“That day we knew we were going to be champions.” This is a phrase that since the end of Euro 2008 Austria and Switzerland Some of the members of the Spanish team that ended up taking the title against Germany with a goal from Fernando towers (1-0) in the final.
But by “that day” they are not referring to the latest, but to what happened on June 22, 2008. Today, Saturday, the 22nd of the year 2024, marks 16 years since the conflict against Italy in the quarterfinals at Vienna Prater which was resolved in a dramatic penalty shootout in which there were two correct names: that of Iker Casillas and that of Cesc Fabregas.
In a meeting of great tension and respect for the current world champion, a title he won in Germany World Cupit was 0-0 at the end of 90 minutes and extra time as well. Buffonneither Azzurraand Boxesneither redmade sure that the ball did not reach the bottom of their respective goal nets.
Time to face the penalty shootout, where Iker is the first hero, who stopped launching the Rossi and Not Christmasonly suitable for those Gross and Camoranesi.
For the team he trained Luis Aragones they are marked David Villa, Santi Cazorla and Marcos Senna. I missed it Dani Guiza. Then the second hero of the night appeared: Cesc Fabregas. As he later said, it was the first penalty he got in professional football. And he did it safely. A burst of joy came immediately. And then, everything else, the title of 2008, the 2010 World Cup in South Africathe exhibition is also new Italy (4-0) in the final of Euro 2012 in Ukraine and Poland.
The curse of bedrooms
On June 22, 2008, the psychological barrier of the doomed quarterfinals, which, in recent editions, is no longer the quarterfinals, was broken. It is enough to remember that in 2006 Germany World Cup fell in the round of 16 matches Francewhile in Portugal Euro 2004 He did not make it past the group stage.
Be that as it may, that fight Vienna It means before and after on a mental level. Spain He had problems later, some of them right in front of the Italians, but the fear of that stage disappeared that night.
Only two days have passed since red of Luis de la Fuente shown, certainly then Italy, prepared for everyone. Then things will work or they won’t, but there is no longer a player from the national team whose boots will weigh them down when facing the quarter-final. We should thank that group 16 years ago Vienna changed the history of Spain.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
