Of course, all England fans in the world will be saddened by the thought of the Three Lions winning Euro 2020, so let’s just take a step back one second and realize the challenge that still lies ahead.
Co-finalists Italy are currently on an unbeaten 33-match and to make England’s task even more difficult, they will also face the best – dressed, coolest manager ever in Roberto Mancini – it certainly does not make the task more difficult, but we just wanted to mention it.
Gli Azzurri looked brilliant in the group stage and they have shown that their tournament means that they do enough in each of their knockout games to make it.
If you need a reminder that Sunday’s final is far from a matter of course, this is how Italy made it to the Euro 2020 exhibition event …
The opening night of Euro 2020 will always be remembered for Andrea Bocelli and the small car’s first appearance, so it’s easy to forget how impressive Italy was at night.
Mancini’s men started bright against Turkey but during the first half of the year they did not see breaking down a side that many had tipped like dark horses.
The breakthrough eventually came early in the second half when Merih Demiral put one through his own net, and from there the result looked inevitable.
Ciro Immobile doubled their lead before Lorenzo Insigne rounded off a great team move to leave Italy the three points to start their campaign.
After their impressive first show against Turkey, the Italians produced another dominant show on match day two as they swept aside Switzerland – a result that looks even more impressive given Vladimir Petkovic’s side’s later triumph over world champions France.
Manuel Locatelli was the star of Italy when he scored two great goals to put his side in a commanding position before Yann Sommer let Immobile’s late attempt slip through his hands to give Mancini’s men their second victory 3-0 in a row.
With the top spot in Group A already secured, Italy had the opportunity to rest a couple of their stars for their final group trip to Wales.
Their performance was not as polished as we had become accustomed to watching in Euro 2020, although they still had enough to pull over the line to get a 1-0 victory and maintain their 100% record.
Matteo Pessina’s strike just five minutes before half-time was the difference between the two teams as Mancini’s men celebrated nine points from a possible nine – one of only three sides in the competition to win all their group games.
Gli Azzurri’s eighth round 16 against Austria got them their first real test of the competition.
After failing to break down Austria in 90 minutes, Italy went into extra time knowing that if they could not find a goal, they would be forced to face the penalty shootout.
Federico Chiesa has proven to be Italy’s savior at times in this tournament, and he popped up with his first huge goal in Euro 2020 to give his side the lead.
Pessina’s second in two matches seemed to have settled the game as a competition, but Austria were not finished yet as Sasa Kalajdzic hit a late reply. The goal turned out to be no more than a consolation as Italy hung on to advance to the quarter-final stage.
If Austria was Italy’s first big test, Belgium represented an even bigger test.
The top ranked side in the world was one of the favorites to taste success on the way to Euro 2020, but again the Italians somehow managed to find a way to advance to the next round.
Nicolo Barella’s fantastic footwork and ball ended them to a 1-0 lead before Insigne somehow pulled out an even better finish to double his advantage.
Romelu Lukaku’s penalty at half-time turned the game back in balance, but Mancini’s men did what they did best and dug in to see a 2-1 victory.
So far, Italy has played pretty well in pretty much every Euro 2020 match, but to reach the final of a major tournament, you will always have at least one game where you somehow scratch through.
Spain dominated both ball possession and shots on goal in their semi-final clash, with Alvaro Morata’s late equalizer to interrupt Chiesa’s previous strike at least the Spaniards deserve.
With the game locked at 1-1 after extra time, penalties were needed to separate the two sides.
The first spot kick in the shootout saw Locatelli’s effort saved by Unai Simon, but the Sassuolo man got a delay when Dani Olmo flamed Spain’s first penalty over the crossbar. The following five penalties were all sent expertly before Morata’s tame attempt was removed by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Chelsea midfielder Jorginho stepped up next and he looked the coolest person in the stadium as he calmly stroked his effort in the back of the net to book Italy’s place in Sunday’s final.
33 matches without defeat, but can England stop the run and win Euro 2020 glory?
