Quote from Segun Ite on October 8, 2021, 6:35 PM

It was a memorable Wednesday night, both fulfilling and disappointing in the Guiseppe Meazza, San Siro, as Spain finally got their much wanted retribution. The Red outfit came out victorious over Mancini's side, defeating Azzuri 2-1 thanks to a Ferran Torres brace

Coming into the match, there were concerns Spain weren't going to give it their very best(at least for me) due to Luis Enrique selecting a relatively inexperienced squad, one which had very young players

Italy had a chance to go ahead early in the game, with Federico Chiesa's 5th minute shot from outside the box parried away by Unai Simon. La Roja broke the deadlock in the 14th minute when Mikel Oyazarbal squared into the box from the far-left wing to Ferran Torres who somehow managed to volley it home into the left-bottom corner, beyond the reach of Donnarumma. Marcus Alonso came close to putting Spain two clear of Italy with a powerfully swirling shot on the edge of the box which hit the woodwork off Donnaruma's fingers and was almost rebounded by Koke, had it not been for Bonucci's timely intervention. Bernadeschi had a chance on the other end to put Italy back in the game, cutting within the box and firing a low-left footed shot past Alonso but not Simon and the bar. Few minutes later, Insigne put his chance in a simile one-on-one situation beyond Simon but awfully wide of the post. One-goal down, Italy were reduced to 10-men in the 41st minute after, Bonucci, the man who saved the potential second goal, got his second yellow for hitting his elbow in Busquets's face, during an air tussle for the ball.

This was cemented with a 2nd goal from the Manchester city sensation on the verge of halftime, as Oyarzabal again picked out Torres with a wonderful cross, the latter curling a great header into the right corner, leaving Donnarumma rooted to the spot. Both sides had chances in the second half with Oyarzabal's header going just wide in the 63rd minute. Spain almost put the tie to bed as Marcos Alonso received a perfect square-play from Pino but was unable to beat the outstretched hand of the Italian goalie. Italy, however, pulled one back in the 83rd minute as Chiesa drew Simon to himself in a two-on-one attack, passing to Pellegrino to finish on a platter of gold. Azzuri could however not find the equaliser as the score ended 2-1, Luis Enrique's men handing Mancini and co, their first ever international loss since September 2018 against Portugal, and ending their 37-game unbeaten run. It also meant that Italy had lost on home soil for the first time since 2000, over two decades ago. What
a night it was!