Spain beats Italy 1-0 and advances to knockout round at Euro 2024
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Yueke
Wed, Jun 26, 2024
PHOTO: Yueke
Spain Beats Italy 1-0 and Advances to Knockout Round at Euro 2024
GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — Europe beware — Spain might just be back.
The three-time European champion advanced to the round of 16 at Euro 2024 after a 1-0 win against holder Italy on Thursday.
A 55th-minute own goal by Riccardo Calafiori settled the Group B game at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen. But that didn’t begin to tell the story of a statement performance from Spain, which surely marks it as one of the favorites to win a record-extending fourth European Championship.
“I think it was the best Spain performance I have taken charge of,” coach Luis de la Fuente said. “I don’t see a ceiling on this team. The sky is the limit.”
Spain totally dominated defending champion Italy, with several players further enhancing their reputations as some of soccer’s most exciting young stars.
Player of the match Nico Williams also tormented Italy’s defenders and was the width of the crossbar away from scoring in the second half.
It took Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to keep the score down with a string of fine saves until inadvertently pushing the ball into the legs of Calafiori, who couldn’t prevent it from ricocheting into his own goal.
“They deserved to win and we were never in the game,” Italy coach Luciano Spalletti said.
Spain produced a throwback performance that brought to mind the years when it ruled international soccer, winning back-to-back Euros and the World Cup from 2008 through 2012.
Having failed to dominate possession in its opening 3-0 win over Croatia, Spain was back to its old ways in starving Italy of the ball and dictating play in a largely lopsided game.
Chances came thick and fast in the first half, with Donnarumma pulling off a string of saves to keep the score goalless.
For all of Spain’s superiority, it took Calafiori’s own goal to break the deadlock after halftime.
Donnarumma pushed Alvaro Morata’s glancing header into the legs of Calafiori, who could only watch as the ball ricocheted into the back of the net.
Williams was then millimeters away from extending the lead with a curling shot that hit the crossbar.
Spain has endured frustrating times since it last won the Euros in 2012, with early exits from the last three World Cups.
At the last Euros, it lost on penalties to Italy in the semifinals.
Having won the UEFA Nations League last year, it looks well-positioned to add another major title in Germany.
“Essentially we haven’t achieved anything yet,” De la Fuente said. “Football can be very cruel. We have to be cautious, humble, and show respect.”
In Group C, Harry Kane scored and then made a mistake that led to the Danes’ leveler. Kane struck a record-extending 64th goal for his country to fire England ahead in Frankfurt. But his loose pass then allowed Morten Hjulmand to equalize from long range.
In the other Group C game, Luka Jovic scored in stoppage time to salvage a draw.
England leads the group on four points and is likely to advance to the round of 16.
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James Robson is at
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AP Euro 2024:
GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — Europe beware — Spain might just be back.
The three-time European champion advanced to the round of 16 at Euro 2024 after a 1-0 win against holder Italy on Thursday.
A 55th-minute own goal by Riccardo Calafiori settled the Group B game at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen. But that didn’t begin to tell the story of a statement performance from Spain, which surely marks it as one of the favorites to win a record-extending fourth European Championship.
“I think it was the best Spain performance I have taken charge of,” coach Luis de la Fuente said. “I don’t see a ceiling on this team. The sky is the limit.”
Spain totally dominated defending champion Italy, with several players further enhancing their reputations as some of soccer’s most exciting young stars.
Player of the match Nico Williams also tormented Italy’s defenders and was the width of the crossbar away from scoring in the second half.
It took Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to keep the score down with a string of fine saves until inadvertently pushing the ball into the legs of Calafiori, who couldn’t prevent it from ricocheting into his own goal.
“They deserved to win and we were never in the game,” Italy coach Luciano Spalletti said.
Spain produced a throwback performance that brought to mind the years when it ruled international soccer, winning back-to-back Euros and the World Cup from 2008 through 2012.
Having failed to dominate possession in its opening 3-0 win over Croatia, Spain was back to its old ways in starving Italy of the ball and dictating play in a largely lopsided game.
Chances came thick and fast in the first half, with Donnarumma pulling off a string of saves to keep the score goalless.
For all of Spain’s superiority, it took Calafiori’s own goal to break the deadlock after halftime.
Donnarumma pushed Alvaro Morata’s glancing header into the legs of Calafiori, who could only watch as the ball ricocheted into the back of the net.
Williams was then millimeters away from extending the lead with a curling shot that hit the crossbar.
Spain has endured frustrating times since it last won the Euros in 2012, with early exits from the last three World Cups.
At the last Euros, it lost on penalties to Italy in the semifinals.
Having won the UEFA Nations League last year, it looks well-positioned to add another major title in Germany.
“Essentially we haven’t achieved anything yet,” De la Fuente said. “Football can be very cruel. We have to be cautious, humble, and show respect.”
In Group C, Harry Kane scored and then made a mistake that led to the Danes’ leveler. Kane struck a record-extending 64th goal for his country to fire England ahead in Frankfurt. But his loose pass then allowed Morten Hjulmand to equalize from long range.
In the other Group C game, Luka Jovic scored in stoppage time to salvage a draw.
England leads the group on four points and is likely to advance to the round of 16.
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James Robson is at
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AP Euro 2024:
Pascal Siakam, Pacers agree on $189M, four-year contract that can be signed in July, AP source says
Pascal Siakam intends to sign a four-year, $189.5 million contract to remain with the Indiana Pacers when the NBA’s offseason moratorium is lifted in early July, a person with knowledge of the talks between the sides told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither the player nor the club may announce the agreement by league rule. ESPN, citing unnamed sources, was first to report that Siakam decided to remain with the Pacers.
Free agency does not begin until June 30, but this agreement was not in violation of any league rules. Under the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement, teams could start speaking to their own free agents one day after the conclusion of the NBA Finals. The Pacers were clear going into the offseason that retaining Siakam was a top priority, so it was no surprise that they wanted to begin official talks quickly.
“The first very important step is to begin recruiting Pascal Siakam in earnest,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said a few weeks ago, shortly after the Pacers’ season ended. “That will start today with exit meetings. He’s a great player. He was tremendous for us.”
Siakam — a two-time All-Star and part of the Toronto team that won the 2019 NBA title — would be in line to make about $42 million next season and around $53 million in 2027-28, the final year of the new deal.
The Pacers acquired the 30-year-old power forward in a January trade, and he quickly became a major part of the team that reached the Eastern Conference finals before falling to eventual NBA champion Boston. Siakam shot 55% from the field and 38% from 3-point range in 41 regular-season games with Indiana this past season.
Counting his time in Toronto, Siakam averaged 21.7 points and 7.1 rebounds this past season. The Pacers will have him and guard Tyrese Haliburton — who is about to enter the start of a $245 million, five-year deal that was agreed upon last summer — as their franchise cornerstones going forward.
Carlisle said he still considered this past season to be Year 2 of a rebuild in Indiana, but he noted that the acquisitions of Siakam and Haliburton (who was traded to Indiana in February 2022) fast-tracked the plan.
“The fact that all these pieces fit well together put us in a strong position this year,” Carlisle said when the season ended.
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AP NBA:
