Italy’s old stagers Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini played the role of pantomime villains during the penalty shootout win over England, with the former taunting home supporters by screaming “it’s coming to Rome!” at a TV camera.
The Italian defence started the game in disastrous fashion when Luke Shaw smashed England in front with less than two minutes on the clock.
However, Italy recovered from that early setback to dominate the rest of the game and their long-serving, Juventus centre backs – with a combined age of 70 and 221 caps – helped wrestle the game back in Roberto Mancini’s team’s favour.
Bonucci struck the equaliser with 67 minutes on the clock, bundling home an equaliser from close-range after Jordan Pickford had tipped Marco Verratti’s header onto the post. The 34-year-old celebrated in trademark fashion, lapping up the adoration from the Azzurri faithful behind the goal.
If that moment silenced Wembley, Chiellini’s ultra cynical shirt tug on Bukayo Saka as he attempted to sprint clear in the fifth minute of stoppage time at the end of the second half had the opposite effect, with the home supporters unanimously venting their fury.
The duo were relatively untroubled during the 120 minutes but stood firm when they had to, Chiellini making a vital intervention to prevent a Raheem Sterling cross from reaching Harry Kane in the middle before denying Sterling soon after with a last-ditch tackle.
With no side able to source a winner, the match went to penalties with Bonucci converting one of Italy’s three successful spot-kicks. And moments after Gianluigi Donnarumma had kept out Saka’s penalty to seal the title, Bonucci took the opportunity to mock England’s supporters.
There were Italian flags dotted around Wembley with the same message in reference to the seminal Baddiel and Skinner England track “It’s Coming Home” which has been the soundtrack of England’s tournament, just as it was in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
“It was a tough game, we started in the worst way possible, with England scoring after two minutes,” Chiellini said after the game.
“The fans, all of the stadium, gave their energy to England, but we were quiet and calm and then we started to lead the match from 15 minutes and started to play.
“We found the right passes, controlled the game and that was the way to win. It’s a dream come true, it’s magic. We are more than happy.
On Italy’s penalty hero Donnarumma, he added: “I was lucky because I played with Gianluigi Buffon. Now I play with Gianluigi Donnarumma, and he’s the same!”
More from i on Euro 2020
- This has been Sterling’s summer – when the man was finally able to become king
- Fish & chips to fashion tips: What Southgate’s tweets tell us about the England boss
- Why there have been so many own goals – from tiredness to lazy defending
- We need to talk about Jordan Pickford – the unsung hero of this England team
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3e30m5V
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