Spain proved they were worthy of the championship as they defeated Albania 1-0 on Monday thanks to a goal from Ferran Torres, making it three victories out of three in Group B. With a first-round bye into the playoffs, Spain's coach Luis de la Fuente used the opportunity to make ten changes to the starting lineup against defending champions Italy.

Spain didn't have the same fluidity as their first two games, but as the tournament's business end draws near, a number of players, most notably man-of-the-match Torres, gave De La Fuente something to think about. His precisely placed goal in the 13th minute ended a match that never really got going. Albania's journey comes to an end as they finished the group in fourth position with one point, while Spain, having yet to surrender a goal, equaled the accomplishment of their 2008 European winners who had won every group game en route to the title.