Italy coach Cesare Prandelli admitted he regretted the fact his team didn’t hold onto their lead for longer after Antonio Di Natale’s 61st -minute opener was cancelled out by Spain’s Cesc Fabregas three minutes later in yesterday’s Group C opener.

“It was with difficulty that we got in front against the world champions, but we were there, we wanted to play,” he said.

“We’ve given Spain the opportunity to equalise so we have to improve and that’s the mentality we need.”

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque pulled off a surprise as he opted to go without a striker, playing Fabregas between Andres Iniesta and David Silva.

And the Spain coach denied he had made a mistake playing Fabregas up front.

“He’s a very special player who can get forward and allows us to dominate the middle of the pitch,” he said.

“We made the most of what he created, which was the best.

“We wanted the security of having the ball against a rival who put us under pressure and stretched us. In the second half we took control.”