Italy have beaten England on penalties to win Euro 2020, denying the Three Lions their first major trophy in 55 years.
The Italians defeated England 3-2 on penalties in Sunday’s Euro 2020 final as Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka missed in the shoot-out following a 1-1 draw after extra time at Wembley.
Luke Shaw scored for England inside two minutes, the fastest ever goal in a European Championship final, but Leonardo Bonucci bundled in an equaliser at a corner midway through the second half.
Needing to score to keep England alive in the shoot-out, Saka’s spot-kick was saved by Italy goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma as the Azzurri won the tournament for the second time.
Italian player Jorge Luiz Frello Filho, known as Jorginho, missed the previous shot, blocked by English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, sending the London crowd into frenzied cheering, but a first-time European championship for the host country wasn’t to be. Italy was already up 3-2, and the score remained.
As COVID-19 infection rates continue to rise across the U.K., more than 60,000 fans, most of them English, were allowed to watch the game at Wembley stadium.
Players from both teams took a knee before the starting whistle to bring attention to racial injustice, which England players did before every game of the tournament. Minutes earlier, dozens of ticketless fans broke into the stadium, with stewards and police trying to hold back the rowdy crowd as they pushed through barriers.
Prince William, his wife, Kate, and their son Prince George attended the game, the first soccer final played by the England men’s team since 1966.
The tournament — originally scheduled for last summer — captivated the U.K. and Italy, which were both hit hard by COVID-19.
Read Also: Novak Djokovic Wins 20th Grand Slam With Sixth Wimbledon Triumph
Italy has been celebrating a dual sporting success as Matteo Berrettini became the first Italian tennis player — man or woman — to appear in the Wimbledon singles tennis final, which he lost to Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
