Ciro Immobile: Spain's defeat is painful for this reason

Ciro Immobile, the star of the Italian national team, stated that the defeat against Spain (2-1) in the UEFA Nations League semi-final was "painful."

Immobile, who returned to the national team after being absent from the last squad due to injury, said, "It's a painful comeback because we fought until the end."

In post-match comments following Thursday's game, he added, "We accept the defeat, but it's painful because we played well."

The 33-year-old Lazio captain pointed out that Italy deserved to go into extra time at least. He continued, "It's extremely difficult to play against them because they control the ball and make you run and tire you out."

He concluded, "Perhaps they were the better team in terms of gameplay, but I believe the opportunities were evenly matched."

With their victory over Italy, Spain advanced to the final, scheduled for next Sunday, against Croatia.