Italy Beat England At Wembley On Penalties
Italy stunned England in their home stadium, winning Euro 2020 on penalties at Wembley on Sunday night. This has been the European Championship of extra times and penalty shootouts and the final was no different, with Leonardo Bonucci’s goal making it 1-1 in normal time after Luke Shaw had given England a dream start. Then, the Azzurri completed the comeback from the spot just like they did when they won the 2006 World Cup.
It was just two minutes in when Shaw scored the opener to send the fans in the stands wild with delight, volleying past Gianluigi Donnarumma from the cross of his opposite full-back Kieran Trippier.
There weren’t many more chances in the opening half hour, but Italy grew into the game towards the end of the first half. Their best chance was a Ciro Immobile effort that John Stones blocked.
Raheem Sterling called for a penalty at the start of the second half, but it wasn’t given this time and worse was to come for England, as the Azzurri equalised in the 66th minute from a corner. Jordan Pickford turned an effort from Marco Verratti off the post, but Bonucci was there to turn in the rebound.
England introduced Bukayo Saka and he caused Giorgio Chiellini all kinds of problems, but it was the Italy captain who’d have the last laugh.
As the match entered extra time, Chiellini made a couple of decisive interventions in his own box, while the closest Italy came at the other end was when Federico Bernardeschi couldn’t get to a sublime cross from Emerson.
With nobody able to break the deadlock, the match went to penalties and it was from the spot that Italy would triumph.
Despite Andrea Belotti seeing Italy’s second penalty saved by Pickford, Marcus Rashford and then Jadon Sancho both missed for England – even though they’d been brought on late in extra time specifically to take a spot kick.
Jorginho couldn’t convert the kick that would have fired Italy to victory, but Donnarumma then saved from Saka to crown Italy as European champions for the first time since 1968.
