Hey! It’s Coming To Rome after all. Congrats Italy! Italy are the UEFA Euro 2020 Winners, and the Azzurri fans can relax and celebrate. I know I do, and I’m not even Italian. But yeah. Italy has won its second European title, and first after 53 years. Yesterday at Wembley Stadium in London, the Azzurri defeated England after an excruciating penalty shootout. The regular score after the extra time remained 1-1, so England faced once again with the dreaded foe. The penalty shootout. More on that later.
A Long Way To UEFA Euro 2020
As we mentioned here at IndieGala in our opening article (at the start of Euro 2020), this particular tournament should have happened last year. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic changed things, and with lots of modifications, Europe did its best to forget about everything that happened. So, 2021 stepped in, and thanks to 11 host cities, UEFA Euro 2020 Is now a possibility. However, it was a long road to the final for both England and Italy. And IndieGala being an Italian company, it’s safe to say that we’re delighted and ecstatic! Gianluigi Donarumma was pronounced player of the tournament, and yes. There’s a lot more to be said about the game. But first, a small yet important announcement.
UEFA Euro 2020 And Cool Football Video Games
While we’re on the subject of football, we do have plenty of cool games for you to check out. All of them are with Football and you’ve guessed it. They’re all awesome. Regardless if We Are Football is your jam (available here) or eFootball PES 2021 (available here). Perhaps Lords of Football is more to your liking (just click here). How about Football, Tactics and Glory (available here). Just click here, take your pick and select the best one for you. And we also prepared for everyone this week several themed giveaways. You’re welcome. Back to the topic at hand. The final of UEFA Euro 2020.
England VS Italy: A Tail As Old As… Well The Euro Championships
And the UEFA Euro Finals I might add. However, the history between these two teams is not just about the finals. The last time that these two teams faced each other was almost a decade ago. In the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 of course. However, things ended similarly back then as they did last night. With a penalty shootout and tears after the final penalty kick. But even though almost the entire Europe cheered for Italy last night, England was a worthy opponent I have to admit. Especially in the first half, which honestly made me scared for Italy. They were good, like really good.
Seriously, the first-half performance was Gareth Southgate’s best tactical moment since the start of the tournament. With 3-4-3 formation, he spooked Italy, who were utterly baffled for solid 20 minutes. England even scored early in the game (in the second minute), thanks to Luke Shaw. But Roberto Mancini managed to talk some sense into the Azzurri during half-time. And it paid off really. Thanks to Leonardo Bonucci Italy equalized in the 67th minute and it was ON from there! Italy was back in the game and they signaled that they won’t surrender that easily.
Shots, Chances and Lots Of Nerve Wrecking Moments
Not to mention penalties. But hey. Every single celebrity that you can imagine was there at Wembley Stadium last night. From David Beckham to Boris Johnson to Tom Cruise. Hey, even members of the royal family. Oh, and how cute is little Prince George? Adorable in his little suit. And they all cheered, clapped and supported England, but Italy showed no mercy. They managed to dust themselves off and carry on until the end of the 120th minute. Which is where Southgate made his mistake, and Mancini shined through. Look I can’t pretend I’m a football expert. Far from it. But even the most basic fans know that it’s ill-advised to put such a young player to take the decisive penalty in this grueling, important shootout. Seriously. Bukayo Saka missed the fifth spot-kick and I kinda expected that to happen. Well, at least I hoped.
But all joking aside… At just 19 years of age, he’s got no experience, nerves and focus to deal with such great responsibility. Perhaps some more experienced player would have been more successful at that. Shaw maybe? Hey, even Jose Mourinho seem to think so. Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford both missed their kicks after coming on as late substitutes and they’re too young too.
But over here I must applaud Jordan Pickford who did a phenomenal job up until the final moment. On the opposite side, Gigi Donnarumma was a rock as well. Sure Leonardo Bonucci is just incredible, and I’m not denying it. But really for me, the most underrated player in the Azzurri team is still Federico Chiesa. He was awesome too and did his best to put the game under control in several key moments. However, I’m curious to know yours as well. Let me know in the comment section.
From UEFA Euro 2020 To Qatar 2022
The UEFA Euro 2020 was a fantastic tournament, under the circumstances. There’s still a raging pandemic, and not everyone was excited about the prospect of having an audience at the stadiums. But not that the tournament is over, it’s time to focus on Qatar 2020. Will Italy repeat the success of Wembley? Or England will have a bit more luck? Let us know in the comment section.
