EURO 2024: Three Spain vs Italy things you didn’t see on TV | OneFootball

Gianluca Scamacca gave advice to Federico Dimarco in the opening stages of Italy’s game against Spain, while Luciano Spalletti argued with some opponents on the touchline before the break: here’s what we spotted at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen last night.

Football Italia was among the accredited media in Gelsenkirchen for Italy’s 1-0 loss against Spain on Thursday and brings you three things you didn’t see on TV last night.

1 . Scamacca and Dimarco

The start was not as shocking as against Albania, but it was evident from the opening stages that Spain would dominate proceedings. Spalletti wanted to see a tidy ball possession from the Azzurri, but what his players showed on the pitch was entirely different. After just seven minutes, while Lorenzo Pellegrini was getting treatment from Italian doctors, Gianluca Scamacca approached Federico Dimarco close to the Italy bench, mimicking the trajectory of the passes he had expected from the Inter defender. Something similar had happened against Albania as well. Scamacca’s movements seemed to suggest he wanted crosses on the far post or beyond Spain’s defensive line, but unfortunately for the Azzurri, they never had a chance to feed their striker properly.

2. Spalletti arguing

Tension erupted before the halftime whistle when Robin Le Normand suffered a foul from Nicolò Barella and was accidentally hit in his face. It happened right in front of the two benches and the incident led to vehement protests from the Spanish bench. Spalletti did not seem happy with their attitude and approached La Roja’s technical area pointing his finger at some of the players. He also argued with Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente, who tried to defend his players. All parties cleared the air later on and Spalletti respectfully saluted all his opponents, including their coach, after the final whistle. Shortly afterwards, the CT also shook hands with each one of his players while they were walking towards the tunnel.

3. More Spain tension

There was even more tension on the Spanish side, seconds before full-time. Italy earned a late corner kick, and even Gigio Donnarumma rushed inside the opponents’ box, hoping to score an equaliser that would have been frankly undeserved. Not a single player or staff member of Spain or Italy on the touchline remained seated on the benches while the corner kick was about to be taken. Some Spanish players didn’t want it to be taken at all as they continued touching their wrists, where they usually wear a watch, trying to say that the time was up. When the referee effectively blew the final whistle, Dani Carvajal was so furious that some of his teammates had to push him away from the official to avoid any potential consequence. The Real Madrid star still shouted something at Slavko Vincic before joining fans for deserved celebrations.