IItaly won the European Champions Cup for the second time since 1968, and broke the hope of host England to win the championship for the first time in 55 years. In a Wembley atmosphere of 67,173 spectators, the team led by head coach Roberto Mancini won 3-2 on a penalty kick in the intense and exciting finals this Sunday. After 120 minutes, the score is 1:1.
The Azzurri escaped from the early deficits of Luke Shaw (2nd minute) and were initially equalized by Leonardo Bonucci (67th minute). In the penalty shootout, the British awarded Marcus Rashford, Sancho and Bukayo Saka who are still in Dortmund.
Italy remained undefeated in its 34th consecutive game and rewarded itself with a powerful event three years after missing the 2018 World Cup. On the other hand, the Three Lions must wait for their first championship since winning the World Cup in 1966.
Even the early lead and strong performance were not enough to save head coach Gareth Southgate’s team. For the coach, it was Wembley’s next personal setback after the loss at home in the European Championship in 1996: 25 years ago, Southgate was the only one who missed a penalty kick in the European semi-final against Germany at the Old London Stadium. The title that ended the British dream.
Electrified mood
The scene a few hours before the first whistle blow by Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers showed how excited the mood was at that time. Most fans celebrated peacefully, but there were also many fans who misbehaved and tried to enter the stadium without a ticket. Some areas in the city center entered a state of emergency, and there were also fighting and violent incidents. The situation in the stadium seemed to be controlled to a large extent, and the final scene of EM began at 9pm. The fact that a speed racer entered the stadium shortly before the end of the regular game time is just a footnote in the history of this unforgettable football night.
As expected, Southgate started without Dortmund pro Sancho, and surprisingly, he had a three-man chain-just like the previous 2-0 success in the 16th round against Germany. And his eleven people were in anger. The game lasted less than two minutes, and Harry Maguire forgot a little nervous vacillation when Shaw perfected the three Lions’ best counterattack in the entire game. The ball passed captain Harry Kane and landed on full-back Kieran Trippier, and another full-back Shaw dropped off his flank with an excellent airdrop.
Southgate clenched his fingers and clapped his hands approvingly, but then put his hands in his trouser pockets again, with a stoic expression on his face. His colleague Mancini trusted the same starting eleven as he won 4-2 in the semifinal penalty shoot-out against Spain and tried to discuss with Lorenzo Insigne. But the attacker stated that he could not hear anything. In general, the Italians initially seemed impressed and scared by the grand background of the football palace.
