It was another shootout heartbreak for England as Italy went on to win Sunday’s Euro 2020 final 3-2 on penalties after the game had ended all square after extra-time. Both teams found each other’s net once during the game.
Luke Shaw scored for the Three Lions in the second minute of the game, only to be cancelled out by Italian veteran Leonardo Bonoucci from a corner in minute 67.
After an excruciating extra-time, the game went on to a penalty shootout and the ghosts of the Euro 96 semifinal again struck Gareth Southgate and his team, who were chasing their first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
This was the first European Championship final to be decided on penalties since 1976.
The first penalty kick was taken by Italy, with Domenico Berardi coolly sloting it past England keeper Jordan Pickford, giving the Italians a 1-0 lead.
England captain Harry Kane brought his team back to level terms with a trademark finish past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The Three Lions gained an upper hand when Pickford read Andrea Bellotti’s shot, saving it to give the Wembley hopes of finally seeing a trophy being lifted by an England side.
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire consolidated England’s upper hand by blasting the ball to the right of a diving Donnarumma.
Benoucci, who had drawn Italy level in regulation time, did not disappoint manager Roberto Mancini as he scored his shot to draw level and keep his team in the hunt.
This is where everything went downhill for England as the saw Marcus Rashford hitting the post from the spot.
Federico Bernardeschi put Italy ahead when he found Pickford’s net in front of a silent Wembley.
The new Manchester United signing Jadon Sancho failed to live upto expectations and missed his spot kick to hand the Azzuri a slender advantage.
Jorginho could have won it for Italy only for his penalty to be saved by Pickford, giving renewed hope to the England support.
It all fell on the 19-year-old Bukayo Saka and he could not take the weight of the nation’s hopes as he saw his kick repelled by Donnarumma to give Italy the Henri Delaunay trophy for the second time.
England’s list of previous shoot-out exits included losing to Italy at Euro 2012 as well as in the Euro 96 semi-finals against Germany when Southgate missed the crucial kick.
While their 55-year wait to win another major international title goes on, Italy’s own particular half-century of hurt is over.
The Azzurri have won four World Cups but their sole European Championship triumph before this dated back to 1968.
They had lost two European Championship finals in little over two decades, with the agony of losing to France via a golden goal in Rotterdam in 2000 and then being torn apart by Spain in 2012, going down 4-0 in Kiev.