Italy–Spain football rivalry

The Italy–Spain football rivalry, sometimes referred to as the Mediterranean derby,[1] is a football rivalry between the national football teams of Italy and Spain,[2] the two countries having achieved five FIFA World Cups and four UEFA Euros between them. They have played against each other three times in the World Cup and six times in the UEFA European Championship. Most notably, the two met at the UEFA Euro 2012 Final, which Spain won 4–0. They have also met at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Italy–Spain football rivalry
Teams Italy
 Spain
First meetingSpain 2–0 Italy
1920 Summer Olympics
(2 September 1920)
Latest meetingSpain 3–0 Italy
2018 World Cup qualifier
(2 September 2017)
Next meetingItaly vs Spain
2021 UEFA Nations League Finals
(6 October 2021)
Statistics
Meetings total37
Most winsItaly (11)
Spain (11)
All-time seriesItaly: 11
Draw: 15
Spain: 11
Largest victoryItaly 7–1 Spain
1928 Summer Olympics
(4 June 1928)
Largest goal scoringItaly 7–1 Spain
1928 Summer Olympics
(4 June 1928)
Italy
Spain

Both Italy and Spain have won 11 of the 37 matches between them (including four at the Olympic Games in the 1920s).[3] Although the two nations are not immediate geographical neighbours, their rivalry at international level is enhanced by the strong performances of the representative clubs in UEFA competitions, in which they are among the leading associations and have each enjoyed spells of dominance. Including the defunct UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, twelve continental finals have been contested between an Italian and a Spanish representative (Spain dominate this with eight victories).[4][5] The frequent meetings between the clubs have led to the elite players becoming very familiar with one another when they meet at national level. The two nations' Under-21 teams, which are also among the strongest in the world, are also acknowledged as rivals.[1]

List of matches
Number Date Location Competition Game Results
12 September 1920 Antwerp1920 Summer OlympicsSpain – Italy2–0
29 March 1924 MilanFriendlyItaly – Spain0–0
325 May 1924 Colombes1924 Summer OlympicsItaly – Spain1–0
414 June 1925 ValenciaFriendlySpain – Italy1–0
529 May 1927 BolognaItaly – Spain2–0
622 April 1928 GijónSpain – Italy1–1
71 June 1928 Amsterdam1928 Summer OlympicsItaly – Spain1–1
(a)
84 June 1928Italy – Spain7–1
(b)
922 June 1930 BolognaFriendlyItaly – Spain2–3
1019 April 1931 BilbaoSpain – Italy0–0
1131 May 1934 Florence1934 World CupItaly – Spain1–1
(c)
121 June 1934Italy – Spain1–0
(d)
1319 April 1942 MilanFriendlyItaly – Spain4–0
1427 March 1949 MadridSpain – Italy1–3
1528 February 1959 RomeItaly – Spain1–1
1613 March 1960 BarcelonaSpain – Italy3–1
1721 February 1970 MadridSpain – Italy2–2
1820 February 1971 CagliariItaly – Spain1–2
1925 January 1978 MadridSpain – Italy2–1
2021 December 1978 RomeItaly – Spain1–0
2112 June 1980 MilanEuro 1980Italy – Spain0–0
2214 June 1988 FrankfurtEuro 1988Italy – Spain1–0
239 July 1994 Foxborough1994 World CupItaly – Spain2–1
2418 November 1998 SalernoFriendlyItaly – Spain2–2
2529 March 2000 BarcelonaSpain – Italy2–0
2628 April 2004 GenoaItaly – Spain1–1
2726 March 2008 ElcheSpain – Italy1–0
2822 June 2008 ViennaEuro 2008Spain – Italy0–0
(e)
2910 August 2011 BariFriendlyItaly – Spain2–1
3010 June 2012 GdańskEuro 2012Spain – Italy1–1
311 July 2012 KievEuro 2012 FinalSpain – Italy4–0
3227 June 2013 Fortaleza2013 Confederations CupSpain – Italy0–0
(f)
335 March 2014 MadridFriendlySpain – Italy1–0
3424 March 2016 UdineItaly – Spain1–1
3527 June 2016 Saint-DenisEuro 2016Italy – Spain2–0
366 October 2016 Turin2018 World Cup qualificationItaly – Spain1–1
372 September 2017 MadridSpain – Italy3–0
386 October 2021 Milan2021 UEFA Nations League FinalsItaly – Spain–
  • (a) Quarter-final ended in a draw after extra time
  • (b) Quarter-final replayed after previous draw; Italy won the replay
  • (c) Quarter-final ended in a draw after extra time
  • (d) Quarter-final replayed after previous draw; Italy won the replay
  • (e) Spain advanced in quarter-final 4–2 in penalty shoot-out
  • (f) Spain advanced in semi-final 7–6 in penalty shoot-out

Comparison of Italy's and Spain's positions in major international tournaments
Tournament  Italy  Spain Notes
1930 World Cup DNP DNP
1934 World Cup 1st 5th Italy and Spain faced off in the quarter-final match which ended 1–1 and was replayed the following day where Italy won 1–0.
1938 World Cup 1st DNP
1950 World Cup 7th 4th
1954 World Cup 10th DNP
1958 World Cup DNQ
Euro 1960 DNP
1962 World Cup 9th 13th
Euro 1964 DNQ 1st
1966 World Cup 9th 10th
Euro 1968 1st DNQ
1970 World Cup 2nd
Euro 1972 DNQ
1974 World Cup 10th
Euro 1976 DNQ
1978 World Cup 4th 10th
Euro 1980 7th
1982 World Cup 1st 12th
Euro 1984 DNQ 2nd
1986 World Cup 12th 7th
Euro 1988 4th 6th Italy beat Spain 1–0 in their group stage match up; Spain did not advance from the group, while Italy did.
1990 World Cup 3rd 10th
Euro 1992 DNQ
1994 World Cup 2nd 8th Italy beat Spain 2–1 in the quarter-finals, eliminating them from the tournament.
Euro 1996 10th 6th
1998 World Cup 5th 17th
Euro 2000 2nd 5th
2002 World Cup 15th 5th
Euro 2004 9th 10th
2006 World Cup 1st 9th
Euro 2008 8th 1st In the quarter-final, Italy and Spain were matched up in a goalless draw after 120 minutes in which Spain won 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out, eliminating Italy from the tournament.
2010 World Cup 26th
Euro 2012 2nd Italy and Spain were matched up in the group stage, which ended 1–1 and later faced off in the final, in which Spain defeated Italy 4–0.
2014 World Cup 22nd 23rd
Euro 2016 5th 10th In the round of 16, Italy defeated Spain 2–0, eliminating them from the tournament.
2018 World Cup DNQ 10th

  Denotes which team finished better in that particular competition
DNQ – Did not qualify
DNP – Did not participate at all

Major encounters

1934 FIFA World Cup

On 31 May, Italy faced Spain in the quarter-final of the 1934 FIFA World Cup, where the two sides drew 1–1 after extra time with Spanish goal by Luis Regueiro in the 30th minute and Italian goal by Giovanni Ferrari in the 44th minute. They then faced off again in the replay match the following day to settle the team that advances; Italy won the replay 1–0 win the goal coming from Giuseppe Meazza in the 11th minute.[6] Italy went on to win their first World Cup title.

Italy 1–1 (a.e.t.) Spain
Ferrari  44' Report Regueiro  30'
Attendance: 35,000
Referee: Louis Baert (Belgium)
Replay
Italy 1–0 Spain
Meazza  11' Report
Attendance: 43,000

UEFA Euro 1988

On 14 June, Italy and Spain were matched up for the second match in the group stage, where Italy won 1–0 with the goal coming from Gianluca Vialli in the 73rd minute.[6] Italy went on to win their last group match, while Spain lost theirs; Italy made it out of the group, while Spain did not.

Italy 1–0 Spain
Vialli  73' Report
Attendance: 47,506

1994 FIFA World Cup

On 9 July, Italy won the quarter-final match up against Spain in the 1994 World Cup 2–1 quarter-final at Foxboro Stadium, with Italian Dino Baggio scoring first in the 25th minute, the Spaniards equalised with a goal from José Luis Caminero in the 58th minute, before Roberto Baggio sealed the Italian victory in the 88th minute.[6] A controversy in the match was Mauro Tassotti's elbow on Spanish player Luis Enrique,[7] but during the match the incident went unpunished – Tassotti was later banned for eight games.[8]

Italy 2–1 Spain
D. Baggio  25'
R. Baggio  88'		 Report Caminero  58'
Attendance: 53,400

UEFA Euro 2008

On 22 June, Italy and Spain were matched up for a quarter-final in Euro 2008; the game ended a goalless draw after 120 minutes and resulted in a penalty shoot-out which Spain won 4–2.[6] Spain went on to win the European Championship for the second time.

Spain 0–0 (a.e.t.) Italy
Report
Penalties
 4–2
Attendance: 48,000[9]

UEFA Euro 2012
Main article: UEFA Euro 2012 Final

On 1 July, Spain and Italy were matched up for the final of Euro 2012. The sides had already met in the group stage, drawing 1–1. Spain took the lead in the 14th minute, though, when Andrés Iniesta played a through-ball to Cesc Fàbregas, who drove past Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini to the by-line before pulling back a cross for David Silva to head into the net from six yards.[10] Chiellini was clearly struggling with a thigh injury he had picked up in the earlier rounds, and he was replaced by Federico Balzaretti after 20 minutes.[10] Italy responded with a couple of shots from Antonio Cassano that were saved by Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas,[10] but Spain doubled their lead before half-time when Xavi picked out left-back Jordi Alba, who capped a long forward run with a precise finish past Gianluigi Buffon in the Italy goal.[10]

Antonio Di Natale came on for Cassano at half-time and twice went close to scoring, the second effort forcing a save from the onrushing Casillas.[10] Italy's final substitution saw Thiago Motta replace Riccardo Montolivo, but he soon suffered a hamstring injury; with all of their substitutes used, Italy had to play the last 30 minutes of the match with ten men.[10] Fernando Torres replaced Fàbregas with 15 minutes left to play, and scored in the 84th minute – assisted by Xavi – to become the first man to score in two European Championship finals.[11] Torres then turned provider four minutes later, cutting the ball back with the outside of his boot for fellow substitute and Chelsea forward Juan Mata to sweep into an empty net for a final score of 4–0,[10] the widest margin of victory in any European Championship final. Spain became the first team to retain the European Championship title and also the first European team to win three major international competitions in a row.

Spain 4–0 Italy
 Report
Attendance: 63,170[12]

2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

On 27 June, the semi-final of the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil was contested between Italy and Spain, where after a goalless 120 minutes, Spain won 7–6 in the resulting penalty shoot-out; Italy's Leonardo Bonucci was the only player to miss.[13]

Spain 0–0 (a.e.t.) Italy
Report
Penalties
Xavi
Iniesta
Piqué
Ramos
Mata
Busquets
Navas 		7–6 Candreva
Aquilani
De Rossi
Giovinco
Pirlo
Montolivo
Bonucci
Attendance: 56,083
Referee: Howard Webb (England)

UEFA Euro 2016

On 27 June, Italy and Spain matched up for the round of 16 in the Euro 2016, in a rematch of the previous tournament's final. Italy won 2–0 with goals from Giorgio Chiellini in the 33rd minute and Graziano Pellè in stoppage time of the second half. Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea made several impressive saves to keep Spain in the match, notably on Pellè's first-half header attempt, however, it ultimately ended in defeat, as defending European champions Spain were eliminated from the tournament.[14][15]

Italy 2–0 Spain
 Report
Attendance: 76,165[16]

2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying

Italy was not seeded into the first pot, being placed into the second pot due to being in 17th place in the FIFA World Rankings at the time of the group draws; Italy and Spain, from pot one, were drawn together on 25 July 2015.[17] Italy and Spain drew 1–1 in Turin on 6 October 2016, followed by a 3–0 Spain win in Madrid on 2 September 2017, as Spain topped Group G, leaving Italy in second place five points behind.[18][19] Italy were then required to go through the play-off against Sweden. After a 1–0 aggregate loss to Sweden, on 13 November 2017, Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1958.[20]

Italy 1–1 Spain
 Report
Attendance: 38,470
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
Spain 3–0 Italy
 Report
Attendance: 73,628

Statistics

Overall
Matches Wins Draws Goals
Italy Spain Italy Spain
FIFA World Cup 521256
UEFA European Championship 6213*45
FIFA Confederations Cup 1001**00
Olympics 421194
All competitions 166371815
Friendly 215882525
All matches 371111154340

Note: *Spain defeated Italy in a Euro 2008 quarter-final match via penalty shoot-out.
**Spain defeated Italy in a 2013 Confederations Cup semi-final match via penalty shoot-out

See also

References
  1. "El derbi mediterráneo: historia de una rivalidad entre las dos mejores selecciones Sub-21" [The Mediterranean derby: history of a rivalry between the two best Under-21 teams]. Sefutbol (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  2. "Spain renews its rivalry with Italy". TSN.ca. 25 June 2016. Archived from the original on 4 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  3. "FIFA Tournaments - Compare Teams". FIFA.com.
  4. "Spain v Italy: UEFA Champions League finals". UEFA. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  5. "Cambiasso: Juventus only Italian club that lose to the Spanish". Forza Italian Football. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  6. Richard Martin (25 June 2016). "Italy v Spain: five unforgettable meetings". UEFA.com. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  7. "Luis Enrique full of respect". BBC Sport. 20 June 2002. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  8. Date set for Hendry decision; BBC Sport, 3 April 2001
  9. "Full-time report Spain-Italy" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 22 June 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  10. McNulty, Phil (1 July 2012). "Spain 4–0 Italy". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  11. Rostance, Tom; Dawkes, Phil (2 July 2012). "Euro 2012 final: as it happened". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  12. "Full-time report Spain–Italy" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 July 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  13. "Match Report Spain-Italy". FIFA.com.
  14. Jim Foulerton (27 June 2016). "Dominant Italy brush aside champions Spain". UEFA.com. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  15. "David De Gea's save in Spain vs. Italy was a 'miracle' - Graziano Pelle". ESPNFC.com. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  16. "Full Time Summary – Italy v Spain" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  17. "European teams learn World Cup qualifying fate". UEFA.com. 25 July 2015.
  18. "World Cup 2018: Italy and the nightmare of their play-off against Sweden". bbc.com. 10 November 2017.
  19. "Ogden: Isco superb as Spain thrash Italy". espn.co.uk.
  20. "Ignominious Italy out of World Cup". Football Italia. 13 November 2017.
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