Spain and Italy Turn Football Upside Down
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The opening fixture in Group C between European and world champions Spain and Italy was one of the most anticipated games of the group stage, and even before the 1-1 draw in Gdansk, it had provided thrills aplenty.
As news began to filter through that Spain manager Vicente del Bosque had named a team with six midfielders and no strikers, Twitter almost collapsed under the weight of excitement.
Not only that, but Italy also fielded an alarming lineup which featured midfielder Daniele De Rossi in a three-man defence and a two-man attack comprising Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano—two strikers for whom the word mercurial barely begins to adequately describe them.
The match itself ended in a 1-1 draw, which was a wonderful exhibition of technical continental football at its finest.
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