Italy holds its nerve to defeat Spain on penalties and go to the Euro 2020 final.
Italy advanced to the Euro 2020 final after outlasting Spain 4-2 in a penalty shootout following a thrilling 1-1 tie after extra time on Tuesday (July 6). After Alvaro Morata was denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma and Dani Olmo blasted his shot over the bar, Jorginho calmly rolled the crucial ball past Spain goalie Unai Simon.
Spain’s double misses spared Manuel Locatelli, who had his first-kick shootout strike saved by Simon, and Italy’s substitutes and coaching staff poured onto the pitch to celebrate in front of their exuberant supporters behind the goal.
🇮🇹 Chiesa's curler at Wembley 🥰
Goal of the Round contender? 🤷
@GazpromFootball | #EUROGOTR | #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/9A0mpTWn47
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 6, 2021
Italy, who will face either England or Denmark in the final at Wembley on Sunday, will be seeking to win the championship for the first time since 1968. On the hour, Roberto Mancini’s team seized the lead thanks to a spectacular curler from Federico Chiesa, capping off a sweeping counter-attack that began with keeper Donnarumma collecting a Spain cross and rolling the ball out.
With 10 minutes remaining, Morata levelled for Spain, neatly slotting into the bottom corner after sprinting forward and exchanging a one-two with Olmo. Spain appeared to be the more likely winner in the last minutes and extra time, but it was unable to secure a second shootout victory after defeating Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
Italy avenged a shootout setback to Spain in the Euro 2008 quarter-finals and a crushing defeat to Spain in the Euro 2012 final, and completed a second straight European Championship victory against the Spaniards following their 2-0 win in the Euro 2016 last 16.
Although coronavirus limitations prevented supporters from travelling abroad, the two countries’ expatriate communities showed out in force to pack each end behind the goal and generate a searing environment, heightening the sense of occasion between two heavyweights of world football.
