Those who only caught a glimpse of Spain’s 4 - 2 penalty kick victory over Italy in yesterday’s Euro 2008 quarterfinal might have thought that they had missed a tight and edgey football matchup. However, those who actually witnessed the game likely noticed that despite Spain’s inability to hit the back of the net in 120 minutes, the Italian’s were never really in this game. Sure there were threats from the Azzuri, and perhaps a few unlucky breaks. But few seemed to be the keyword for the Italians in this game and all tournament long — as in, few oppurtunities for an attack.

Although Italy rode its defense to world championship status at the FIFA World Cup two years ago, this Italian squad never quite measured up to that team’s one key component: the ability to score goals. From the moment that the Euro 2008 began, Italy played an ultra conservative style of soccer. Some might say that’s the Italian way, but there always needs to be some momentum going forward to complement even the best back lines. Yesterday was just another in the case of coach Donadoni’s strategy to play back and hope for an oppurtune moment. That moment never came.

On the flipside, Spain exorcised their demons and came out attacking from the gates. They attempted to take several cracks at the Italian defense and might have had one of those unlucky moments in the sport when Italian goalkeeper Bufon nearly dropped the ball and allowed it to roll close to the net, hitting the post instead. But despite the inability to score, there was little debate regarding who deserved the victory. Spain were the aggressors and Italy, minus midfield guru Pirlo of course, were held down to some half hearted counters and luck as far as the penalty shootout is concerned. It’s a valuable lesson to the Italians as they prepare for South Africa in two years. Find an attack or you might just be done in by the few oppurtunties you hope for.