NFL
By: Ty Reeves
It’s coming to Rome! Italy beat England in the 2020 EURO final 3 to 2 on penalty kicks this past Sunday. This is Italy’s second time winning the competition and their first time doing so since 1968. It’s Italy’s first major tournament since they won the 2006 World Cup and they accomplished that feat in front of a hostile Wembley crowd.
The game couldn’t have started any better for England as defender Luke Shaw scored his first goal for England and the fastest goal in EURO finals history. The ball was worked through the middle of the field and was eventually crossed into the box by midfielder Declan Rice and fell kindly to Shaw at the back post who smashed the ball into the back of the net.
WHAT A START FOR ENGLAND!!!
LUKE SHAW SCORES IN THE 2ND MINUTE 🏴 pic.twitter.com/yJVrDqLs6E
— ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2021
The game would then settle into a stalemate until the 35th minute when Italy’s Federico Chiesa ripped a shot just wide of the post. England would go into halftime with a slim lead over the Italians.
Coming out of halftime it seemed as though the Italians had found their footing and that it was only a matter of time before they equalized. Italy would force England keeper Jordan Pickford to make multiple crucial saves to keep England ahead.
However, in the 67th minute, Italy whipped in a corner that the England defense couldn’t deal with. The ball would bounce around in the box and would eventually fall to Leonardo Bonucci. The Captain would make no mistake about it and tap the ball into the back of the net to level the game at one. Each team would have their opportunities to take the lead but when it was all said and done, the teams would remain tied at the end of full-time.
#ITA are level – and it's Leonardo Bonucci with the equaliser!
🗓 It's Bonucci's first international goal since June 2019#ITAENG | #ITVFootball | #Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/MG4574SSUB
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 11, 2021
Extra time would offer more of the same and the two teams would make their way into the penalty shoot-out.
Domenico Berardi and Harry Kane would both slot home their penalty kicks for their respective countries. Andrea Belotti would shoot second for Italy and his penalty would be saved by Pickford.
Harry Maguire would step and power his penalty into the back of the net and put England in the driver’s seat. Bonucci would step up and slot his penalty away to level the score at two each. Marcus Rashford would then step up to take England’s next penalty. The Manchester United winger would send Italy keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way but his shot would hit the outside of the post.
Federico Bernardeschi would step up and slot home his penalty to give Italy a 3-2 lead. Jadon Sancho would then step up to take the next penalty for England. The 21-year-old would shoot to the right side of the net but his shot would be saved by Donnarumma.
Italy’s Jorginho would step up with the chance to seal the deal for Italy, the same way he did in the Semi-Finals. The Chelsea midfielder would go through his traditional stutter-step approach and strike the ball towards the bottom left side of the net. Pickford would make a fantastic diving save to push the ball off the post to keep England alive.
Arsenal youngster Bukayo Saka would be the man to step up and take the next penalty for England ahead of the likes of Jake Grealish and Raheem Sterling. Saka has been a rising star in the Premier League and had been a favored selection of Gareth Southgate throughout the tournament.
The 19-year-old, who had never taken a penalty in a senior appearance, would approach the spot with confidence. He would run up quick and strike the ball towards the right side of the net. But Donnarumma guessed right and secured the win for Italy.
So much joy and pain in one picture.
This sport ❤💔 pic.twitter.com/CpZLiEIpHE
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 11, 2021
Italy is now the champions of Europe for the time being while England will have to wait longer for a major tournament to “Come Home”.
𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒆 😬
(🎥: @EURO2020)pic.twitter.com/MiN3mkRkJF
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 12, 2021
