FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 semifinal: Italy vs Spain - Five talking points

Quality of football:

The Azzurri conjured their best tactical and positional display of the tournament. Spain. despite being weary, were also combative. Mata, Navas, Torres and Xavi were constantly knocking on Italy’s defence’s door, looking for a weakness. But the defence, and Chiellini in particular, was solid and made hardly any mistakes. Spain may not have had as much possession as they are used to, but Italy’s fierce pressing and dogged marking made them push their game a gear or two higher, and what we saw was two teams at their best producing a spectacle rarely seen in internationals. The game lacked goals, but made up for it with sheer quality and excitement.