Nico Williams was named Player Of The Match
Nico Williams (22, Athletic Club) was named Player Of The Match (POTM) for his performance in Italy’s famous ‘catenaccio’.
Spain defeated Italy 1-0 in their UEFA Euro 2024 Group B second leg at the Arena Offshalle in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on Monday (June 21).
With the win, Spain booked their place in the round of 16 with six points from two matches, including a 3-0 win over Croatia. Defending champions Italy, on the other hand, remain on three points (D1, L1) and look forward to their next match. Their fate will be decided in the final match against Croatia.
Spain opted for a 4-3-3 formation. Nico Williams-Alvaro Morata-Ramin Yamal, Fabian Luis-Rodri-Pedri, Marc Cucurella-Emrique Laporte-Robin Lerner-Mani Carvajal, and Unai Simone started up front.
The man of the match was Williams, 안전놀이터 추천 who rattled the Italian flank with his darting runs, using his pace and solid physicality to his advantage.
The Italian defense had to double up to stop him.
Williams sent in threatening crosses for Pedri from the start of the game, and in the 10th minute, he broke into the box himself for a threatening header. His selfless passing also stood out. When Williams had multiple defenders on him, he used the overlapping Cucurella to open up the defense.
The only goal of the night also came from Williams’ toes, as he sent in a sharp left-footed cross in the 10th minute after stripping Giovanni Di Lorenzo. The ball grazed Morata’s head and deflected off goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s hand and into the legs of defender Riccardo Calafiori for an own goal.
He could have found the back of the net himself if not for some bad luck. Williams made it 2-0 in the 25th minute when he cut in from the left to the center and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot. But the ball hit the top right corner of the net. After a strong performance, Williams was subbed off in the 33rd minute for Ayoze Perez.
On the day, Williams played 78 minutes, creating the most chances for both teams (four), winning four dribbles, taking two shots, sending in three crosses, and creating one big chance. Soccer stats outlet Footmob gave him a rating of 7.2.
The official POTM also went to Williams.
The UEFA Technical Observer named him Man of the Match, saying, “Consistently threatening whenever he had the ball. Was positive in every one-on-one situation. Returned to good form and was solid defensively. Created goals and hit the post. It was a great individual performance.”
After the game, Williams said: “We were dominant throughout. Italy are a great team, but we played very well and deserved to win. I think it was our most complete game. I want to help the team as much as I can, and I’m happy because I’ve always dreamed of performing at a level that earned me POTM at the Euros,” he beamed.
Williams, meanwhile, is one of the tournament’s hottest prospects. He came up through the youth ranks at Athletic Club and has been a regular winger for the club since the 2021-2022 season. 카지노사이트 순위 Last season, he scored five goals and provided 11 assists in 31 La Liga games and was linked to Tottenham as a possible successor to Son Heung-min. The buyout fee is reportedly in the neighborhood of €43 million.
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