Euro 2020 final Italy v England: Southgate wants fans to roar side to victory

Euro 2020 final Italy v England: Southgate wants fans to roar side to victory

by Emily Smith
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England’s bid to end their 55-year wait for a major trophy ended in the familiar agony of defeat in a penalty shootout as Italy claimed the Euro 2020 crown at Wembley.

On a night of anticipation, tension and ultimate heartbreak in a feverish atmosphere, England looked on course for their most joyous day since 30 July 1966 when Luke Shaw gave them the perfect start after two minutes.

Italy, unbeaten in 33 matches before this final, slowly edged their way back into the game and were level in the 67th minute when Leonardo Bonucci pounced after England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford turned Marco Verratti’s header on to a post.

And after a tense period of extra time failed to find a winner, it was on to penalties and bitter disappointment for England manager Gareth Southgate and his players, who had gone into this final on a wave of expectation and high emotion.

England missed three of their five penalties, Marcus Rashford hitting a post and Gianluigi Donnarumma denying Jadon Sancho before – so cruelly for such a fine young player – Arsenal teenager Bukayo Saka also saw the giant Italy goalkeeper save his spot-kick.

Harry Kane and Harry Maguire scored for England but, while Pickford kept hopes alive with saves from Andrea Belotti and Jorginho, Domenico Berardi, Bonucci and Federico Bernardeschi scored for Italy.

The tearful 19-year-old Saka, who showed such courage to step forward, was consoled by his team-mates and manager, but there was no real consolation for them or the expectant fans packed into Wembley.

Final loss incredibly painful – SouthgateFA condemns racist abuse of England playersHow social media reacted to England’s defeatReaction to England’s defeat by Italy on penalties in the Euro 2020 finalEngland come up short as Italy triumph England’s years of hurt go on but it looked for the first 30 minutes of this final that the moment the country has waited more than 20,000 days for had finally arrived.

Southgate’s side came firing out of the blocks and the manager’s one change – replacing Saka with Kieran Trippier – paid an instant dividend as Trippier ran on to Kane’s perfect pass to find the onrushing Shaw at the far post and he slammed an emphatic finish past Donnarumma.

England were up and running and urged on by a vast, frenzied crowd they had this talented, streetwise Italian side on the back foot until they suddenly gained a foothold in the closing phase of the first half.

Italy dominated possession, and it was no surprise when they restored parity, then looking the more likely winners as Southgate’s side, so full of running early on, started to labour, particularly after losing the outstanding Declan Rice to a knock.

Southgate surprisingly waited until extra time to introduce Jack Grealish but by that stage the game was locked on course for penalties and so it proved.

Sancho and Rashford came on in the closing moments, presumably in readiness for penalties, but sadly for Southgate, who has got so much right in Euro 2020, this was one move that did not pay off as both failed with their spot-kicks.

Pickford performed heroics to save two penalties but he was also left in tears after England’s fate was sealed.

Italy edged over the line and both Southgate and his players looked devastated as they took sympathetic applause from England’s fans, who had arrived with such high hopes but filed out of Wembley with their dreams of a major trophy shattered once more.

England came close when they reached the semi-final of the World Cup in Moscow in 2018 but this loss will cut even deeper after they made such smooth progress to the final and had the chance to finally claim a second trophy in what was effectively a home tournament with its climax at Wembley.

They have made progress – but still England could not clear the final hurdle.

Improving England offer real hopeSouthgate has led England to a World Cup semi-final and now a European Championship final in the last two tournamentsEngland’s loss will be felt deeply after such impressive progress through the knockout stage with wins against Germany, Ukraine and Denmark.

Southgate must now digest whether he got it right in the final when it came to his approach, substitutions and penalty-takers but when the dust settles England can reflect on progress made.

England took one step further than they did in Russia and Southgate now has a potent blend of youth and experience to work with as he plots a course to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Saka came of age in this tournament while England have exciting young in the shape of Sancho, Phil Foden, Mason Mount and Jude Bellingham, augmented by Grealish.

Raheem Sterling had had a stellar campaign, Kane showed flashes of his world-class ability and the central defensive pair of John Stones and Maguire were solid. Pickford also made an outstanding contribution in goal.

This will offer no comfort in the hours following such a devastating loss, but England can at least move forward with optimism.

Italy worthy winnersItaly have won their sixth major tournament title (four World Cup, two Euros); among European nations, only Germany (seven) have won moreAs Italy’s players and staff celebrated in front of their exultant fans, manager Roberto Mancini was left to reflect on an outstanding job, their 34th game unbeaten crowned with the Euro 2020 title.

Mancini has put together an impressive mix of youth and experience, and at the back he can still rely on those two old warhorses of Juventus and Italy, Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, as durable as ever despite a combined age of 70.

Italy proved their pedigree with wins over Belgium and Spain in the knockout stage and were unfazed by having to face a thunderous Wembley packed with England fans.

And all done after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which was regarded as a national sporting humiliation.

Now Italy are back as the winners of Euro 2020, testimony to the work of Mancini and his players.

Italy end long wait – the statsItaly have won their second European Championship title, and first in 53 years (also 1968); it’s the longest ever gap between championships in the tournament by a single nation, surpassing Spain’s 44-year wait from 1964 to 2008.England have won just 22% (two of nine) of their major tournament shootouts (World Cup/Euros), the lowest ratio of any European nation to have been involved in three or more.Italy found themselves trailing in a game for the first time at Euro 2020, while overall they spent 65 minutes behind against England in the final, 21 more than they had been behind in their 33-game unbeaten run (in all competitions) coming into the final (44). England posted their lowest possession in a game at Wembley (34.4%) since November 2016 v Spain (34.3%).Gareth Southgate has made at least one change to the England starting XI for 37 consecutive matches, making a total of 200 changes in that time and last staying with the same starting line-up in the 2018 World Cup semi-final.At one minute 57 seconds, Luke Shaw’s opener (his first ever goal for England) was the quickest goal scored in the final of the European Championship, while it was also England’s quickest in the competition overall and the earliest Italy have ever conceded in the competition.At 34 years and 71 days, Italy’s Leonardo Bonucci became the oldest player ever to score in a European Championship final, and second-oldest for a European side in any major tournament final (World Cup/Euros), after Nils Liedholm for Sweden v Brazil at the 1958 World Cup (35 years, 264 days).Against Italy, Harry Kane failed to muster a shot or create a goal-scoring chance for only the second time in his 61 appearances for England, also doing so in a friendly against Switzerland in September 2018.

Player of the match

ShawLuke Shaw

with an average of 7.66

ItalySquad number14Player nameChiesa

Squad number21Player nameG Donnarumma

Squad number19Player nameBonucci

Squad number3Player nameChiellini

Squad number6Player nameVerratti

Squad number8Player nameJorginho

Squad number13Player nameEmerson

Squad number5Player nameLocatelli

Squad number10Player nameInsigne

Squad number20Player nameBernardeschi

Squad number9Player nameBelotti

Squad number2Player nameDi Lorenzo

Squad number24Player nameFlorenzi

Squad number18Player nameBarella

Squad number11Player nameBerardi

Squad number16Player nameCristante

Squad number17Player nameImmobile

EnglandSquad number3Player nameShaw

Squad number14Player namePhillips

Squad number4Player nameRice

Squad number1Player namePickford

Squad number2Player nameWalker

Squad number6Player nameMaguire

Squad number12Player nameTrippier

Squad number5Player nameStones

Squad number7Player nameGrealish

Squad number10Player nameSterling

Squad number9Player nameKane

Squad number19Player nameMount

Squad number8Player nameHenderson

Squad number25Player nameSaka

Squad number11Player nameRashford

Squad number17Player nameSancho

Line-upsItalyFormation 4-3-3

21G Donnarumma

2Di Lorenzo19Bonucci3Chiellini13Emerson

18Barella8Jorginho6Verratti

14Chiesa17Immobile10Insigne

21G Donnarumma2Di Lorenzo19BonucciBooked at 55mins3ChielliniBooked at 90mins13EmersonSubstituted forFlorenziat 118’minutes18BarellaBooked at 47minsSubstituted forCristanteat 54’minutes8JorginhoBooked at 114mins6VerrattiSubstituted forLocatelliat 96’minutes14ChiesaSubstituted forBernardeschiat 86’minutes17ImmobileSubstituted forBerardiat 55’minutes10InsigneBooked at 84minsSubstituted forBelottiat 90’minutesSubstitutes1Sirigu5Locatelli9Belotti11Berardi12Pessina15Acerbi16Cristante20Bernardeschi23Bastoni24Florenzi25Tolói26MeretEnglandFormation 3-4-2-1

1Pickford

2Walker5Stones6Maguire

12Trippier14Phillips4Rice3Shaw

10Sterling19Mount

9Kane

1Pickford2WalkerSubstituted forSanchoat 120’minutes5Stones6MaguireBooked at 106mins12TrippierSubstituted forSakaat 70’minutes14Phillips4RiceSubstituted forHendersonat 74’minutesSubstituted forRashfordat 120’minutes3Shaw10Sterling19MountSubstituted forGrealishat 99’minutes9KaneSubstitutes7Grealish8Henderson11Rashford13Ramsdale15Mings16Coady17Sancho18Calvert-Lewin23Johnstone24James25Saka26BellinghamReferee:Björn Kuipers

Attendance:67,173

Live TextMatch ends, Italy 1(3), England 1(2).

Penalty Shootout ends, Italy 1(3), England 1(2).

Penalty saved! Bukayo Saka (England) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, left footed shot saved in the bottom right corner.

Penalty saved! Jorginho (Italy) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the bottom left corner.

Penalty saved! Jadon Sancho (England) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the bottom right corner.

Goal! Italy 1(3), England 1(2). Federico Bernardeschi (Italy) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the centre of the goal.

Penalty missed! Still Italy 1(2), England 1(2). Marcus Rashford (England) hits the left post with a right footed shot.

Goal! Italy 1(2), England 1(2). Leonardo Bonucci (Italy) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the top left corner.

Goal! Italy 1(1), England 1(2). Harry Maguire (England) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the top right corner.

Penalty saved! Andrea Belotti (Italy) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the bottom right corner.

Goal! Italy 1(1), England 1(1). Harry Kane (England) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.

Goal! Italy 1(1), England 1. Domenico Berardi (Italy) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom left corner.

Penalty Shootout begins Italy 1, England 1.

Second Half Extra Time ends, Italy 1, England 1.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Italy) wins a free kick on the right wing.

Foul by Bukayo Saka (England).

Attempt missed. Bryan Cristante (Italy) header from the left side of the six yard box misses to the right. Assisted by Federico Bernardeschi with a cross following a corner.

Substitution, England. Jadon Sancho replaces Kyle Walker.

Substitution, England. Marcus Rashford replaces Jordan Henderson.

Corner, Italy. Conceded by Jordan Henderson.

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