On Wednesday night, tens of thousands of English fans at Wembley Stadium tried to send a message to Italy: Sunday Euro 2020 The final of the stadium will be hell Azzurri, Who heard the deafening cheers of the home team supporters loud and clear. But the phrase “it went home”, screaming in the lungs of the British, did not seem to have a great impact on the Italian supporters. They are far from being intimidated.
“Going home? Maybe the British fans mean’it’s coming to Rome’,” said Giovanni Mapelli, a 14-year-old from Monticello Brianza, near Milan, who is a local The football team plays.since United Kingdom In the finals he and his brothers have been laughing at him United Kingdom Mother born and raised.
Squares and streets across the country are covered with the red, white and green of the Italian flag, hung on balconies or carried on the shoulders of motorcyclists-this kind of enthusiasm is not common in China. Italy Since the 2006 World Cup, any Italian fan can tell you that this was won by the Azzurri.
The Italian media did not miss the opportunity to applaud the country’s supporters. Republic Choose to remind readers of the national team’s record: “In the 111-year history of the Italian national team, if the 1936 Olympics and the 1968 double final were included, the final at Wembley would be the 12th,” it wrote . “Of course there is a privilege for such a long experience: it is possible not to repeat any mistakes of the past.” There is no need to elaborate on the comparison with England.
The country’s main sports newspaper, La Gazzetta dello Sport, adopted a different strategy. In a long article, Was later removed from its website Without explanation, an unsubstantiated suspicion was raised that after Boris Johnson opposed the Super League project, UEFA supported England in the final to please him. It implies-in other reports in the Italian media-that the penalty awarded to England before their winning goal against Denmark is a sign of UEFA support.
“Too bad,” it added. “Because the England national team does not need any help.”
To be sure, despite the confidence of the fans and players, the Italians know that Sunday’s game will not take a walk in the park.
“This will be a real battle,” said Angelo Marola, the sports coach of the Teramo volleyball team and a big fan of the Azzurri. “If we play hard, we will win. My dream is to relive Gianfranco Zola’s 1997 goal against England at Wembley.”
At Wembley on Sunday, there is also Chairman Sergio Mattarella. If Italy wins, he will follow in the footsteps of his predecessors Sandro Pettini and Giorgio Napolitano, who had Participated in the Azzurri World Cup finals in 1982 and 2006. If Italy loses Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, who helped Italy beat France in the Euro 2000 final, it will be the closest comparison.
According to Corriere della Sera’s estimates, one Italian fan is among every four English fans in the final. “It will be like this at Wembley on Sunday night,” it said. “White tides and blue bands.”
At the same time, the match between England and Italy has started on social media, and fans of the two countries mocked each other.
Among the most popular tweets in Italy, there are Italian fans who oppose the use of the melody of the White Tiao Seven Army as a stage song by British fans.The same song has also been Italian soundtrack After winning the 2006 World Cup.
“England stole two things on Wednesday,” Wrote an article“Our choir and the victory against Denmark.”
