June 16, (THEWILL) – Joselu emerged as the hero for Spain, as he came off the bench to secure a dramatic 2-1 victory over Italy in Enschede, booking their place in the Nations League final.
The former Newcastle forward seized the opportunity in the 88th minute after a deflected shot from Manchester City’s Rodri fell into his path. Spain had taken an early lead through Yeremy Pino, but Italy quickly equalised with a penalty converted by Ciro Immobile. Italy’s Davide Frattesi had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside, setting the stage for Joselu’s decisive contribution just four minutes after his introduction.
The match began with a burst of energy, with Pino snatching an instant advantage for Spain by dispossessing Italy captain Leonardo Bonucci and firing the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma from the edge of the area. However, Italy swiftly responded when Robin Le Normand blocked Nicolo Zaniolo’s shot with his arm, leading to a penalty that Immobile confidently converted. Italy’s hopes of taking the lead were dashed by VAR intervention, ruling out Frattesi’s excellent finish from a lofted pass by Jorginho.
Both teams had further opportunities, with Rafael Toloi narrowly missing a volley for Italy and Alvaro Morata failing to beat Donnarumma from a promising position. There was less dynamism in the second half, yet chances emerged for both sides. Rodri, still riding high from his winning goal in Manchester City’s Istanbul triumph, attempted an audacious overhead kick that narrowly missed the target. Unai Simon, Spain’s goalkeeper, then made an impressive save to deny Zaniolo’s effort.
In the end, it was Rodri who played a pivotal role in securing Spain’s victory, as his blocked shot fell kindly for Joselu to calmly chip the ball past Donnarumma. Spain will now face Croatia in the final on Sunday, while Italy will contest the third-place play-off against the Netherlands.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
