Watch.. Spain defeats Italy and secures qualification and top spot in the group, while England falls into a draw trap | sports

Spain won 1-0 over Italy, the defending champion, on Thursday, ensuring qualification to the quarter-finals at the top of Group B of the European Football Championship (Euro 2024).

This ensures that the Spanish national team qualifies at the top of the group, regardless of the results of the third round in which it meets Albania next Monday, after its score rose to 6 points, followed by the Italian national team (3 points), then Albania and Croatia with one point each.

Spain almost won with several goals had it not been for the brilliance and ingenuity of Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who saved his goal from several scored goals that started early in the second minute of the first half, when left winger Nico Williams passed a dangerous cross ball that Pedri turned in with a strong header, which Donnarumma blocked and turned into the first corner. In the match, minutes later, he saved Alvaro Morata’s shot in a tight corner, before brilliantly blocking Fabian Ruiz’s missile shot.

Donnarumma remained an impenetrable wall preventing Spain from reaching Italy’s net until the 55th minute, when Williams, who almost scored with an early header, dribbled past Italian right-back Di Lorenzo and passed a powerful cross that touched Morata’s head, before Calafiore got confused and accidentally turned it into his own net, scoring Spain’s winning goal.

Williams almost scored the second goal in the 70th minute, but the crossbar denied him, and despite that, he won the Best Player of the Match award (Man of the Match).

Spain will meet in the quarter-finals with one of the teams that qualified from third place.

As for Italy, it must avoid defeat in the third match against Croatia to seal its qualification.

Denmark imposes a draw on England

In another match in Euro 2024, the Danish national team forced its English counterpart to a 1-1 draw on Thursday, in the second round of the third group.

The England team (the Three Lions) raised its score to 4 points, topping the group, while the Denmark team got its second point, equal to that of the Slovenia team, and the Serbia team is at the bottom of the standings with one point.

England took the lead through Harry Kane in the 18th minute, and the Danish team equalized through Martin Hollimand in the 34th minute.

The English national team will meet its Slovenian counterpart, next Tuesday, in the third round of the tournament, which will also witness a confrontation between Serbia and Denmark.