EURO 2024: Italy coach affirms toughness before match against Spain; Losing 0-3, Ukrainian players 'chase' coach out of locker room

Italy coach affirms his determination before the match against Spain

Italy are facing a great opportunity to pass the group stage at Euro 2024 with 3 points before entering the second round. However, the defending champions promise a real battle when facing Spain, a team that is considered one of the strong candidates for the championship. La Roja also had a party on the opening day when easily defeating Croatia, and 3 points is also the goal that La Fuente's army is aiming for to soon win a ticket to pass the group stage.

Ahead of the pivotal match, Italy coach Luciano Spalletti insisted that he would try to control the game, while saying that his players would not necessarily have to keep the ball longer than their opponents. The 65-year-old strategist shared: "Sometimes we will attack and other times we may have to defend in our own half, but the idea is always to try to play football.

On the way to the Euro 2020 title, Spain was one of Italy's losers when the two teams met in the semi-finals. In that match, Spain under Luis Enrique controlled most of the match, but the Italians' spirit helped them overcome their opponents.

Losing 0-3, Ukrainian players 'chase' coach out of locker room

Ukraine national team in internal turmoil after coach Serhiy Rebrov's statement.

Ukraine is one of the teams that suffered the heaviest defeats in the first round of matches of the EURO 2024 group stage. Although rated higher than Romania, coach Serhiy Rebrov and his team had a lackluster performance. The 0-3 defeat on the opening day also pushed Ukraine to the bottom of Group E.

If they lose to Slovakia in the second match, the yellow-green team's chance of advancing is almost gone.

Coach Rebrov was also heavily criticized after 90 minutes at the Allianz Arena. Instead of taking responsibility, Mr. Rebrov said that his students were the main reason for the defeat.

"They must realize that playing like that is difficult to win. Ukraine is a strong team, however, the players did not play to their full potential.", Coach Serhiy Rebrov shared at the press conference after the match.

The head coach's statement angered the Ukrainian players. Bild reported that many Ukrainian stars expressed their attitudes towards coach Rebrov. They even invited Mr. Rebrov to leave the dressing room to discuss the match themselves.