Leonardo Bonucci previews Italy vs. Spain and defends Ciro Immobile: ‘Joy eases the pain.’
The Lazio striker sparked controversy on Friday when he went down after a contact inside Belgium’s box, but he made the quickest ever recovery when he saw Nicolò Barella scoring the opener for the Azzurri in the UEFA Euro 2020 quarter-finals.
“He touched his ankle and then, joy eased the pain. Ciro is a correct person, these things can happen on the pitch, we made fun of him too,” Bonucci said at a press conference.
The Azzurri face Spain in the semi-finals of EURO 2020 tomorrow at Wembley Stadium. It kicks off at 8 pm UK time.
“There are no favourites, we must forget what we have achieved so far. Luis Enrique has clear ideas, Spain have been criticised, but he’s always defended the team,” the Italian centre-back said.
“Spain have tradition and they’ve been improving during the competition. We respect them and we know we must defend well, keeping an eye on their late runs into the box.
“We were too tired when we faced them in the EURO 2012 Final, we got to the game with empty batteries and the result was a consequence of that.
“In 2016, it was different, we knew we could create trouble for them, tomorrow it will be an even different game, they have great quality up front and we need to be careful.
“They are a united team, they are mentally strong, it won’t be an easy game. We want to make the Italians proud and reach the Final for Spinazzola, we owe it to him.”
The Roma defender had sustained an Achilles tendon injury against Belgium on Friday and underwent surgery in Finland today. He will remain out of action for six months.
Bonucci will partner Giorgio Chiellini in the heart of Italy’s defence tomorrow and is likely to meet Alvaro Morata on the opposite side.
The Spaniard revealed he had received threats and insults towards him and his family after Spain’s debut match against Poland.
“Alvaro is a friend of mine, we often hang around together in Turin. He is a great person and an excellent striker. I am sorry for what happened to him, I know the feeling. I am lucky to play with Alvaro in my club, we need to keep a close eye on him tomorrow.
“Morata and Lukaku are two great strikers, but they have different characteristics. You meet the best players when you reach these stages,” Bonucci added.
“Chiellini and I know each other very well, we haven’t played together much over the last couple of seasons because of some injuries. We always give our best in every game,” Bonucci concluded.