Spain 1 Italy 1

Day Two had provided a clash of footballing culture in the form of Holland and Denmark. Day Three began in a similar fashion as World Champions Spain met Italy in Gdansk.

There was a time when this match would have pitted two of the best sides in the world against each other but this Italian side is bereft of the star quality of old. What they did have, however, was plenty of heart. Faced by the unusual sight of a a 4-6-0 formation Prandelli's men held firm during a first forty-five minutes of Spanish possession. Despite their dominance with the ball, however, Spain rarely threatened and, if anything, the best chances fell to the Azzurri. The pick of these came the way of Thiago Motta in stoppage time, when Antonio Cassano broke free down the right and his cross was inch perfect for the PSG man. Despite making a firm contact Motta headed straight at Casillas and the teams went into the break level.

Buoyed by their performance in the first half, Italy looked increasingly dangerous in the second period. But it wasn't until the introduction of Di Natale, replacing the erratic Ballotelli, that they made it count. Curving his run to perfection, the Udinese frontman latched onto veteran Pirlo's clever pass, and finished in style. This had clearly not been in the script but the lead didn't last long as Fabregas restored parity from an equally clever pass from David Silva just three minutes later. It has long been a trait of the Spanish style not to panic and this was another example.

From this point it was Spain who looked the more likely to win. Del Bosque finally sent on a striker in the shape of Fernando Torres and the Chelsea man should have scored immediately when put through on Buffon. However, in keeping with his recent form, Torres took a heavy touch and the chance was gone. A second opportunity presented itself in the final ten minutes but this time his chipped effort sailed over the cross bar and Spain had to settle for a point.

Italy had certainly performed much better than many had predicted but that may have been down to the amount of space provided by the attack minded Spanish. For Spain they will be disappointed at their inability to move the ball fast enough in the final third. Whether or not a striker is needed is a question for Del Bosque who knows a win is now vital in their next match to keep the quest for a third straight title on track.