Italy are the first finalists in the 2021 European Championship. The Italians defeated Spain 4-2 on penalties and will now face the winner of the game that England and Denmark will also play at Wembley on Wednesday in the final.
Spain coach Luis Enrique was forced to make a change because of the injury to striker Pablo Sarabia but he didn’t stop there. He put his regular center forward on the bench for the first time at this European Championship in Álvaro Morata. And that meant he called up Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig as the “fake nine” so as not to give the Italian central defenders Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini any clues. And that didn’t work out too badly.
The new Italy soon saw itself pushed back into the old cliché that was considered outdated, and that meant: into the role of the ingenious, tactically clever defending team. But that wasn’t something that didn’t make you feel like the proverbial fish in the water. The Spaniards monopolized the ball, stroked it, guarded it, played it without haste and without ceasing. But the Italians, who were most recently celebrated as Tikitaka imitations, didn’t even slip their hairstyles by an inch.
Pedri, Busquets or the fantastic Olmo might offer one or the other delicacy here and there – it was enough for the Italians to speculate on creating confusion with passes behind the last line of defense of the Spaniards, which was drawn well in front of their own penalty area. The obvious goal: to tempt Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simón to go on excursions.
After the break, the game gains speed and variety
The recipe almost worked. More precisely: when Simón ran across the penalty area in the 22nd minute like inexperienced tourists in the London Metro. Emerson matched Barella, and it was only because Barella could make up his mind to target the nearly orphaned goal that Busquets defused the situation. Shortly afterwards, the Spaniards had another great chance: Olmo shot from eleven meters on goal and forced goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to make the only brilliant save of the entire first half (25th). Because the end of the first half was a shot against the aluminum. Left-back Emerson, who replaced the injured Leonardo Spinazzola (Achilles tendon tear), chased the ball from an acute angle to the crossbar. Shortly afterwards, the German referee Felix Brych whistled at halftime.
After the break, the game gained speed, variety, briefly Italian ambition and opportunities. Sergio Busquets pulled over the gate (52nd), Simón had to save against Federico Chiesa in the 54th minute. But six minutes later he was completely powerless.
Goalkeeper Donnarumma plucked a flank from the air and immediately initiated an Italian counterattack, which cut like a scalpel into the flesh of the Spaniards. The Italians needed three or four passes to get Federico Chiesa into position at the corner of the box. The offensive force slipped the ball with great artistry into the upper right corner – and left Simón with no chance to defend (60th). With the leadership, the game was as if painted for the Italians – actually. There it was again, old, cruel Italy. What could they be more comfortable with than defending a leadership, paying homage to their ancestors at the European Championship after they had been praised around the world for their positive, forward-looking, thoughtful football?
Luis Enrique sent everything that smelled like a goal on his reserve bench onto the field. Above all striker Gerard Moreno from FC Villarreal – and Álvaro Morata. The Spaniards created opportunities: Oyarzabal brushed a Koke chip into the penalty area with only the tips of his hair, the ball flew past the goal (65th). Then Olmo put a ball dropped by Oyarzabal just wide. So the compensation was left to Morata – of all people, the much criticized Juve legionnaire. Central defender Aymeric Laporte played on the striker, who drove the ball over the field at speed, looked for the one-two with Olmo – and finally loaded Donnarumma. This goal from the 80th minute to 1: 1 meant: extra time in which there was almost only a goal danger in front of the goal of the Italians. Especially in the 98th minute when the ball bounced like a pinball through the Italian penalty area after a shot by Morata. But then came the penalty shoot-out.
Italy opened but missed the first penalty through Locatelli. By return of post, Olmo could not use the early advantage and also failed. The Spaniards never found their way back: Morata missed the third penalty and in the end it was Jorginho who made the Italian final perfect.