Enschede [Netherlands], June 16 : After winning a treble with Manchester City this season, midfield player Rodri will be looking to add another title to his trophy cabinet as Spain defeated Italy 2-1 in the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League on Friday. After the win, Rodri said, "It's not easy to get to a final. We've been too long without a trophy," according to the official website of UEFA.
After winning the Euro 2012 trophy, Spain has failed to win any major international trophy. Their form at the FIFA World Cup has been staggering.
Spain will be looking forward to winning UEFA Nations League but they need to defeat Croatia in the final to win the title.
After the win against Italy, in a post-match interview, Spain's midfielder Rodri said, "We must not let this opportunity escape now. It's not easy to get to a final. We've been too long without a trophy. Italy has to be amongst the very toughest rivals in Europe, or the world, and that's why you saw us really celebrating at the end. We want to win this trophy," as per the official website of UEFA.
Rodri was recognized as the 'Player of the Match' after his brilliant performance in the semi-final clash against Italy.
When asked about his Spanish teammates, Rodri said, "The coach decides who's playing, I've no problem who I play alongside. We have different types of footballers and I can adapt. Today, with Gavi and Mikel, we understood where to find the useful spaces."
Spain will face Croatia in the final match. Speaking on which Rodri said, "Croatia simply has a big competitive drive. Always. I remember the see-saw game we had against them in the last EURO. We have to go out on Sunday with this attitude and not let this unique opportunity pass us by," according to the official website of UEFA.
When asked about winning the treble with Manchester City, Rodri said, "Firstly, it's been a great season, winning a historic treble for City - but it's been hard. This was one last big push because Italy's a great rival and we produced a really complete match to reach the final."
Spain scored an early goal as Yeremy Pino took advantage of a mistake made by Italy's defender Leonardo Bonucci and put the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma to give Spain a 1-0 lead in the match. Yeremy Pino scored in the third minute of the match.
Italy gave a quick reply, as they were awarded a penalty early in the game. Ciro Immobile scored in the 11th minute of the match from a penalty kick to level the game at 1-1.
The first half ended as a draw as both teams attacked well. Spain looked more threatening while attacking in the first half.
In the second half, Spain scored in the last moments of the game. In the 88th minute, Joselu scored a tap-in to give Spain a 2-1 lead in the match.
Italy failed to find a goal to take the match into extra time thus Spain emerged victorious and advanced to the final match.
Spain took a total of 19 shots out of which seven were on target. They had a total of 63 percent of possession on the ball during the match. They completed a total of 648 passes with an accuracy of 87 percent.
Italy took eight shots out of which three were on target. They had a total of 37 percent of possession on the ball during the match. They completed a total of 391 passes with an accuracy of 78 percent.
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