Compilation by Ranjika Perera exclusively for The Sunday Morning

[caption id="attachment_149066" align="aligncenter" width="604"] Italy extended their unbeaten run to 34 games as they lifted their second European Championship trophy on Sunday (11) in London[/caption]

Euro 2020

Semi-final-1 on Wednesday (7):

* Italy 1 (4) beat Spain 1 (2)

Semi-final-2 Thursday (8):

* England 2 beat Denmark 1

Final on Monday at 12.30 a.m. SL Time:

* Italy 1 (3) beat England 1 (2)

* Golden Boot Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - 5 goals and 1 assist in 4 matches

* Silver Boot Winner: Patrik Schick (Czech Republic) - 5 goals in 5 matches

* Bronze Boot Winner: Karim Benzema (France) - 4 goals in 4 matches

* Golden Ball (Player of the Tournament): Gianluigi Donnarumma

* Young Player of the Tournament: Pedri (Spain)

EURO 2020 - RECORDS & STATS

* Most Goals Scored: Italy (13 goals) in 7 matches and Spain (13 goals) in 6 matches

* Least Goals Scored: Finland, Turkey, and Scotland (1 goal) in 3 matches

* Best Defence: England (2 goals conceded) in 7 matches

* Worst Defence: Ukraine (10 goals conceded) in 5 matches

EURO 2020 - TOP 5 ASSIST-MAKERS

* Steven Zuber (Switzerland) - 4 assists in 4 matches

* Dani Olmo (Spain) - 3 assists in 5 matches

* Luke Shaw (England) - 3 assists in 6 matches

* Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Denmark) - 3 assists in 6 matches

* Memphis Depay (Netherlands) - 2 assists in 4 matches

EURO 2020 TOP 5 GOAL-KEEPERS

* Jordan Pickford (England) - 5 clean-sheets in 7 matches

* Thibaut Courtois (Belgium) - 3 clean-sheets in 5 matches

* Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy) - 3 clean-sheets in 7 matches

* Tomas Vaclik (Czech Republic) - 2 clean-sheets in 5 matches

* Robin Olsen (Sweden) - 2 clean-sheets in 4 matches

EURO 2020 PRIZE MONEY

* Winners Award: Italy - € 10 m (Rs. 2.35 b)

* Runner-up Award: England - € 7 m (Rs. 1.65 b)

* Semi-finalists: Spain and Denmark - € 5 m (Rs. 1.17 b)

* Quarter-finalists: Switzerland, Belgium, Czech Republic, and Ukraine - € 3.25 m (Rs. 766 m)

* Round of 16 Teams: Wales, Austria, Netherlands, Portugal, Croatia, France, Germany, and Sweden - € 2 m (Rs. 471 m)

[caption id="attachment_149067" align="alignnone" width="454"] The 22-year-old Gianlugi Donnarumma was adjudged Player of the Tournament after his shootout heroics in the semis and the finals[/caption]

It was heartbreak yet again for England, in their first-ever final in the European Championship as Italy tipped over the line in the shootout on Sunday (11). Gareth Southgate made a tactical switch in the starting line-up which had Kieran Trippier replace the young Bukayo Saka. It allowed Luke Shaw and Trippier to play as advanced wing-backs and the plan paid dividends right away.

Luke Shaw started the move in his own half by passing to Harry Kane before sprinting towards the Italy goal. Kane, moved the ball cross field to Trippier who had acres of space as he delayed his cross long enough for Shaw to time his run at the far post and score with a controlled volley past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. It was also the fastest goal conceded in a European Championship final at one minute and 57 seconds and Shaw’s first in national colours.

During most parts of the first half, England dominated with Declan Rice and Kalvin Philips winning the mid-field battles with Marco Verrati and Jorginho. Although chances were limited, Italy came back strong in the second half with Federico Chiesa finding the target with a low right-foot shot from the edge of the box which called for a diving save from Jordan Pickford.

The Azzuri was allowed to roam free as England held back to try and hold on to their slender lead. It proved costly when veteran centre-back Bonucci levelled the scores halfway through the second-half. He shot in after England had failed to clear a corner when Verrati’s header was pushed onto the post by Pickford only for it to rebound back into Bonucci’s foot.

Southgate brought in fresh legs replacing Trippier and Rice with Saka and Jordan Henderson, but they had little effect as Roberto Mancini’s substitutes continued to dictate the play and remained the team in control for the remainder of the 90 minutes. The chances were slim to none during the extra 30 minutes and the game went into the dreaded penalties.

Italy had the upper hand with Donnarumma’s longer reach compared to Pickford, but it was Pickford who got the first save during the shootout. Following Dominico Berradi’s and Harry Kane’s successful penalties, Andrea Beletti stepped in and his shot was saved by Pickford. The second shot for England was thumped home by Harry Maguire which gave England the lead.

Southgate brought in Rashford and Sancho in the 119th minute, for the shootout. It proved to be the demise of England as both players missed their shots; Rashford hit the post while Sancho’s was saved by Donnarumma.

Bonucci and Federico Bernardeschi converted for Italy, which meant Jorginho’s fifth shot had to be saved by Pickford to keep England in the hunt. Jorginho, the highest goal scorer for Chelsea last season with all of them coming in penalties, made a name for himself as a shootout specialist but he was denied by Pickford to keep the game alive.

Unfortunately, the weight of a whole nation was put on the shoulders of the 19-year old Bukayo Saka, who stepped up for the fifth penalty. His shot was easily saved by Donnarumma to seal the win for Italy.

========= Our Euro 2020 Final Preview (This article was posted on Sunday, 11 July 2021)

England, aka The Three Lions, will host Italy, aka The Azzuri, at the Wembley in England for the coveted Henry Delaunay Trophy tonight - or tomorrow, Monday early morning at 12.30 a.m. Sri Lanka time.

Italy will be hoping to announce their resurgence with a major tournament win for the first time since the 2006 FIFA World Cup. On the other hand, England will be attempting to win their first-ever European Championship.

England - Road to the finals

It was as if it was written in the stars for England when the Euro 2020 draw came out. They were drafted into one of the easiest groups on paper, but England didn’t make it any easier for them.

In their campaign opener, England beat Croatia 1-0, thanks to Raheem Sterling’s second-half goal. They met old rivals Scotland in the second game and they failed to score in the game which ended in a goal-less draw. England came in to the last game of the group stage needing a win to finish on top and they did so, beating the spirited Czech Republic 1-0.

In the round of 16, they were drafted with an old enemy, Germany. This was probably the best game in the tournament for England. They were solid at the back and with the inclusion of Jack Grealish in the second half, England scored twice to deny the Germans. In the quarter-finals, Ukraine stood no chance against the English as the latter scored four goals and conceded none to book their place in the semis.

Denmark was the next challenge and it was a different one for the English. The Danish had a solid defence, a brilliant keeper in Kasper Schmeichel, spirited forward line, and the whole world (except England, of course) rooting for them since Christian Eriksen’s bizarre incident early in the tournament.

After conceding for the first time in the tournament, England did not panic. They remained focused and pushed on. The equaliser came minutes after the Denmark first goal and the winner came in controversial circumstances after Sterling won a penalty. Kane’s shot was saved from Schmeichel but the rebound was shot in by the Skipper.

Many thought, Sterling dived and the Video Assisted Referee (VAR) should have asked the referee to have another look. Some even pointed there was two balls on the pitch, and the dead ball was not affecting play, so the penalty should not have been given.

There were reports of a laser beam aimed at Kasper Schmeichel during the penalty. Whatever said and done, England dominated the game and it is fair to say they deserved it.

Italy - Road to the finals

Roberto Mancini’s men were probably the underdogs of the tournament. The Azzuri kicked off the campaign in fine fashion. The opener against the so-called dark horses Turkey was a one-sided affair where Italy won by 3-0. The match against Switzerland wasn’t so different; the final score-line was the same but it was more impressive as it came against an established European side. They finished the group stage with a 1-0 win over Wales, perhaps their worst game of the tournament.

In the round of 16, they were up against Austria. It was expected to be a comfortable game but the Austrians had other ideas. After goalless 90 minutes, The Azzuri found the net twice in extra time through Federico Chiesa and Matteo Pessina to get over the line.

The biggest challenge of the tournament was next, against world no. 1 Belgium in the quarter-finals. Two moments of complacency from the Belgium defence led to two quick goals from Italy in the first half. Although The Red Devil’s managed to draw one back before the break, a series of missed chances saw Italy make it through to semis. Probably that was the slice of luck that they needed in the tournament.

Italy met Spain in the semis. No one expected Spain to make it this far in the tournament but they almost made it to the finals. It was only Italy’s resilience that got them over the line. The game was decided on penalties but in the game, Spain dominated possession and caused havoc in front of goal. Italy somehow held on and deservingly edged over in the shootout to book the spot in the final.

England vs. Italy - Head-to-head & history

The two teams are one of the oldest football nations in the history. However, they have only a few meetings in the international stage. In their 27 meet-ups, Italy have won 11 and England only eight, with eight drawn encounters.

The last time the two teams met was in an international friendly in 2018. The match was drawn on 1-1 and it was before Roberto Mancini took over the team. The last ten encounters between them have favoured the Italians as they have won five times and England only three.

The most recent knockout game between these two sides was in the quarter-finals of the 2012 European Championship. It was decided on penalties where Ashley Young missed for England while Italy scored all five with a fine display by Andrea Pirlo Panenka. The last time England beat Italy in a major tournament was way back in a group match at the 1997 FIFA World Cup.

Key players - England

The Three Lions, led by their talisman Harry Kane, will look up to Kane to threaten the ageing Italian defence. England have numerous and true match-winners, including attacking wingers in  Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford, and teenager Bukayo Saka.

Gareth Southgate might stick to the same line-up with Sterling and Saka on either side of Kane. If it doesn’t work, he has enough and more options to bring in.

The best part of England’s campaign is how rock solid they have been at the back. The centre-back combination of Harry Maguire and John Stones has only conceded one goal in the tournament, that too from a direct free kick. Luke Shaw has continued his good form from the club season. The two holding midfielders, Declan Rice and Kalvin Philips, have won almost all the battles in the midfield.

Key players - Italy

The Azzuri, led by central defender Giorgio Chiellini, have a rock solid system in place, which has worked for them for more than two years. In their 33-match unbeaten run, Mancini have truly turned things around for Italy since they missed qualification for 2018 World Cup.

The team has a few game changers in Lorenzo Insigne, Ciro Immobile, and the young Federico Chiesa. Insigne has already shown his colours in the campaign but Immobile’s form could be a problem for Italy. They would want him at his best in the final.

The young Juventus Winger Chiesa has shown his pace and skill up front and he is most likely to start against England. Italy goal-keeper Donnarumma has been solid between the sticks and the two veteran centre-backs, Chiellini and Bonucci, have shown that they still got it. They will miss the injured Leonardo Spinazzola but the likes of Locatelli and Marco Verratti will play an important role for Italy.

Italy last competed in a Euro Championship final in 2012 which they lost 4-0 to a star-studded Spain. They haven’t won a Euro tournament since 1968 while England are yet to get their hands on the trophy. Italy resurgence to the top has been nothing short of amazing. Since they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, winning the Euro would be a huge joy for the nation.

[caption id="attachment_149069" align="alignnone" width="357"] England last won a world football title was in 1966 when they won the FIFA World Cup[/caption]

England have not won a major tournament since winning the 1966 World Cup. In fact, they have never reached a final of any major tournament since then. England have lost in the semi-finals of five major tournaments since the ’66 World Cup triumph, the latest been the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 UEFA Nations League. The whole nation is counting on this young side to bring back the glory and they’ll finally be able to say, “It is home”.