LONDON — Italy wrecked England's Euro 2020 party at Wembley on Sunday,
winning a tense final on penalties to plunge the host nation into despair and
prolong their 55-year wait for a second major title.
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Roberto Mancini's men recovered from the shock of conceding the quickest
goal ever in a European Championship final to equalize and held their nerve to
claim a 3–2 shootout victory after a 1–1 draw following extra-time.
It is the second time Italy have been crowned European champions and comes
after the embarrassment of failing even to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in
Russia.
Three players fluffed penalties for England, extending their poor record in
shoot-outs and leaving the hosts waiting for another major trophy after the
1966 World Cup.
"We did well," Mancini told RAI Sport. "We conceded a goal
straight away and struggled, but then we dominated the game.
"The lads were wonderful, I don't know what more to say. It's important
for all the people and all the fans. I hope they're celebrating (in
Italy)."
Italians spilled on to the streets from Milan to Palermo to celebrate their
side's triumph, pushing aside thoughts of the coronavirus pandemic which has
gripped the nation.
Earlier, a partisan crowd of more than 67,000 mostly England fans at Wembley
was whipped into a state of fever pitch by rousing renditions of "Three
Lions" and "Sweet Caroline" before kick-off.
Gareth Southgate's team raced out of the blocks and were ahead in just the
second minute when defender Luke Shaw finished coolly at the back post after an
inviting cross from Kieran Trippier.
Italy grew stronger as the match went on and equalized with 23 minutes
remaining when
Leonardo Bonucci scrambled the ball into the net from close
range.
With four minutes remaining of normal time a pitch invader stopped the
action and stewards struggled to catch him, adding to a sense of chaos at the
stadium after ticket-less fans earlier forced their way in.
Normal time finished goalless despite a flurry of substitutions and the
sides were still locked at 1–1 after extra time.
England goalkeeper
Jordan Pickford saved spot-kicks from Andrea Belotti and
Jorginho but Marcus Rashford hit the post and Gianluigi Donnarumma kept out
Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, sparking scenes of delirium from the players and
the small pocket of Italian fans.
Fan frenzy
The atmosphere around Wembley was frenzied in the build-up to the match,
which kicked off at 1900 GMT, with supporters draped in England colors downing
pints of beer and chanting anthems.
Footage posted on social media showed hundreds of supporters battling to get
past lines of stewards and police, with some able to force their way through
security cordons and others scaling walls.
Another video appeared to show violent clashes between fans inside Wembley
itself.
London's Metropolitan Police said it made 49 arrests, and that 19 officers
were injured while managing the final.
"Frustratingly, 19 of our officers were injured while they confronted
volatile crowds. This is wholly unacceptable," the police tweeted.
On another sour note, police said they would be investigating
"offensive and racist" social media posts directed at Rashford,
Sancho and Saka, who all failed from the spot.
A Football Association spokesman said: "The FA strongly condemns all
forms of discrimination and is appalled by the online racism that has been
aimed at some of our England players on social media."
Italy unbeaten
Italy had been arguably the team of the tournament heading into the final,
sweeping through the group stage with a perfect record before knocking out
Austria, top-ranked Belgium and Spain to reach the final.
Revitalized since Mancini took over after their failure to qualify for the
2018 World Cup, the Azzurri are now unbeaten in 34 matches.
The four-time world champions' lone previous European Championship triumph
came in 1968. They were beaten finalists in 2000 and 2012.
England fans will have to come to terms with a painful defeat just when it
seemed they were on the brink of ending their tournament drought, stretching
all the way back to the 1966 World Cup, which they won on home soil.
Southgate has revolutionized the national side since taking charge in 2016,
leading his team to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia three years ago.
The manager, who missed a penalty in the Euro 96 semi-final against Germany,
urged England to use the pain to fuel success in the future, accepting the
blame for the heartbreaking penalty shoot-out defeat.
"I said we could have no recriminations," he said.
"We win and lose together. They've got to walk away from here with
their heads held high.
"They've done more than any other team in the last 50 or so years. In
terms of the players, they should be incredibly proud of what they've
done."
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