Prandelli: Spain a great test

Cesare Prandelli says that his Italy side can take encouragement from their Confederations Cup defeat to Spain.

Thursday evening in Fortaleza saw the Azzurri lose 7-6 to La Roja on penalties after 120 minutes of play ended 0-0.

“The Spain game has been a great test for us, there is no doubt about that, and we passed it despite the result,” Italy Coach Prandelli commented to reporters.

“We proved that we have the quality to battle it out with the best. We were up to the task against Spain, we matched them stride for stride.

“We tried to play the ball on the ground and we showed great courage and willingness. Then anything can happen in a penalty shoot-out.

We were convinced about how we needed to play, in both technical and tactical terms, and I'm certain that we need to keep persevering.

“We played as we wanted to play. Here we showed Italy's soul. Our first half was great, but it was clear we couldn't keep up the same intensity.

“I have to congratulate my team. We earned respect. We’re able to compete with the best.

“The World Cup next year? I can’t really answer questions about the World Cup right now. Clearly, we have to qualify first as we haven’t yet.

“We will leave this tournament knowing that we can have great results in the future.”