One day after Argentina claimed the Copa America title with a 1-0 victory over rivals Brazil, it was time to crown the King of Europe, as England and Italy took to the field in front of a packed out Wembley Stadium in London. Both sides entered the match without a loss in the tournament thus far, England booking their place in the final with a 2-1 win over Denmark, while Italy scraped by Spain in a penalty shootout in their semi-final.
Gareth Southgate decided to structure the English defense with three centre backs supported by two wing backs, which brought Kyle Walker into the Starting XI and meant Bukayo Saka was relegated to the reserves. These changes reaped rewards almost instantly, as some nice lead up play found one of the wing backs in Trippier in open space, who delivered a stifling cross into the box met by the left boot of Luke Shaw on the half volley, beating the Italian keeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, at his near post. Just 2 minutes in and England had the lead of a European Final, as Wembley ignited with noise.
7 minutes into the contest, Italy had its first look on goal, with Lorenzo Insigne spraying his free kick over the bar. The rain began to rush down in London, and it seemed that Italy was struggling to piece their passes together and maintain meaningful possession. Shaw and Trippier continued to make a concerted effort to push up field and control the flow of the game. A stoppage brought upon by an injury to Italian midfielder, Jorginho, came at a perfect time for the Azzuri, as they looked to get back to playing their brand of football. As did happen, Italy began to dominate the ball and keep it down the English end of the field, Verratti and Jorginho linking well with their back men, and getting plenty of ball out on the wing to Federico Chiesa, who was one of the only threatening members of either team for much of the half.
England withstood the onslaught from Italy and held on to their 1-0 lead going into the break. Out of the half, it seemed Raheem Sterling was eager to insert himself into the play and a run into the 22 yard box ended with the Man City winger on the ground appealing for a penalty, to no avail. Frustrated, Sterling took his anger out, giving away an unnecessary foul down the other end of the field, with Insigne again knocking the resulting free kick over the crossbar. Italy was first to pull the trigger on substitutions, as Barella made way for Cristante, and star forward Ciro Immobile, who failed to insert himself into the contest, was also replaced.
Continuing to pile on the pressure, England keeper Jordan Pickford was forced to make an outstretched save to stop a clean strike from Chiesa. The sheer weight of possession, which edged over 70% for the Italians in the second stanza, proved too much for even this compact English defense, as a loose ball from a corner was knocked in by centre back Leonardo Bonucci in the 67th minute. As it seemed the game was starting to get away from England, Southgate brought on Saka in the place of Trippier, which moved Sterling back on to his favoured left wing. West Ham midfielder, Declan Rice, who was putting together a terrific performance in the midfield, made way for Liverpool Captain, Jordan Henderson.
In a blow for Italy, their star on the day in Chiesa was forced off with injury, which subsequently put them into the same defensive mindset that England was in. This saw the rest of the 90 minutes trickle out with little action, except at the very end of stoppage time as veteran Italian defender, Giorgio Chiellini, rag dolled Saka who was making a final burst, picking up a yellow card. The beginning of extra time saw two more Italian subs, as Insigne and Verratti were replaced. Perhaps since the last goal had been scored, the loudest roar from the crowd came in the 99th minute when Jack Grealish made his way up to the sideline. The Villa midfielder switched on for Mason Mount and looked to raise the energy levels in a game that was just asking for penalties to arrive. Despite a few positive touches, the brick wall that was Bonucci and Chiellini could not be broken, as the whistle blew at 120 minutes, locked at 1-1.
With Italy winning the coin toss, they would take the first penalty of the shootout, with Berardi comfortably beating Pickford. This saw Harry Kane step up for England, and he powered one past the Italian keeper. Bellotti stepped up for Italy, but his shot was stopped by Pickford and England took the advantage. Man United skipper Harry Maguire was next up at the spot, and he blasted an unstoppable shot into the top right corner. Bonucci made sure of his penalty, and it was tied at 2-2. The advantage was lost when forward Marcus Rashford, who Southgate subbed on for the shootout, was denied by the post.
Next up for Italy was Bernadesci who knocked in a professional penalty, putting the pressure on Jadon Sancho, who was also recently subbed on. His shot was stopped by Donnarumma, and Italy led 3-2, giving Jorginho a chance at glory. Unfortunately for him, Jordan Pickford pulled off one of the more remarkable penalty saves, keeping England alive in the process. Saka stepped up knowing he needed to score to extend the shootout, but he was also stopped by Donnarumma, meaning Italy were Euro 2020 champions.
It was instant heartbreak and shock for England players and supporters at the Wembley Stadium, they had come so close to bringing it home. For the Azzuri however, it was jubilation over their first European Championship win since their first appearance in 1968. The three lions of England made many improvements during this tournament; however, they must now continue to wait for their first major International trophy since 1968.
How long will England wait for their trophy? Which team surprised you most at the Euros? Let us know in the comments!
Pioneer Australia 