Spain defeated Croatia 3-0 on Saturday to start their campaign, and Cucurella played well in his debut senior tournament match.

And at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen today, when Luis de la Fuente’s team thrashed the reigning European champions Italy, the 25-year-old backed it up with yet another outstanding performance.

Even though Riccardo Calafiori’s own goal in the second half proved to be the game’s winning goal, Spain dominated the most of the match and had multiple great opportunities.Gianluigi Donnarumma, the Italian goalkeeper, had to be at his best in the first half after having to parry a header from Pedri inside the first two minutes and then a spectacular long-range strike from Fabian Ruiz halfway through.

In the first half, Spain had nine shots to Italy’s one, and they maintained their dominance after the break.

Ten minutes into the second half, Nico Williams’ excellent cross from the left created the opening goal. Alvaro Morata, a former Chelsea striker, headed the ball, but it struck back-tracking Italy center-back Calafiori in the knee, and the ball rebounded into the net.Cucurella’s lunging move forward created a space in the second half that allowed Williams to cut inside and send a curving right-footed shot that smacked the crossbar.

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Because of the qualification requirements for Euro 2024, Spain’s victory over Italy and six points guarantee them a spot in the last 16, regardless of the outcome of their last group match against Albania on Monday night.