Spain missed out on a place in the Euro 2020 final after suffering an agonising penalty shootout defeat against Italy on Tuesday evening.
Luis Enrique‘s side showed the same never-say-die attitude at Wembley as they had throughout the tournament, and have given their nation a team to be proud of.
On a devastating night for Spain, the one who arguably be most heartbroken at full-time is Alvaro Morata.
Having started the match on the bench, he came on midway through the second half with his side 1-0 down, before slotting away a magnificent equaliser.
However, his missed penalty in the shoot-out proved costly, on a night when he deserved so much more.
On a night when a number of Spain players put in excellent displays, Pedri‘s performance once again stood out.
He dictated play from the first whistle, as he seemed to be playing in a kick about with his friends in Tegueste, rather than the Euro 2020 semi-final at Wembley.
Alongside Pedri was Dani Olmo, who put in a dazzling performance under the Wembley arch.
Deployed as a ‘false nine’, he spent the match weaving effortlessly past his opponents’ challenges and displaying his magnificent close control.
He was unlucky to miss his penalty in the shootout, but he looks set to be a key player for Spain for years to come.
With the scoreline at 0-0 and Spain in charge 15 minutes into the second half, Italy took the lead against the run of play.
Whilst Federico Chiesa’s finish was outstanding, he was helped by the Spain defence, particularly by Aymeric Laporte‘s poor clearance which went straight into his path.
Spain’s performance was also outstanding from a tactical point of view, thanks to the work of Luis Enrique, who once again delivered.
Although his decision to start a false nine raised a few eyebrows, those doubters were silenced by Spain’s relentless pressure, domination of the ball and ability to create chances.
