Italy beat Spain on penalties to reach Euro 2020 final
After Alvaro Morata's penalty was saved, Jorginho strolled up to score and set up a final with England or Denmark in London. Federico Chiesa looked as if he had sent Italy, unbeaten in 33 games, to the final in normal time with a delightful curled finish to cap off a quick counter.
But Morata stepped off the bench to slot an equaliser with 10 minutes to go after a one-two with Dani Olmo. However, the Juventus forward's penalty miss in the shootout proved costly as Spain lost a semi-final for the first time in their history.
Fears about an empty stadium or quiet crowd proved unfounded despite tickets still being on sale during the day and fans unable to fly from either country without having to quarantine for too long to watch the game. Roberto Mancini's Italian side has been arguably the best team in the tournament and had won their previous 13 games and deserve their place in the final.
However, this was the toughest they have had to work, and they only managed one shot between Morata's equaliser and the shootout. It is an unfortunate end to the Euros for Morata. During the tournament, he has wasted numerous chances with his family having to endure threats from fans, and his equaliser looked set to change the narrative before he failed from the spot.
Italy's style of play has changed as the tournament has gone on, with the Azzurri reverting to their old defensive ways, and it has taken them through to the final. They were free-scoring and impressive in the group stages while also solid at the back, taking their run to 11 wins in a row without conceding. But they needed extra time to beat Austria in the last 16 and then dug in to beat Belgium 2-1 last time out.
Mancini took over a team that failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and has now led them to the next major final. Surprisingly, the four-time world champions had only ever won one European Championship all the way back in 1968.
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