4-6-0???

Spain had basically no strikers when they started the game against Italy.
Coach Vicente Del Bosque opted for an extremely crowded offensive midfield, with Xavi and Alonso supporting the more offensive Iniesta, Silva and Fabregas, to try and keep Italy always defending.

It didn't pay off as well as expected.

Italy had a very industrious game plan, and never were the Italians totally outplayed by the best-ranked team in the country-level rankings.

The most interesting moments came in the first twenty minutes of the second half.
Roughly 10 minutes after the break, Balotelli, the Manchester City striker, found himself in a very good position, almost alone on goal, but his pathetically slow run forward allowed Sergio Ramos to block his shot at the last moment.
Italian coach Cesare Prandelli replaced Balotelli, very soon after that, with Antonio Di Natale.
And, wouldn't you know it, two minutes after coming on, in the 60th minute, to be more exact, Di Natale scored. A perfect pass from Pirlo allowed Di Natale to get the better of Pique, and the Udinese striker beat Casillas with a nice shot around the keeper.
But Spain is the number one footballing country in the world for a reason.
Four minutes after the Italian goal, Fabregas made a very good run in behind the Italian defense, Chiellini could not track his move well enough, and the confusion resulted in a goal that was quite similar to the Italian one, in my opinion.

Very soon after this, Del Bosque decided to take off Fabregas and actually bring in a legitimate striker. But that striker was Fernando Torres, and, as most of us know, Torres hasn't really played at the highest level since 2008.
He had a few good chances after coming on, but his finishing touches left a lot to be desired.

Final score: 1-1. And an honourable mention should go to Italian goalkeeper Buffon, who had some very inspired interventions, especially towards the end of the match.

Highlights:

Spain v Italy by shmooot