UEFA Final Match Spain vs. Italy

Spain and Italy will contest the 2012 edition of the European Championships Final after they won their respective semifinals against Portugal and Germany.

While Spain needed a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw to progress to the final in Kyiv on Sunday, Italy made for impressive viewing as they dismantled Germany, taking a 2-0 lead before a late penalty halved the deficit.

The last two winners of the FIFA World Cup should put on an entertaining spectacle, as Spain bid to become the first team to retain the Euros and also win three major tournaments on the spin.

Here are five key battles which could shape the result of the match, and ultimately decide the winner.

Having already crossed paths in the group stage, Vicente del Bosque of Spain and Cesari Prandelli of Italy will be plotting their tactical routes to glory between now and Sunday.

The group stage match finished 1-1, offering little insight as to who might be the stronger outfit now.

Del Bosque has switched between playing a central striker and playing a false nine and must decide on who to start in that position for the final, with the only other possible change being to replace David Silva with either Pedro Rodriguez or Jesus Navas.

Italy have more decisions to make, with the right-back issue to be decided upon and, by association, whether to partner Chiellini with Barzagli, or leave Bonucci in there with the latter.

Timing and tactical changes with substitutions will also play a big part no doubt, with a possibly cagey affair in the final meaning that one mistake or piece of inspiration could be the difference between failure and glory.

It should be a thoroughly intriguing final which awaits us.

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Audience for UEFA EURO 2012 Quarterfinals Up 31 Percent vs. 2008

ESPN Audience for UEFA EURO 2012 Quarterfinals Up 31 Percent vs. 2008
England vs. Italy Sets UEFA European Football Championship Record for ESPN Deportes; Audience on ESPN Digital Platforms Surges

Last Sunday’s UEFA EURO 2012 quarterfinal match between Italy and England, a 0-0 tie won by Italy 4-2 in a penalty-kick shootout, on ESPN was seen by an average of 2.968 million viewers, bigger than any UEFA European Football Championship match in 2012 or 2008, except the 2008 final on ABC (3.760 million for Germany vs. Spain).

The four UEFA EURO 2012 quarterfinal matches (June 21–24) delivered an average of 1.463 million television households and 1.918 million viewers – up 31 percent in both households (1.116 million) and viewers (1.459 million) compared to the quarterfinal round in 2008.

Through 28 matches (group stage and quarterfinals) of the UEFA European Football Championship 2012, ESPN’s live English-language presentation is averaging 889,000 households and 1,144,000 viewers -- up 61 percent and 63 percent, respectively, versus the same 28 matches in 2008 (552,000 households and 703,000 viewers).

The top 10 metered markets through the group stage include: New York (1.9), Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (1.8), Providence (1.5), Los Angeles (1.3), Washington, DC (1.3), San Francisco (1.2), Richmond, Va. (1.2), Atlanta (1.2), Austin, Texas (1.2), and San Diego (1.1)

ESPN Deportes:
Last Sunday’s England vs. Italy on ESPN Deportes was viewed by an average of 424,000 Hispanic household, based on an 8.1 Hispanic household coverage rating, making it the most-watched UEFA European Football Championship match on the 24-hour Spanish-language sports network. The telecast beat the network’s previous high – UEFA EURO 2008 final between Germany and Spain with 357,000 Hispanic household impressions.

On ESPN Deportes, the quarterfinals averaged a 5.5 Hispanic household coverage rating with 287,000 Hispanic household impressions – up 57 percent and 133 percent from 2008 respectively. (In 2008, ESPN Deportes televised one of the four quarterfinal matches on delay.)

Through the 24 live matches in 2012, ESPN Deportes has delivered an average 3.5 Hispanic household coverage rating with 184,000 Hispanic HH impressions – up 46 percent and 117 percent respectively. UEFA EURO 2012 news and information programming has also delivered strong ratings: Fuera de Juego Euro Edition has aired 42 live telecasts, averaging a 1.3 Hispanic household coverage rating with 68,000 Hispanic household impressions.

ESPN Digital Platforms:
From June 21-24, through four days of EURO 2012 quarterfinals play, ESPNFC.com and ESPNsoccernet.com globally averaged 878,000 daily visitors, 3.1 million page views per day and 10.2 million minutes per day (source: Adobe/Omniture). Compared to ESPNsoccernet.com during the same time period for EURO 2008, the site is up 24 percent, 13 percent and 132 percent, respectively. In total, ESPNFC.com, ESPNsoccernet.com and ESPNdeportes.com generated 13.3 million total page views during the quarterfinals, up 14.6 percent compared to EURO 2008.

Mobile coverage of the EURO 2012 quarterfinals across ESPNFC, ESPNsoccernet and ESPNdeportes mobile Web sites as well as the ESPNsoccernet app for iPhone and Android logged an average of 1.4 million page views per day, up 238 percent compared to EURO 2008.

Through the quarterfinals (June 8-24) across computers, smartphones, tablets and Xbox, ESPN3 and WatchESPN has logged an average minute audience of 83,607 per match and a total of 344.7 million live minutes to both English and Spanish language feeds. On computers alone, there were a total of 2.1 million unique viewers. Additionally, fans consumed 300.2 million live minutes on computers, up 688 percent compared to EURO 2008.

The England vs. Italy quarterfinal took the top spot as the new most watched match of the tournament thus far on ESPN3 and WatchESPN, logging 422,000 unique viewers, 27.8 million live minutes and an average minute audience of 147,745.

UEFA EURO 2012 Semifinals and Final on ESPN Networks
ESPN’s comprehensive presentation of UEFA European Football Championship 2012 in English and Spanish will continue Wednesday, June 27, and Thursday, June 28, with the semifinals, and conclude Sunday, July 1, with the title match live from Olympic Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine.

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Italy strikers start doing their job

KRAKOW, Poland (AP) — Advancing to the quarterfinals isn't the only positive news for Italy. Now, the Azzurri strikers are also starting to score.

Both Antonio Cassano and substitute Mario Balotelli found the target on Monday in the 2-0 win over Ireland that booked Italy a spot in the last eight of the European Championship. "That's a great sign, we needed them," Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon said. "While they had great previous matches, they hadn't scored. With their two goals everything was much more straightforward."

Italy's forwards struggled in opening 1-1 draws with Spain and Croatia, and also didn't find the net in three pre-tournament friendlies — all losses. "Now we start a new Euros — absolutely," Cassano said after the victory over Ireland.

Italy will meet the Group D winner Sunday in Kiev — with France, England and co-host Ukraine among the possible opponents. "France is a squad to worry about. They play a very interesting 4-3-3 with three modern strikers that don't provide any reference points," Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said Tuesday. "England is a squad that never gives up and that has now also discovered some interesting players. Whereas Ukraine plays with a lot of spirit and produces great counterattacks.

"I'm not creating any goals," Prandelli said earlier. "My goal is simply a squad that knows how to play football, otherwise you don't go very far." Prandelli will have to ponder a change in defense, with Giorgio Chiellini ruled out for the quarterfinals with a left leg muscle injury. Chiellini exited the Ireland match early in the second half.

"We'll do everything we can to get him back quickly," team physician Enrico Castellacci said following an MRI. "If we advance we'll try to get him back for the first available match." Italy used a three-man defense in its opening two games, then switched to a more traditional four-man backline against Ireland, which allowed Daniele De Rossi to return to his natural position in midfield.

When Chiellini came off, Leonardo Bonucci replaced him alongside Andrea Barzagli in central defense, and that could be the pairing for the quarterfinals. "Let's wait to assess our fatigue and see who our opponent is, but the four-man backline satisfied me," Prandelli said. "Maybe that's all we needed to find some confidence and balance. And this way our quality in midfield emerges, even when we're struggling. But whoever our opponent is, we've got to play with the same spirit."

In attack, Prandelli needs to decide whether to put Balotelli back in the starting lineup. Balotelli appeared hesitant against Spain and Croatia and lost his starting spot to Antonio Di Natale against Ireland. Di Natale came off the bench and scored against Spain but produced little in the final group match.

"We haven't even savored this victory and we're already talking about the next game. I'm not thinking about that yet," Prandelli said. "I'm just thinking about getting my players back fit and in training. The idea of having all these forwards ready to go could be a bonus for us."

Balotelli's goal was a work of art, with the 21-year-old striker acrobatically wrapping his shot around defender John O'Shea in mid air as he met a corner kick from Alessandro Diamanti. After the goal, Balotelli appeared to be letting out a scream when Bonucci came over and used one hand to cover Balotelli's mouth.

Was Balotelli releasing anger toward Prandelli? "I don't think he has a problem with me, but honestly I don't know. I'll ask him," said Prandelli, who was later seen holding a one-to-one discussion with Balotelli during training. "Once he starts accepting criticism and realizing that nobody wants to hurt him, that's when he'll have matured."

Italy also reached the quarterfinals at Euro 2008, losing to Spain on penalties. "The good and the bad thing about this squad is that we're able to play balanced matches with any squad, both the strongest ones and the ones that are weaker than us," Buffon said. "That's why penalties are always a possibility."

source: mail.com/int/sports/soccer/1371898-italy-strikers-start-their-job.html#.2002-stage-teaser1-15

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