The almost indomitable Italians danced wildly through Wembley in the end, coach Roberto Mancini was sweaty and without a jacket right in the middle of it. Then everyone sang together for the injured Leonardo Spinazzola. In one magical night, Italy overthrew the next giant and is now dreaming of the final triumph at the European Football Championship in 2021.
In a thrilling duel, Italy had previously defeated Spain on penalties and can crown their exciting journey through the European Championship with the title on Sunday (9 p.m.). In an intense semi-final, Italy only beat the Iberians 4-2 on penalties. After 90 and 120 minutes the score was 1: 1. Jorginho converted the decisive penalty for the Azzurri. Previously, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had parried Spain’s Álvaro Morata’s attempt.
Federico Chiesa (60th minute) had taken the lead for Roberto Mancini’s team in front of 57,811 spectators, who are now unbeaten in 33 games. On Sunday, Italy will fight for their first major title since winning the 2006 World Cup in the final against England or Denmark. Spain failed again to Italy despite a strong performance like the last 16 in 2016. Even the best tournament performance, a strong Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig and the goal of substitute Álvaro Morata (80th) were not enough for Luis Enrique’s selection to reach the final.
Because of the strict Corona rules, which require quarantine for travelers from several countries, hardly any Italians and Spaniards could actually travel to the semifinals – but thousands of supporters celebrated their teams in the stands. Azzurri and Furia Roja fans living in the UK were able to buy tickets without any problems. The duel between the four-time world champions Italy and the three-time European championship champion from Spain was seen by many experts as an anticipated final. But the seventh European Championship duel between the two great football powers only partially lived up to the high expectations.
Leipzig’s Olmo forces Donnarumma to do a brilliant act
The Italians, who had previously been unbeaten in 32 games, had replaced the injured Leonardo Spinazzola with Emerson and otherwise relied on their most recent successful starting lineup, tried to stop the opponent’s Tiki-Taka football, which is based on a lot of possession, by pressing hard and switching quickly. In contrast, the Spaniards, who had changed to three positions, trusted their controlled build-up game more. Because they rarely made playback errors, they took over more and more control after initial problems. Only the weak ball acceptance by center forward Mikel Oyarzabal after a dream pass from Pedri brought the Furia Roja their first big chance (13th). Enrique struggled on the sidelines, shouting instructions to the pitch with a lot of energy in his coaching zone throughout the game.
Only twelve minutes later, Olmo forced the Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to do a brilliant act with a low shot. In contrast, the Italians, who were recently praised for their offensive power, could only set little accents forward. Only Nicolò Barella had a chance, but the professional from Inter Milan hesitated too long with a shot (21st).
The game developed more and more into a fighting game with many passionate duels, which gave the German referee Felix Brych a lot of work. But the two best offensives of the tournament so far still struggled with the development of opportunities. After all, the Italians also approached the opposing goal dangerously before half-time when Emerson hit the crossbar from close range (45th).
Chiesa scores, Joker Morata compensates
In the second half, too, the Spaniards remained the determining team. So the oldie defense of the Squadra Azzurra around captain Giorgio Chiellini (36) and Leonardo Bonucci (34) in the meantime again wavered. But Sergio Busquets’ shot from the edge of the penalty area went just over the goal (52nd).
Nevertheless, the Italians took the previously flattering lead. After Chiesa had checked the Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón in the 53rd minute, he struck another counterattack seven minutes later. With a placed shot from 14 meters into the far corner, he gave the opposing goalkeeper no chance this time.
The reaction of the Spaniards was not long in coming. Within a short time they were close to equalizing when Oyarzabal (65th) and Olmo (67th) had chances. The Spanish fans at Wembley screamed loudly on both occasions. With Morata the hope for the Spaniards came on, his goal created enormous tension.
The extension turned into a crime thriller. Spain continued to determine the game, Italy relied on the defensive that had been so brilliant in the tournament and waited for the counterattack. Together, Donnarumma and his men in front defused the next big chance for the Spaniards after an Olmo free kick (97th), which is why the decision ultimately had to be made on penalties.