It’s happening in Rome: penalty misery for England and Southgate again as Italy wins Euro 2020

Match Statistics: Italy 1-1 England (3-2 pens.)

It all ended in tears for England, once again.

After so much renewed hope, optimism and conviction, it was a familiar story of disappointment at Wembley for the Three Lions.

Editor’s choices

After reaching the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, this time they had done better and advanced to the final.

But it was the cruel blow of a loss on penalties, which means those 55 years of injury will have to be extended before they’re finally over.

This, however, is a new kind of disappointment for a whole generation of English fans. Gareth Southgate’s young and dynamic side had given hope to the nation and its supporters, but it was these young stars who were left in tears full time.

Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and 19-year-old Bukayo Saka all failed on the spot and could only watch Italy celebrate a deserved title with their supporters behind the goal.

Everyone at Wembley Way before kickoff had a different story. Those who were there in 1996 when Southgate missed his penalty against Germany; those who saw Wayne Rooney get kicked off against Portugal in 2006; others who witnessed the loss to Iceland in 2016, and others who remember the heartache in Russia in 2018.

And now there will be those who can add Euro 2020 to this list.

The near misses and heartaches of the past have helped to create a jubilant, even at times nervous, pre-match atmosphere in London. No one could really believe this was happening.

The story of the occasion and the clamor for a golden ticket meant there was a wave of fans breaking through the barriers at Wembley without a ticket. Unfortunately, there is always this small minority that spoils everything for the rest.

On the pitch, England got off to a good start, getting off to a dream start when Luke Shaw finished a handsome Kieran Trippier cross at the far post with less than two minutes on the clock. It’s not a bad time for Manchester United left-back to score their first international goal.

But as Italy grew in the game, winning the midfield battle with Marco Verratti and Jorginho pulling the strings, Southgate’s side started to look nervous. After all, they were the 10 finalists of a major tournament, Italy against England in their first European Championship final.

As the Azzurri mounted the fire in the second half and the Southgate team sat down to absorb the pressure, the harsh atmosphere simmered. Fans knew there was too much at stake.

The only man who rose in a bid to push England forward was Declan Rice, but the West Ham midfielder had finished his run around the 70th minute.

Raheem Sterling, meanwhile, was calm on Sunday night but was arguably the England player of the tournament. Jordan Pickford, who saved two penalties in the shootout, could also claim this distinction.

He made a fantastic save to turn off Federico Chiesa in the second half, and was unlucky not to keep what appeared to be an inevitable equalizer as Leonardo Bonucci grabbed a close hold after a corner kick.

It was coming.

Questions will therefore be asked about the use of substitutes by Southgate. England had been in the thick of it for some time before the equalizer hit the back of the net, and with so much exciting attacking talent at his disposal on the bench, he could have switched formation earlier than he never did.

But it wasn’t just England. Italy have been the star of the tournament, extending their unbeaten run to 34 games after being transformed by Roberto Mancini in the past three years.

Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini were at their best, while behind them the somewhat surprising Player of the Tournament award winner Gianluigi Donnarumma was a rock throughout the competition.

Going forward, Chiesa has been electric during the knockout stages while Lorenzo Insigne is still a threat, especially with the midfielder behind him pulling the strings.

For England and Southgate, however, it was once again a heartache.

This time, however, it’s different.

It was the start of something special for this group, and while they had to stand and watch as Italy lifted the trophy in their home stadium, they can use that injury to push them towards things. even bigger at the 2022 World Cup in just 18 months.

Football, however, will not be coming home in 2021.

But it might not be too long until he does.