In the 88th minute, Joselu, 33, rewarded the Spaniards for having so much possession in the second half. The striker hit the target after a deflected shot from Rodri, who beat Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Espanyol Barcelona striker, who scored for the third time in his third international appearance, came on as a substitute just four minutes earlier.

Spain took the lead for the first time after only three minutes. Eremi Pino took advantage early on a mistake by veteran Leonardo Bonucci who was playing the ball close to his own box. Italy was still in a position to respond to this first oversight. Ciro Immobile scored in the 11th minute from the penalty spot to make it 1-1.

The handball player was just Spain debutant Robin Le Norman, who, together with Aymeric Laporte, formed the French center of defense. Le Norman, who plays for San Sebastian, was naturalized, like Laporte, two years earlier. Although Spain will be in contention for the title on Sunday, new coach Luis de la Fuente’s team cannot hide the fact that they have not found their form and squad after a disappointing past few months.

This statement is even more true for Italy. Roberto Mancini’s Squadra Azzurra, trying to make amends after missing out on the World Cup, fell short as the game progressed. After all, she had her best second-half chance for a long time thanks to Davide Frattesi, who had a goal disallowed in the 20th minute after narrowly missing offside.

On Sunday, Italy will play the Netherlands for third place in Enschede. Meanwhile, Spain reached the final of the League of Nations for the second time. In 2021, the Spaniards lost to the French after a semi-final victory over Italy.