UEFA Euro 2012 Group C

Group C of UEFA Euro 2012 began on 10 June 2012 and ended on 18 June 2012. The pool consisted of defending (and eventual) champion Spain, Italy, Republic of Ireland and Croatia. The group was jokingly dubbed the "group of debt" by multiple media outlets, in reference to the European sovereign debt crisis facing some of its members.^[1][2] Spain and Italy progressed to the quarter-finals, while Croatia and Republic of Ireland were eliminated from the tournament. Republic of Ireland equalled the worst performance by a team in the group stage of the European Championships, finishing with no points and a goal difference of −8.^[3] Both Spain and Italy made it through the quarter-finals and semi-finals to reach the final for a second meeting in the tournament.

In their final match, the Republic of Ireland wore black armbands to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the Loughinisland massacre. This was criticised by some unionists and members of the UVF.^[4] However, the victims' families fully supported the gesture.^[4]

Spain, Italy, and Croatia were later drawn in Group B of the UEFA Euro 2024; coincidentally, Croatia would be eliminated in the group while Spain would also go on to win the tournament as well.

Teams

Draw position	Team	Pot	Method of qualification	Date of qualification	Finals appearance	Last appearance	Previous best performance	UEFA Rankings November 2011[nb 1]	FIFA Rankings June 2012
C1	Spain	1	Group I winner	6 September 2011	9th	2008	Winners (1964, 2008)	1	1
C2	Italy	2	Group C winner	6 September 2011	8th	2008	Winners (1968)	4	12
C3	Republic of Ireland	4	Play-off winner	15 November 2011	2nd	1988	Group stage (1988)	14	18
C4	Croatia	3	Play-off winner	15 November 2011	4th	2008	Quarter-finals (1996, 2008)	7	8

Notes

1. The UEFA rankings of November 2011 were used for seeding for the final draw.

Standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Spain	3	2	1	0	6	1	+5	7	Advance to knockout stage
2	Italy	3	1	2	0	4	2	+2	5
3	Croatia	3	1	1	1	4	3	+1	4
4	Republic of Ireland	3	0	0	3	1	9	−8	0

Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

In the quarter-finals,

• The winner of Group C, Spain, advanced to play the runner-up of Group D, France.
• The runner-up of Group C, Italy, advanced to play the winner of Group D, England.

Matches

All times Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

Spain vs Italy

See also: Italy–Spain football rivalry

Spain	1–1	Italy
Fàbregas 64'	Report	Di Natale 61'

10 June 2012 (2012-06-10)

18:00

PGE Arena, Gdańsk

Attendance: 38,869^[5]

Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)

Spain[6]

Italy[6]

GK 1 Iker Casillas (c) RB 17 Álvaro Arbeloa  84' CB 3 Gerard Piqué CB 15 Sergio Ramos LB 18 Jordi Alba  66' RM 8 Xavi CM 16 Sergio Busquets LM 14 Xabi Alonso RF 21 David Silva  64' CF 10 Cesc Fàbregas  74' LF 6 Andrés Iniesta Substitutions: MF 22 Jesús Navas  64' FW 9 Fernando Torres  84'  74' Manager: Vicente del Bosque

GK 1 Gianluigi Buffon (c) CB 3 Giorgio Chiellini  79' CB 16 Daniele De Rossi CB 19 Leonardo Bonucci  66' RM 13 Emanuele Giaccherini CM 8 Claudio Marchisio CM 21 Andrea Pirlo CM 5 Thiago Motta  90' LM 2 Christian Maggio  89' CF 10 Antonio Cassano  65' CF 9 Mario Balotelli  37'  56' Substitutions: FW 11 Antonio Di Natale  56' FW 20 Sebastian Giovinco  65' MF 23 Antonio Nocerino  90' Manager: Cesare Prandelli

Man of the Match: Andrés Iniesta (Spain)[5] Assistant referees:[7] Gábor Erős (Hungary) György Ring (Hungary) Fourth official: William Collum (Scotland) Additional assistant referees: István Vad (Hungary) Tamás Bognár (Hungary) Reserve assistant referee: Alasdair Ross (Scotland)

Republic of Ireland vs Croatia

Republic of Ireland	1–3	Croatia
St Ledger 19'	Report	Mandžukić 3', 49' Jelavić 43'

10 June 2012 (2012-06-10)

20:45

Stadion Miejski, Poznań

Attendance: 39,550^[8]

Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)

Republic of Ireland[9]

Croatia[9]

GK 1 Shay Given RB 4 John O'Shea CB 2 Sean St Ledger CB 5 Richard Dunne LB 3 Stephen Ward CM 6 Glenn Whelan CM 8 Keith Andrews  45+1' RW 7 Aiden McGeady  54' LW 11 Damien Duff CF 9 Kevin Doyle  53' CF 10 Robbie Keane (c)  75' Substitutions: FW 14 Jonathan Walters  53' FW 20 Simon Cox  54' FW 19 Shane Long  75' Manager: Giovanni Trapattoni

GK 1 Stipe Pletikosa RB 11 Darijo Srna (c) CB 5 Vedran Ćorluka CB 13 Gordon Schildenfeld LB 2 Ivan Strinić DM 8 Ognjen Vukojević RW 7 Ivan Rakitić  90+2' AM 10 Luka Modrić  53' LW 20 Ivan Perišić  89' CF 17 Mario Mandžukić CF 9 Nikica Jelavić  72' Substitutions: MF 19 Niko Kranjčar  84'  72' FW 22 Eduardo  89' MF 16 Tomislav Dujmović  90+2' Manager: Slaven Bilić

Man of the Match: Mario Mandžukić (Croatia)[8] Assistant referees:[10] Sander van Roekel (Netherlands) Erwin Zeinstra (Netherlands) Fourth official: Viktor Shvetsov (Ukraine) Additional assistant referees: Pol van Boekel (Netherlands) Richard Liesveld (Netherlands) Reserve assistant referee: Oleksandr Voytyuk (Ukraine)

Italy vs Croatia

Italy	1–1	Croatia
Pirlo 39'	Report	Mandžukić 72'

14 June 2012 (2012-06-14)

18:00

Stadion Miejski, Poznań

Attendance: 37,096^[11]

Referee: Howard Webb (England)

Italy[12]

Croatia[12]

GK 1 Gianluigi Buffon (c) RB 19 Leonardo Bonucci CB 16 Daniele De Rossi LB 3 Giorgio Chiellini DM 21 Andrea Pirlo CM 8 Claudio Marchisio CM 5 Thiago Motta  56'  62' RW 2 Christian Maggio LW 13 Emanuele Giaccherini CF 9 Mario Balotelli  69' CF 10 Antonio Cassano  83' Substitutions: MF 18 Riccardo Montolivo  80'  62' FW 11 Antonio Di Natale  69' FW 20 Sebastian Giovinco  83' Manager: Cesare Prandelli

GK 1 Stipe Pletikosa RB 11 Darijo Srna (c) CB 5 Vedran Ćorluka CB 13 Gordon Schildenfeld  86' LB 2 Ivan Strinić CM 8 Ognjen Vukojević CM 10 Luka Modrić RW 7 Ivan Rakitić LW 20 Ivan Perišić  68' CF 9 Nikica Jelavić  83' CF 17 Mario Mandžukić  90+4' Substitutions: MF 6 Danijel Pranjić  68' FW 22 Eduardo  83' MF 19 Niko Kranjčar  90+4' Manager: Slaven Bilić

Man of the Match: Andrea Pirlo (Italy)[11] Assistant referees:[13] Michael Mullarkey (England) Peter Kirkup (England) Fourth official: Pavel Královec (Czech Republic) Additional assistant referees: Martin Atkinson (England) Mark Clattenburg (England) Reserve assistant referee: Roman Slyško (Slovakia)

Spain vs Republic of Ireland

Spain	4–0	Republic of Ireland
Torres 4', 70' Silva 49' Fàbregas 83'	Report

14 June 2012 (2012-06-14)

20:45

PGE Arena, Gdańsk

Attendance: 39,150^[14]

Referee: Pedro Proença (Portugal)

Spain[15]

Republic of Ireland[15]

GK 1 Iker Casillas (c) RB 17 Álvaro Arbeloa CB 3 Gerard Piqué CB 15 Sergio Ramos LB 18 Jordi Alba RM 8 Xavi CM 16 Sergio Busquets LM 14 Xabi Alonso  54'  65' RF 21 David Silva CF 9 Fernando Torres  74' LF 6 Andrés Iniesta  80' Substitutions: DF 4 Javi Martínez  76'  65' MF 10 Cesc Fàbregas  74' MF 20 Santi Cazorla  80' Manager: Vicente del Bosque

GK 1 Shay Given RB 4 John O'Shea CB 2 Sean St Ledger  84' CB 5 Richard Dunne LB 3 Stephen Ward RM 11 Damien Duff  76' CM 8 Keith Andrews CM 6 Glenn Whelan  45+1'  80' LM 7 Aiden McGeady CF 20 Simon Cox  46' CF 10 Robbie Keane (c)  36' Substitutions: FW 14 Jonathan Walters  46' MF 22 James McClean  76' MF 21 Paul Green  80' Manager: Giovanni Trapattoni

Man of the Match: Fernando Torres (Spain)[14] Assistant referees:[16] Bertino Miranda (Portugal) Ricardo Santos (Portugal) Fourth official: Marcin Borski (Poland) Additional assistant referees: Jorge Sousa (Portugal) Duarte Gomes (Portugal) Reserve assistant referee: Marcin Borkowski (Poland)

Croatia vs Spain

Croatia	0–1	Spain
	Report	Navas 88'

18 June 2012 (2012-06-18)

20:45

PGE Arena, Gdańsk

Attendance: 39,076^[17]

Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

Croatia[18]

Spain[18]

GK 1 Stipe Pletikosa RB 21 Domagoj Vida  66' CB 5 Vedran Ćorluka  27' CB 13 Gordon Schildenfeld LB 2 Ivan Strinić  53' CM 8 Ognjen Vukojević  81' CM 7 Ivan Rakitić  90+3' RW 11 Darijo Srna (c)  44' AM 10 Luka Modrić LW 6 Danijel Pranjić  66' CF 17 Mario Mandžukić  90' Substitutions: MF 20 Ivan Perišić  66' FW 9 Nikica Jelavić  90+1'  66' FW 22 Eduardo  81' Manager: Slaven Bilić

GK 1 Iker Casillas (c) RB 17 Álvaro Arbeloa CB 3 Gerard Piqué CB 15 Sergio Ramos LB 18 Jordi Alba RM 8 Xavi  89' CM 16 Sergio Busquets LM 14 Xabi Alonso RF 21 David Silva  73' CF 9 Fernando Torres  61' LF 6 Andrés Iniesta Substitutions: MF 22 Jesús Navas  61' MF 10 Cesc Fàbregas  73' FW 11 Álvaro Negredo  89' Manager: Vicente del Bosque

Man of the Match: Andrés Iniesta (Spain)[17] Assistant referees:[19] Jan-Hendrik Salver (Germany) Mike Pickel (Germany) Fourth official: Richard Liesveld (Netherlands) Additional assistant referees: Florian Meyer (Germany) Deniz Aytekin (Germany) Reserve assistant referee: Sander van Roekel (Netherlands)

Italy vs Republic of Ireland

Italy	2–0	Republic of Ireland
Cassano 35' Balotelli 90'	Report

18 June 2012 (2012-06-18)

20:45

Stadion Miejski, Poznań

Attendance: 38,794^[20]

Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)

Italy[21]

Republic of Ireland[21]

GK 1 Gianluigi Buffon (c)  73' RB 7 Ignazio Abate CB 15 Andrea Barzagli CB 3 Giorgio Chiellini  57' LB 6 Federico Balzaretti  28' DM 21 Andrea Pirlo RM 8 Claudio Marchisio CM 5 Thiago Motta LM 16 Daniele De Rossi  71' CF 11 Antonio Di Natale  74' CF 10 Antonio Cassano  63' Substitutions: DF 19 Leonardo Bonucci  57' MF 22 Alessandro Diamanti  63' FW 9 Mario Balotelli  74' Manager: Cesare Prandelli

GK 1 Shay Given RB 4 John O'Shea  39' CB 5 Richard Dunne CB 2 Sean St Ledger  84' LB 3 Stephen Ward RM 7 Aiden McGeady  65' CM 6 Glenn Whelan CM 8 Keith Andrews  37'  89' LM 11 Damien Duff (c) CF 10 Robbie Keane  86' CF 9 Kevin Doyle  76' Substitutions: FW 19 Shane Long  65' FW 14 Jonathan Walters  76' FW 20 Simon Cox  86' Manager: Giovanni Trapattoni

Man of the Match: Antonio Cassano (Italy)[20] Assistant referees:[22] Bahattin Duran (Turkey) Tarık Ongun (Turkey) Fourth official: Viktor Shvetsov (Ukraine) Additional assistant referees: Hüseyin Göçek (Turkey) Bülent Yıldırım (Turkey) Reserve assistant referee: Oleksandr Voytyuk (Ukraine)

See also

• Croatia at the UEFA European Championship
• Italy at the UEFA European Championship
• Republic of Ireland at the UEFA European Championship
• Spain at the UEFA European Championship

References

1. Raffone, Mike. "Euro 2012: Group C's Italy, Spain and Croatia Provide Spark". Bleacher Report.
2. "A welcome distraction: Euro 2012 a timely respite for depressed & debt-ridden Spain". Goal.com.
3. Fitzmaurice, Aidan (12 June 2020). "Tired limbs, bored players and a hotel next to a lap-dancing club: Ireland's Euro 2012 campaign was doomed from the start". Irish Independent. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
4. "Ireland's Euro 2012 armband match tribute to UVF massacre victims slammed". Belfast Telegraph. Brian Rowan. 14 June 2012 Retrieved 19 June 2012
5. "Full-time report Spain-Italy" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 10 June 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
6. "Tactical Line-up – Group C – Spain-Italy" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 June 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
7. "Match Press Kit – Group C – Spain v Italy" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
8. "Full-time report Republic of Ireland-Croatia" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 10 June 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
9. "Tactical Line-up – Group C – Republic of Ireland-Croatia" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 June 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
10. "Match Press Kit – Group C – Republic of Ireland v Croatia" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
11. "Full-time report Italy-Croatia" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
12. "Tactical Line-up – Group C – Italy-Croatia" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
13. "Match Press Kit – Group C – Italy v Croatia" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
14. "Full-time report Spain-Republic of Ireland" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
15. "Tactical Line-up – Group C – Spain-Republic of Ireland" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
16. "Match Press Kit – Group C – Spain v Republic of Ireland" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
17. "Full-time report Croatia-Spain" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
18. "Tactical Line-up – Group C – Croatia-Spain" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
19. "Match Press Kit – Group C – Croatia v Spain" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
20. "Full-time report Italy-Republic of Ireland" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
21. "Tactical Line-up – Group C – Italy-Republic of Ireland" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
22. "Match Press Kit – Group C – Italy v Republic of Ireland" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2021.

External links

• UEFA Euro 2012 Group C