“It’s coming to Rome,” cried Leonardo Bonucci Gladly stares at the TV camera after Italy won the Euro 2020 final against England 3-2 on penalties on Sunday. It was a pleasure for Roberto Mancini’s men, who celebrated a remarkable comeback after missing a World Cup place in 2018.
On the flip side, England and their 60,000 fans at Wembley were in despair when Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford missed the hosts’ final three penalties. It was a heartbreak for England that had waited 55 years for the Three Lions to make it to a grand finale.
Euro 2020 final: England loses Wembley spectacle – highlights
Southgate, who missed the winning penalty when England were eliminated in the 1996 semi-finals at Wembley, made a bold decision by giving 3 youths in Saka, Sancho and Rashford the last 3 penalties but it didn’t work out for them as Gianluigi Donnarumma became a national hero after a grandiose campaign with Italy.
The Azzurri won their second European title, ending 53 years of waiting for continental glory. They have expanded their winning streak to 34 games and ended the Euro 2020 campaign without a loss.
???? Donnarumma = national hero!# EURO2020 https://t.co/a2e0vBWkPz pic.twitter.com/gG0WJyf5qc
– UEFA EURO 2020 (@ EURO2020) July 11, 2021
Emotions were conflicting at the start of the final as Wembley burst into joy in the 2nd minute as the English dreams were sparked by Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw, who beat Gianluigi Donnarruma with a great volley. It was the fastest goal in the history of the European Championship final that Chus Pereda for Spain defeated in the 6th minute of the 1964 final against the Soviet Union.
England started high but the veteran defensive combo of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci defused England’s threat of attack so much that their influential captain Harry Kane failed to attempt a shot or score a single chance in the grand finale.
0 – Harry Kane attempted a shot or a chance for only the second time in his 61 games for England. The other came in a 29-minute substitute game against Switzerland in 2018. #GER #ITA # EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/IaxPEZ7mJw
– OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 11, 2021
When Wembley roared with joy
Luke Shaw scored the fastest goal in a European Championship final (Reuters Photo)
With Gareth Southgate looking pumped up, England were on top for the first 20 minutes of the game as Italy struggled to do anything meaningful in the opposing half. Southgate’s decision to pick Kieran Trippier paid off as the right-back caused nightmares for the veteran Italian defense. it was Trippier’s great cross from the right that volleyed Shaw into an early lead for England.
However, Italy had an opportunity to regroup when Jorginho lost in the 22nd minute. The Azzuri continued by calming the game by holding the ball better, but soon their midfield, led by Marco Verratti, dominated the rest of the first.
Italy began to create chances and Federico Chiesa, who had scored this wonderful curler in the semifinals, threatened the English defense from the left. Lorenzo Insigne had a chance to equalize from a free kick in the 8th minute, but Italy’s best chance in the first half came from their Juventus winger, who made another brilliant run forward, but his shot went in the 35th minute just missed the short post.
England maintained the lead with John Stones and Harry Maguire. The Southgate men went into the break with a 1-0 lead.
The second half followed a similar pattern as Italy continued to dominate midfield, defusing the Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling threat that had been talked about so much in the press ahead of the grand finale.
Roberto Mancini’s decision to make two early changes in the second half worked wonders as Berardi and Cristante did things after replacing Immobile, who ended his European Championship season on a normal note, and Barella.
Bonucci compensates and completes the Italian race to catch up
The breakthrough for Italy came in the 67th minute when their superstar central defender Leonardo Bonucci scored with a tap-in in the 67th minute. He celebrated in front of the Italian fans by standing on the billboards with his arms raised and fists clenched.
Italy created more opportunities but missed the crucial game they were expected to play in the attacking third after they had equalized.
Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, on the other hand, made sure England didn’t make Donnarumma work hard by working tirelessly in her box.
When the pace slowed, the full-time whistle was blown and the teams stayed at 1-1.
England made only two changes in standard time, with Bukayo Saka and Jordan Henderson replacing Kieran Tripper and Declan Rice, but Southgate brought in Jack Grealish in the first extra time, much to the delight of English fans at Wembley.
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