Italy beats England by 3-2 on Penalities to win their second European Championship Trophy.
Italy defeated England by 3-2 in the penalty shoot-out in the Euro 2020 final to lift their second European Championship at Wembley Stadium in London. Italy continued their 34-match winning streak as it defeated England in the final of the UEFA European Championship that went into a penalty shootout after a 1-1 scoreline after extra time on Monday.
For the unversed, This win is Italy’s second-ever Euro Title and first since 1968. It was also the first shootout in a Euro Final since 1976. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka missed for the Three Lions as Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma saved their penalties in a row to take his team to the title. For Italy, Federico Bernardeschi, Leonardo Bonucci, and Domenico Berardi were the superstars who capitalized on their chance
Earlier Luke Shaw scored the first goal for England and that too inside the two minutes of the match which is indeed the fastest ever goal in the European Championship Final but Leonardo Bonucci bundled in an equalizer at a corner midway to level things up on the second half of the game.
It was the first final to be decided on penalties since Czechoslovakia beat West Germany in 1976 and will be wildly celebrated in Italy after they lost in the final in 2000 and 2012.
This is also the first major international trophy that Italy has won since their 2006 FIFA World Cup Win. The Azzurri had last won the continental title back in 1968.
It was a heartbreak for England though as they were eyeing their first European Championship Trophy and their first major international Football Title since winning the FIFA World Cup at Home in 1966. In the history of the tournament only thrice the home country has been able to win the tournament. In the 2016 Euro Cup, the host France too lost the final against Portugal.
The victory in the final completes a turnaround in the fortune of the Italian Football team who had failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Appointment of Roberto Mancini proves to a blessing for Italy as he changes the team to a world-class level and has delivered a major trophy within the three years.
Meanwhile, Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was declared as the Player of the Tournament for his fantastic saves throughout the tournament.