Spain in the Semis

Yesterday saw yet another grueling test for Luis Enrique and Spain in this year's Euro Campaign, but still they got through it. As was the case against Croatia on Monday, regular time was not enough to split Switzerland and Spain; nor could extra-time. This time out, the Spaniards had to rely on heroics from goalkeeper, Unai Simon, to distract Switzerland's penalty-takers and sway momentum at the critical moment. Spain won 3-1 in the shootout, with Real Sociedad's Mikel Oyarzabal scoring the all important penalty to send their side through to the semi-finals, where they meet an Italy team who have arguably been the team of the tournament up until now. It will take Spain to dig deep again on Tuesday evening if they are to overcome the side who they triumphed over in the final of Euro 2012. All eyes will be on Wembley stadium for what should be a very entertaining match. Italy, buoyant after their dismissal of the number-one ranked side in the world, Belgium, last night; with Spain looking to recapture their attacking ability that saw them put five past Croatia and Slovakia. Before we look forward, however, let's see how yesterday's game developed.

Source: Sphera Sports

Commanding First-half

After a strong start from Spain, Jordi Alba's effort deflected off Zakaria and put the Spaniards 1-0 up. After that point, Spain were resolute in defence and dealt well with the Swiss attack. They controlled the midfield, as seen with them enjoying 71% of possession. However, it was their lack of attacking prowess that left them wanting, with Switzerland having more attempts at goal: four to Spain's three. This was highlighted further when looking at the fact that Morata, Ferran Torres and Pablo Sarabia failed to trouble the opposition. Instead, the best chances in the first half, other than the goal, fell to midfielder Koke, who almost scored from a close-range free kick and then defender, Azpilicueta, who saw his header saved by Sommer, as Spain searched for their second. Switzerland lost Breel Embolo to injury, something that would have definitely given much needed relief to the Spanish defence. The best opportunity for the Swiss came from a corner, where Widmer's effort missed the target just before half time. They showed Spain that they were very much still in a game.

Source: RTVE Deportes

Same old story in the Second

The second half saw an introduction for Dani Olmo, who replaced Pablo Sarabia. Olmo provided some fresh legs, but even he couldn't do much by way of breathing new life into this game. Both sides began to show the effects of the grueling last 16 matches, which both sides had endured on Monday. There was a moment of quick-thinking from a Shaqiri corner that provided some excitement, as he looked to catch-out Unai Simon at his near post. If anything, it gave Switzerland hope of scoring. Luis Enrique clearly saw this growing confidence for Switzerland and opted to introduce Villarreal's Gerard Moreno to the game, who replaced Álvaro Morata. His first act was to glance at Zakaria's header from a corner as it went just beyond the post. A Spanish sigh of relief. Then, just after the hour mark, Switzerland's Zuber started a tidy move and should've scored, instead his weak strike gave Unai Simon a comfortable save to make. Spain's lack of cutting edge in attack saw them punished by Shaqiri following yet another defensive calamity for Spain. The goal was opportunistic, to say the least, but thoroughly deserved, as the well-known Spanish nerves came to light once more. After the goal, Switzerland again began to revert back to their first-half performance. This lack of composure peaked when Freuler was shown a straight red for his challenge on Moreno. It was a debatable red card, one that the player would have likely gotten away with a few years back. However, Spain failed to make the most of their man-advantage in the final 13 minutes of the half as extra-time was confirmed.

Source: espnsportscenter

A Quiet Extra-time

Spain had brought on enough fire-power to cause Switzerland problems. The likes of Oyarzabal, Marcos Llorente, Thiago and Rodri all entered the fray once it became clear that no side would get a winner in normal time. The third-quarter of the game began like a boxing match, with Switzerland like a beaten fighter who still amassed just enough energy to keep competing. Spain penned in the dogged Switzerland from the off and Moreno soon missed a clean-cut opportunity, as he had done on a few occasions since his introduction. The pressure continued to mount, but the Swiss held it together in the face of the slick movements stemming from Marcos Llorente and the other Spanish substitues. Yann Sommer embodied this Swiss fight, stepping up to deny two great chances, one from Moreno and the other from Oyarzabal. The final-quarter saw Dani Olmo have the best chances to snatch the win, but even he could not muster up a conclusion to the drama. Spain registered eight shots on target in extra-time, but it was not enough to break the opponent's will. It was to be penalties to decide it. Switzerland of course on the back of a penalty win against World-Champions France, no less. There was tensity around the Spanish players, who knew the importance of this shootout.

Source: Daily Mail

Unai Simon saves Spain

Busquets was the first up for Spain. His tame effort stopped by Sommer, the sixth-consecutive penalty miss for Spain. Gavranocic then converted his effort. Advantage Switzerland. Olmo scored his penalty, a lovely strike. Unai Simon saved from Schar, Rodri had his shot stopped by Sommer, before Akanji was denied by the Basque-keeper also. Gerard Moreno kept his calm to put Spain 2-1 up. Vargas was put-off by a dancing Simon and hit his penalty way over the bar. It fell to Mikel Oyarzabal to send Spain through, and he did just that. The ol' Basque one-two saw Spain reach the semis. The main after-thought of the evening was that persistence and over-coming setbacks won the game, better put, Unai Simon won the game. He was awarded Man of the Match for his performance and contribution in the shootout. It was a delight to see him and Oyarzabal, who are rivals in the Basque Country, embrace one another after they both did their job to get Spain over the line. Italy now await on Tuesday evening.

Source: DNA India