Nick Hext believes Cesc Fabregas has proved his worth to Spain in their victory on penalties over Italy.
Nick Hext believes Cesc Fabregas has proved his worth to Spain in their victory on penalties over Italy.
Cesc Fabregas showed why he is a vital member of Spain's squad by scoring the winning penalty in their
4-2 shoot-out victory over Italy.
However, it wasn't just his composure from 12 yards that caught the eye in Vienna as the midfielder provided a rare ray of sunshine in an otherwise dull encounter.
The Arsenal star came on as a second-half sub for the ineffective Xavi and immediately caused problems for Italy with his high-octane display.
Fabregas quickly produced a superb cross to set up a chance for David Villa, which was bravely blocked by Gianluca Zambrotta.
And the 21-year-old saw a powerful strike from just inside the Azzurri box blocked by Giorgio Chiellini at the start of extra-time.
On the basis of this display, Fabregas has to start against Russia on Thursday.
Must start
And he should line-up alongside the equally impressive Marcos Senna in the centre of Spain's midfield.
The Villarreal player oozed class throughout this quarter-final clash and was one of the few men on the pitch who kept the ball with ease.
Many of the Premier League's top clubs could do worse than bolster their ranks with the Brazilian-born midfielder during the summer transfer window.
But it wasn't such a good night for Villa and Fernando Torres, who both failed to shine as the match ended goalless after extra-time.
Villa was the more impressive of Spain's two strikers, closing down his opponents and looking to find space at every opportunity, however his hard work did not lead to any meaningful efforts on goal.
Chiellini was superb at the back for Italy and it was his display that stopped the Valencia striker making an impact.
Torres was also shackled impressively by the Italian defence, and he failed to create any problems for the Azzurri during the 85 minutes he was on the field.
At one point the Liverpool forward went head-to-head with Fabio Grosso as he became frustrated by the slow tempo of the game.
Both strikers have reportedly been attracting interest from many of Europe's top clubs and, although that is sure to continue, their stock has dropped slightly after this clash.
Anonymous Aquilani
As for Italy, Alberto Aquilani, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal in recent weeks, was poor throughout.
The Roma midfielder was anonymous and, on the basis of his display in this quarter-final clash, Arsene Wenger, who watched the match next to Zinedine Zidane in Vienna, would be well advised to look elsewhere for reinforcements in the summer transfer market.
Luca Toni was again an isolated figure at the head of the Azzurri's attack. The Bayern Munich star has failed to show at any stage during this tournament the form that has made him the most feared striker in the Bundesliga. He will have a lot to prove when he plays in the Champions League next season.
Chiellini was Italy's best player on the night and looked solid throughout the 120 minutes. However the Juventus defender is an integral part of his club's side, so it looks unlikely we will see him play in the Premier League any time soon.
