bright side to end such matches - now they no longer have to hold on to empty hopes, everything is lost.
The Irish fans had hope only at the beginning of the match when Simon Cox tried to attack. Then shouts of "You will never defeat the Irish!" were heard in the stands. These words quickly had to be silenced because, according to Irish journalists, their goalkeeper Shay Given became the busiest person on the field.
Ireland is proud that their fans did not remain silent in the face of defeat. Their football anthem about endurance has gained true meaning. Italians have something to learn from if elimination really is on the doorstep.
