Italy reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 on Saturday night and needed extra time to take a nervous 2-1 victory over Austria at Wembley Stadium.
Gli Azzurri started quickly, with Leonardo Spinazzola driving a shot off goal and Nicolo Barella forcing a clever save from Austria’s goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann. Ciro Immobile took advantage of a misunderstanding between the home side’s goalie and center backs 26 minutes into the match.
Immobile then knocked a brilliant long-range strike from the post, but it was as close as they got in the first half, which ended completely square. Austria looked dangerous at the start of the second half, and David Alaba wasted a great chance to take the lead and hovered a free kick just over the crossbar.
Marcel Sabitzer came close to extending the visitors’ lead when he found himself completely unmarked in front of the goal after a pass through the middle. And Marko Arnautovic eventually hit the net with a header from a sharp angle, but his effort was rejected after a VAR check for offside.
The key moment / FRANK AUGSTEIN / Getty Images
The two sides ended the 90-minute level, which means that extra time was needed to separate them. It took only five minutes for Italy to find the long-awaited breakthrough, and when it arrived it was stunning.
Spinazzola floated a ball to the right of the penalty area, where Federico Chiesa was waiting. The Juventus star took the ball down with his head, dipped inside and released a hard left throw in the far corner of the net.
And Matteo Pessina crashed home from close range in 105 minutes to double Italy’s lead.
Sasa Kalajdzic made Italy sweat during the last five minutes of the match after making a wonderful – rather miraculous – dive head at the near post to make it 2-1, and that’s how it ended.
Let’s check out the players’ ratings from this Euro 2020 meeting.
Physical Struggle / Catherine Ivill / Getty Images
Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK) – 7/10 – Not tested during the first half, as Austria rarely ventured into Italy. Tried to stay calm when his head dropped around him and then made a brilliant save in extra time to keep Austria away.
Giovani Di Lorenzo (RB) – 6/10 – Had to keep an eye on the overlapping Alaba. It was not possible to make many burglaries in the future. Booked early in the second half. Jumped out of Alaba for the illegal goal.
Leonardo Bonucci (CB) – 7/10 – Was ready for pace by Arnautovic during the first half, but the striker missed the goal. A warning shot. Got a vital touch on a passing ball to stop the striker from running into goal.
Francesco Acerbi (CB) – 7/10 – The ball player from behind. Stepped out with the ball and passed vertically and sharply. Almost played the ball in his own net with a classic own goal. Donnarumma to the rescue.
Leonardo Spinazzola (LB) – 8/10 – Intimidated Austria’s defense with his suffering spreads into the opposition half. Flashed a shot at 11 minutes. Almost got an assist five minutes later. The most threatening player on the field. Beautiful assistance for Chiesa’s super strike.
Eye for a workout / Claudio Villa / Getty Images
Nicolo Barella (CM) – 6/10 – Crashed a low shot towards goal and forced Bachmann to stick out a leg. The first shot on goal. Booked for a little backchat – shock. Lost his head in the second half and had to be subbed.
Jorginho (CM) – 7/10 – Strong in the tackle from off. Misunderstood a couple of passes and failed to cut the lanes. Lost some control in the second half.
Marco Verratti (CM) – 6/10 – Buzzed, twisted and turned to pull players in and then drop the ball to teammates in better positions. Faded and maybe seemed to lack match condition.
“How did it stay out?” / Claudio Villa / Getty Images
Domenico Berardi (RW) – 6/10 – Always tried to work with a shooting angle on the left foot, but his path to goal was blocked, more often than not. Fun overhead kick attempt.
Ciro Immobile (ST) – 6/10 – Could not get the ball to hold. Wasted a great chance by not controlling a high ball over the top. Crashed a long-distance pile driver of the post. Anesthesia.
Lorenzo Insigne (LW) – 6/10 – Tried a brand roller when he cut in from the left, but could not hit the far corner. Not like his best.
One of the subgroups / Claudio Villa / Getty Images
Manuel Locatelli (CM) – 7/10
Matteo Pessina (CM) – 8/10 SUPER SUB! – Killed the game with a beautifully composed finish on the left foot.Federico Chiesa (RW) – 8/10 SUPER SUB! – What a goal! Cut in, took his time and buried his chance. Match winner.
Andrea Belotti (ST) – 6/10
Safe Hands / JUSTIN TALLIS / Getty Images
Daniel Bachmann (GK) – 7/10 – Holds Austria level at 16 minutes with an expert reaction to meet Barella’s shot with a strong leg. Commands all the time. No chance with Chiesa’s belt.
Stefan Lainer (RB) – 7/10 – Did a great job at Insigne, limiting Italy’s most creative star. Defended in a determined and solid way.
Aleksandar Dragovic (CB) – 7/10 – Spread games from the back to find Lainer and Laimer on the right. Was rarely threatened by Immobile and forced the exchange.
Martin Hinteregger (CB) – 7/10 – Crushed Barella on the halfway line and was lucky to avoid a booking. Late. Produced a fantastic tackle to stop Berardi from breaking forward. Excellent.
David Alaba (LB) – 7/10 – His teammates looked to find him a little too often and forced to play down blocked roads. Brilliant nod to deliver Arnautovic for his illicit goal. Pulled out of position for Chiesa’s strike and could not come over to block.
Bursting through / Catherine Ivill / Getty Images
Xaver Schlager (CM) – 7/10 – Protected his backline well during the first half and did well to prevent Insigne from pinching inside. Put Austria on counterattacks with smart first passes under pressure.
Florian Grillitsch (CM) – 7/10 – Fighting and quick to sniff out the danger when Austria sat in and frustrated Italy. A strong presence in the middle of the park.
Marcel Sabitzer (AM) – 8/10 – Always alive to his side’s counterattacks, driving forward with the ball and arrows into space. Not afraid of the dirty work either.
Eyes for the price / Andy Rain – Pool / Getty Images
Konrad Laimer (RW) – 7/10 – Had to defend against Spinazzola’s dangerous runs, but caused his own problems with some lightning.
Marko Arnautovic (ST) – 7/10 – Launched into a ruthless challenge in two minutes and received a yellow card. Classic Arnie. Fired from a distance, but his shot flew over the crossbar. Thought he had opened the scoring, but VAR had other ideas.
Christoph Baumgartner (LW) – 6/10 – Produced a couple of nice details early on, when Austria started bright. Pulled a foul from Verratti in a dangerous position. Took a nasty blow to Donnarumma’s abs.
Warm-ups / JOHN THYS / Getty Images
Alessandro Schopf (CM) – 7/10
Sasa Kalajdzic (ST) – 7/10 – Got a wonderful head deep into extra time to give Austria some life.
Louis Schaub (AM) – 7/10 – Set Austria’s goals in extra time.
Michael Gregoritsch (ST) – 6/10
