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On Sunday, at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, the final of the European Football Championship will take place. Spain and Italy will compete for the most prestigious trophy of the Old Continent. We review the perspectives of the future opponents and present the coefficients set by the bookmakers at "TonyBet".
Spain - 2.20; Draw - 3.10; Italy - 3.60
In these matches, Spain will try to become the first team to win two consecutive European championships and the first to win three major tournaments (they won Euro 2008 and the World Cup in 2010). Italy proved its worth by making it to the final, breaking Germany's streak of 15 consecutive victories in the semifinals.
Once again in this championship, the Spanish national team forces football giants to appear as mere average players. In the last nine knockout matches in European and World Championships, the Spaniards did not concede a single goal. In the quarterfinals, they had to test their strength against an ambitious French team, and nothing unexpected happened - the Spaniards scored a goal and continued to dominate the midfield until the end of the match, not allowing the French to come close to the goal. Finally, in the semifinals, they broke the resistance of neighboring Portugal only after a penalty shootout.
The Italians were the only ones to score a goal against the wizards in red in these competitions. Over the last four and a half years, Italy has experienced its darkest era in football history. The new team strategist, Cesare Prandelli, rejuvenated the squad, without forgetting the fantastic playmaker A.Pirlo, and the team's game began to give fans hope. In the last 15 official matches, only five goals were conceded - a credit to G. Buffon and the intense pressure of the "Azzurri" all over the field. In the quarterfinals, they simply brushed aside England's eleven, but they failed to score in regular time and extra time, only progressing after a penalty shootout. Finally, in the semifinals, thanks to two goals by M.Balotelli in the first half, they paved their way to the final match.
The last time the teams met in the knockout rounds was in the quarterfinals of the 2008 European Football Championship - the match ended in a draw, and after a penalty shootout, the Spaniards celebrated victory. Although both teams concede few goals, no one would dare to call them solely defensive. Although sometimes there is a lack of attacking potential for both teams when taking advantage of created opportunities.
