Italy vs Spain player ratings: Who stood out for Antonio Conte's Italian heroes?
Italy 2 Spain 0: The Italians will face Germany in the nect round of Euro 2016
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Your support makes all the difference.Graziano Pelle sealed Italy's place in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals with a stoppage-time strike to sink reigning champions Spain at the Stade de France.
Leading and largely dominant after Giorgio Chiellini's first-half opener, the Italians had survived a scare moments earlier when Gianluigi Buffon saved superbly to deny Gerard Pique an equaliser.
But Pelle's brilliant finish at the other end completed a richly deserved 2-0 win for Antonio Conte's side, who were only denied a bigger winning margin by the brilliance of Spain goalkeeper David De Gea.
De Gea pulled off a string of fine saves to deny the likes of Pelle, Emanuele Giaccherini and Eder but Italian class told in the end as they underlined their emergence as genuine contenders to seize the vacated crown.
Spain had seemed under the weather from the first minute, which was greeted by a torrential downpour, and De Gea was soon called into action with an excellent diving save to stop Pelle's well-directed free-kick.
But who stood out for Italy and Spain as the former progressed to the quarter-finals? See our take on the performances below...
Spain
David de Gea: Pulled off multiple world class saves to deny the Italians. A shame about the goal but sensational as a whole. 7
Juanfran: Failed to push on as much as he should and didn't see enough of the ball. 6
Gerard Piqué: Should have equalised for Spain at the end but completely fluffed his chance. Average. 6
Sergio Ramos: Had a headed chance on goal but struggled playing against two attackers. 6
Jordi Alba: Got forward well but ultiamtely couldn't offer enough on the overlap. 6
Cesc Fàbregas: Came to life in the second half after De Rossi had left but couldn't save his side. 6
Sergio Busquets: Had a notable strike on goal but quiet for much of the game. 6
Andres Iniesta: Kept quiet by the Italians but enjoyed the occasional flash of brilliance in the second half. 6
David Silva: Gave too much possession away and failed to have any real impact on the game. 5
Alvaro Morata: Struggled to provide Spain with a reliable and penetrative outlet. Missed too many opportunities. 6
Nolito: Very ineffective and was brought off at half time. 5
Italy
Gianluigi Buffon: Quiet first half but called into action in the second half with some fantastic saves to prevent a Spanish comeback. 7
Gianluigi Barzagli: Solid throughout, kept Nolito at bay. 7
Leonardo Bonucci: Miscommunication with Buffon early on but defensively impressive for the rest. 7
Girogio Chiellini: Lead from the back and took his goal well. 7
Mattia De Sciglio: Picked up a yellow card but worked hard and fought for every single ball. 6
Marco Parolo: Threatened with a close header in the first half - strong on the ball throughout. 6
Daniele De Rossi: Solid performance in the middle of the park. Kept the Spanish midfield quiet when he was on the pitch but was substituted early due to injury. 6
Emanuele Giaccherini: A threat both both inside and outside the box. Came very close with a number of dangerous strikes. 7
Alessandro Florenzi: A threat on the right with his dangerous running and balls into the box. 7
Graziano Pellè: Linked up well with Eder and created a number of chances for him. Hungary for the ball and looked strong with it. Bagged himself a well deserved goal. 7
Éder: Threatened with his pace against Ramos, keeping the defender busy. Could have done better with his chances though. 7
Additional reporting by PA.
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