Catenaccio, is an Italian word which roughly translates to “door bolt.” and it has been the title associated with the Italian team over the years for their highly organised and effective backline.
However this game against Spain was a break from tradition.
Spain was on the defensive from the very beginning with the Italian forward line running them ragged with verve and pace and frenzy.
Spain is a team that has run out of steam.Key players like Xavi that made them the legendary tiki taka dream team are long gone.If it wasn’t for David de Gea’s heroics the scoreline would have been more than 2- 0.
Italy have taken care of the European Champions and now take on the World Champions – Germany in the quarterfinals.
However,unlike Spain,Germany is not team made up of ageing warhorses so Italy will find themselves up against a horse of a different colour.