Johannesburg – Despite missing the individual star power of other top teams (England included), manager Roberto Mancini orchestrated a tactical masterpiece from start to finish with just enough good fortune on his side to win Euro 2020 through a penalty shootout.
England youngsters Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka missed back-to-back-to-back attempts from the spot to spark the Azzurri’s celebrations.
With the victory, an Italian squad that’s somehow still weird to call a powerhouse because of their lack of many big names has now achieved 34 unbeaten matches in a row, just one off the all-time international record.
How did they get to the shootout?
Luke Shaw scored the fastest goal in a Euro final by finding the net in the second minute, but England’s subsequent failure to maintain aggressiveness ensured Italy would be on the front foot the rest of the way.
Increasing pressure from the Azzurri eventually led to an equaliser, as Three Lions goalkeeper Jordan Pickford could only tip a 67th-minute Marco Verratti header onto the post before Leonardo Bonucci slotted in the ricochet.
Verratti quietly excellent again
The midfielder completed 112 of 119 passes (94%) in the final, and when he was on the pitch, he controlled 11% of the match’s possession on his own.
Verratti is a fine wine type of player; to fully appreciate his influence, one must pay careful attention to the small ways he is great, with every pinpoint pass or touch its own small work of art.
He’ll have just turned 30 at the next World Cup, and that event could wind up being the capstone to his ascent to true global stardom.
Prodigy Donnarumma lives up to hype
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made his AC Milan debut at 16. He made his first Italy start at 17. And after his effort last night in the final, he can now claim Euro 2020 Player of the Tournament honours at 22.
So much pressure is put on players who break into first teams at big clubs at a young age, but the soon-to-be Paris Saint-Germain player has met every expectation placed upon him. His shootout saves from Sancho and Saka have made him an Italy hero.
Bigger picture
Italy’s redemption arc from their 2018 World Cup absence to Euro winner is completed, and with Mancini in charge, the future remains bright.
In the short-term, they will look to break the all-time international unbeaten record when they meet Bulgaria and Switzerland in September.
Three Lions pain continues
England have never been closer than last night to breaking their major trophy drought, but in truth, it was a disappointing performance from a group that had made such great strides as the competition progressed.
Initially dormant in the group stage, the attacking unit had discovered some sharpness in the knockout rounds, particularly during wins over Germany and Ukraine.
But after everything clicked into place on Shaw’s early goal, the deep positioning of Harry Kane playing a vital part in the build-up, nothing seemed to work for Gareth Southgate’s group last night.
Chances were few and Italy’s midfield was overwhelming. The shootout was probably the best hope for a positive result, and the way they played at times after the leveller, it seemed they might have believed they needed penalties to emerge victorious.
Of course, even the spot-kick plan didn’t pan out, as their trio of under-24 players couldn’t convert.
-goal.com
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