Italy came away with an exceptional win, finally beating Spain after 22 years. Edo Dalmonte rates the Azzurri heroes.

Gianluigi Buffon 7

Who is the best goalkeeper in the world? Who makes key saves in big games time after time? This guy. Gets half a point deducted for hesitating on a dangerous cross for Aritz Aduriz, and for his clearance towards the end of the first half.

Italy came away with an exceptional win, finally beating Spain after 22 years. Edo Dalmonte rates the Azzurri heroes.

Gianluigi Buffon 7

Who is the best goalkeeper in the world? Who makes key saves in big games time after time? This guy. Gets half a point deducted for hesitating on a dangerous cross for Aritz Aduriz, and for his clearance towards the end of the first half.

Andrea Barzagli 7

His usual impenetrable self. Was very elegant and kept Spain quiet on the left. La Roja had an early chance on that wing when Florenzi was upfield. Says a lot that they never penetrated again. Could have compromised everything with a wayward backward header which sent Gerard Piquè through on goal at the death.

Leonardo Bonucci 7.5

That shirt pull on Sergio Ramos could have been a penalty, but the Real man milked it for all it was worth. Truth is, we want Claudio Gentile-like characters at the back who disrupt the opposition as best they can, and who inhabit the grey area. Particularly enthusiastic about his second-hand handball, for which he was somehow not booked.

Giorgio Chiellini 7.5

One particular move saw him completely anticipate David Silva. Says a lot about these three that Andres Iniesta and Silva were kept quiet on the edge of the area, despite their positional swaps and diagonal runs. Both Bonucci and he have to answer for when losing Alvaro Morata (who headed straight at Buffon) early in the second half, but that's the only blemish.

Alessandro Florenzi 6.5

His enthusiasm is much appreciated, but there were moments on the counter where a better touch would have been nice. Defended well, we barely ever heard from Jordi Alba.

Emanuele Giaccherini 7

Got more and more tired as the game went on, but he was an integral part of Antonio Conte’s gameplay. Occasionally lacked the touch to send the right man through, but was brilliant in the first half, coming close to scoring with an absurd overhead kick. I was wrong about him, his running off the ball is an integral element of this attack.

Daniele De Rossi 7

Fought hard in the first half, very good distribution too. Italy lost something when he began to hobble. Subbed on 52 minutes by Thiago Motta.

Marco Parolo 6

There were jitters when he ran into Aduriz, prompting a rather painful-looking fall. Looked jittery in possession, best summed up by a poor pass to Florenzi when both Eder and Pellè were making dangerous runs in the box.

Mattia De Sciglio 7.5

Call me crazy, but beyond a couple of wayward crosses (one was fumbled by De Gea, nearly leading to a second), the Milanista was excellent. Many of Italy's early chances came from his wing, and the typical Spanish ploy of chipping a pass through to the full-back (or the onrushing striker) never worked with him. Once volleyed a clearance straight into an Azzurri midfielder’s feet. This is who Milan wanted him to become.

Eder 7

Hoo boy, I called this one wrong too. His skilful running hurt Spain in so many ways, and he combined beautifully with Pellè. One blemish: the missed one-on-one which should have put Italy 2-0 up inside 50 minutes. It went straight at De Gea.

Graziano Pellè 7.5

Oh Graziano. His touch. His vision. His ability to free his team-mates with clever passes. And it only took 10 loans for someone to realise he was good!

Thiago Motta 6.5

Wasn't as impressive as De Rossi, though his tackling was back, and was that little caress to Sergio Busquets that would have gone down well with Interisti.

Matteo Darmian 6.5

Did his job in defence, slipped once or twice and missed a pass which could have sent us on another counter.

Lorenzo Insigne 6.5

Just what Italy needed, should have come on earlier. His shot was the right decision, Spain's defence was catching up.

Antonio Conte 9

Completely outsmarted Vicente Del Bosque. Who on earth expected Italy to dominate the opening exchanges? Made many of us (myself included) feel silly. The armchair manager in me would have liked him to throw Spain a curve ball in the second half when Italy defended very deep. Then again, it was bound to happen after Italy pressed on the accelerator in the first half. Some better finishing and it could have been three or four.

The losses of possession and use of less technical players is a risk, but just like Napoleon's armies, his Azzurri are prepared to hit hard at the right place, and the right time. Almost as hard as he kicked that ball, or combined good man-management and time-wasting by hugging Darmian before he was subbed on. Ti voglio bene Anto’!

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