- England in their first European Championship final
- Italy last won the Euros in 1968; lost finals in 2000 and 2012
- England have conceded just one goal at Euro 2020
- Italy unbeaten in last 33 matches
Hello, ciao. You are here because you love football and either England or Italy. Or both. Or neither.
I’m Faras Ghani and I will bring you the biggest football game today (Argentina beat Brazil in the previous biggest one this morning) together with Maria Michela D’Alessandro in a Rome fanzone and Maira Watanbe outside Wembley Stadium in London.
Keep reading
list of 3 items
Home or Rome? Italy, England lock horns for Euro 2020 trophy
A diverse England football team that is winning more fans
When in Rome: How the Italians are preparing for Euro 2020 final
end of list
Full-time
Well, Italy are champions, England runners-up and we’re off.
Thankyou for joining us on this wonderful journey that was Euro 2020 and the final.
Read our match wrap here.
Happy or sad, tomorrow is a brand new day.
Italy’s Berretteni lost to Djokovic in the Wimbledon final today but Italy’s football team made sure one trophy heads back home.
Over and out.
‘I’m too depressed for that’
Maira is still in central London, following devastated English fans.
What a moment for them, to be honest. Their team reaching the final unbeaten, having conceded just once.
Took the lead in the second minute but heartbreak from the spot yet again.
“I approached some English fans for a quick interview and they said “Sorry, I am too depressed for that”,” Maira adds.
“Another one said “Sorry, I can’t talk I don’t have strength for that”.”
How the teams compared on the night
Meanwhile, in London:
“People are leaving central London very quiet. There is a lot of rubbish on the streets and we can see a lot of people sad and disappointed,” Maira, our correspondent who has moved on from Wembley Stadium to central London, observes.
Rome is back on its feet
They had a shocking start to the game but I guess they will use all that saved up energy tonight.
“It’s crazy here,” Michela, our correspondent in Rome’s fanzone, says.
“They are all singing and dancing. The atmosphere is festive, they are all happy about it.”
And why won’t it be. Italy have just won Euro 2020.
Well, it’s coming Rome
Confirmed.
🏆 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗜 𝗗’𝗘𝗨𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗔 🏆
🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹
✨✨ #𝑹𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒐𝑨𝒛𝒛𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒐 ✨✨ pic.twitter.com/8SoUXTvgGW— Nazionale Italiana ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Vivo_Azzurro) July 11, 2021
Italy are European champions, again!
Went through the tournament unbeaten, now 34 and counting.
Conceded in the second minute of the final, hit back in the second half and will now get their hands on the trophy.
This team, remember, failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Penalty kicks
Italy ⚽ ❌ ⚽ ⚽ ❌
England ⚽ ⚽ ❌ ❌ ❌
Rome or home?
The question remains… even after 120 minutes.
Onto penalty kicks
Extra-time came, extra-time went.
No addition to the goals tally.We head over to the spot.
Final 10
This is all a bit stressful isn’t it 🙃#Euro2020Final
— Zara King (@ZaraKing) July 11, 2021
Rome remains hopeful
“Chiellini and Bonucci are the best players for Italy. You can see their experience in this kind of match,” said 29-year-old Fabrizio.
15 gone, 15 to go
Half-time in extra-time. Both sides still tied 1-1.
Fifteen more minutes before we head over to the penalty spot.
🇮🇹🆚🏴 EURO 2020 final…
See AlsoItaly 1-2 England: Euro 2024 qualifier – as it happenedItaly 1-2 England: Euro 2024 qualifier – as it happenedReaction to Italy's Euro 2020 triumph and England's penalty heartbreakUEFA Champions League coefficient: What to know as England, Italy, Germany, Spain chase fifth UCL spot👀 Who’s scoring next?#EURO2020
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 11, 2021
Italy have had 66 percent possession and have 630 completed passes.
England have managed 255.
Extra-time
We go into the 30 extra minutes now.
Italy 1-1 England
Back up and running at @wembleystadium.
Come on, England. pic.twitter.com/V9mruY7G1z
— England (@England) July 11, 2021
Meanwhile, this is what is happening outside Wembley.
Earlier, some people without tickets tried to force entry. Big police presence outside the stadium.
Police officers said they were expecting this.
Time’s up
We go into extra-time to find a winner…
Stoppage time
Now is the time for someone to score…
This can go either way… that’s how stoppage time works. Hold tight.
Final bits of advice being handed out.
Into the final 10
Ten minutes remain of normal time.
Italy leading on possession, shots on targets and passes.
But England equal on what matters the most: goals.
Italy 1-1 England
Enthusiasm is back in Rome
Substitution
Trippier off, Saka on for England.
⚽ GOAL
Italy equalise! Bonucci puts it in the back of the net.
It was scrappy, it wasn’t beautiful. But it’s an equaliser in the final of the European Championship.
Italy 1-1 England
⏱️ 67′ – WE’RE LEVEL!!!!! 🙌#ITAENG 1⃣-1⃣#ITA #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/DDw5Mbn6fm
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@azzurri) July 11, 2021
30 to go
An hour gone, England lead from that goal they scored 58 minutes ago.
Italy are pressing, with 67% possession, having a shy at goal too. But they still trail.
An hour gone. Still we lead – and on we go. pic.twitter.com/xq9PhWSo2O
— England (@England) July 11, 2021
Free-kick
Italy get another free-kick just outside the box.
But Insigne curls it wide of the post this time.
🟨 Yellow card
Italy’s Barella gets the first yellow card of the final.
Back again
So, here we go again. England get the second half underway.
Italy 0-1 England
⏱️ 46′ – Come on, boys! We can do this 💪#ITAENG 0️⃣-1⃣#ITA #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/nAaALdhree
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@azzurri) July 11, 2021
How are the Italians feeling?
Michela from the Piazza del Popolo fanzone in Rome says the mood is tense and less festive than at the start of the match. “Italian fans are disappointed with the first 45 minutes,” she adds.
They are singing “we are losing but still alive”.
Well, of course. Let’s hope for more goals in the next 45.
Good goal, timely goal, but…
They are going to be showing and analysing Shaw’s goal for the next thousand years aren’t they #Euro2020Final
— Andrew Gentry (@andrewgentry_) July 11, 2021
Half-time
Here are the updates from the last 45 minutes:
- England lead through Shaw’s second-minute goal
- Italy dominating possession, one shot on target
- Scuffles outside Wembley, people without tickets trying to force entry
- Tom Cruise, David Beckham and Prince William are in attendance
Thirty minutes gone
One-third of the match has been played. England leading through Shaw’s second-minute goal.
Italy pressing and winning the possession battle but no shots on target yet.
Oh and Tom Cruise is at Wembley too just incase you were wondering where he went after the Wimbledon final.
Fans forcing their way in
Maira, our correspondent outside Wembley, tells us the fans without tickets are forcing their way inside the stadium.
“Police trying to push those people back out. Still a lot of people trying to get in. There are some fights taking place as well.”
‘Not losing faith’
As England scored the opener, Italian fans in Rome say they haven’t lost faith just yet.
“It’s gonna be the only one, don’t worry,” Cady, an Italian-American girl, said.
Plenty of time to get back into this one, lads. 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗭𝗔! 👊#VivoAzzurro #ITA #ITAENG #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/tbNje9YQFU
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@azzurri) July 11, 2021
First goals don’t come any better that this.
How To Score Your First England Goal
A short story, by @LukeShaw23: pic.twitter.com/ODE5yYClL1
— England (@England) July 11, 2021
This game is being played at some pace! Ten minutes gone, England still in the lead and threatening to extend that.
Free-kick to Italy
Italy have a free-kick in a dangerous position. Insigne curls it well… over the top.
⚽ GOAL
Shaw scores for England! And it’s just the second minute of the game.
Wembley is rocking!
Italy 0-1 England
Kick-off
Right, then. We’re off in what will be the last match of the European Championships (this edition). Twelve months late but we’re there.
Italy get us started from left to right.
Five minutes until kick-off
Get your food, drinks, phone charger and whatever you need.
The closing ceremony has wrapped up and we’re seeing the 22 other performers on the turf.
The predictions are..
Italy to win the 2020 European Championship… according to our Twitter followers.
There, now you can all go home.
It’s buzzing inside and outside Wembley
With just over 30 minutes to go until kick-off, the stadium is filling up quite quickly. These are the scenes from inside and outside Wembley:
Playing XIs
Italy: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini (captain), Emerson Palmieri; Nicolo Barella, Jorginho, Marco Verratti; Federico Chiesa, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne
England: Jordan Pickford; Luke Shaw, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Kieran Trippier; Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips, Mason Mount; Harry Kane (captain), Raheem Sterling
Bad news for the English in Rome
Michela, our correspondent in Rome, has this update:
“For security reasons, there won’t be any English fans in the UEFA fanzone in Rome’s Piazza del Popolo. The same was the case for the semi-final against Spain.”
More room for the Italians but what about competition, man?
It’s already a party in #Rome #ITAENG #EURO2020 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/5FtFTgYnym
— Maria Michela D’Alessandro (@MMichiDale) July 11, 2021
Now, for something very important
While we talk of football, it’s also important to talk about some other serious stuff in life 👇
While you ponder over that one, think about all the laddoos (South Asian sweets) you can get if Southgate’s men are victorious:
If #Eng does win tonight it’s going to be awesome for the people who live near this mosque as laddoos will be given to all! #england #threelions pic.twitter.com/Rj7G5vuP2N
— Hasan Patel (@Hasanpatel) July 11, 2021
England in the house
Well, it’s their backyard but still..
The #ThreeLions are here! 👊 pic.twitter.com/3AsfC2wJou
— England (@England) July 11, 2021
Crystal ball time
Who is winning this one then?
England for the first time? Italy for the second? Football for the umpteenth time?
Vote now and be a winner:
Crystal ball time: Who will win the #EURO2020 final at Wembley Stadium? Vote below👇
— AJE Sport (@AJE_Sport) July 11, 2021
When in Rome…
The atmosphere is festive at the fanzone, our correspondent Michela tells us.
“There are mostly young guys but the zone is not full at the moment. The police is letting people enter the square pretty slowly.”
Mattia, Alessandro, Niccolo, Alex, and Denis are all wearing gladiator costumes and came with this banner because “if we cannot go to Wembley, football is coming to Rome”. 👇
Path to the final
Back to some football, here is how Italy and England have reached where they are today:
Developments from Wembley
Maira chips in with this from outside Wembley: “People are really crazy here, I have now come to a safer place. There are some lines of police officer dividing the type of fans that have turned up.”
Reuters news agency reporting how, by lunchtime, the pavements around Wembley were slick with beer, and underfoot resembled the stickiest of pub carpets as supporters sang, chanted and hurled drinks while police looked on.
Not a fun sight I must say.
Can Italy make it 34?
Italians are unbeaten in the last 33 matches (27 wins, six draws). That is some record! Needless to say (I’ll say it anyway), if they make it 34, they will be crowned European Champions for the second time.
Can they? Will they? We’ll have all the answers for you right here.
Let’s do it for them! 🤩💙#VivoAzzurro #ITA #ITAENG #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/1BkITddPDU
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@azzurri) July 11, 2021
Big police presence in Rome
And Michela from Rome tells us that Piazza del Popolo, one of the two fanzones set up in Rome,is surrounded by police officials and police cars.
“The fans are reaching the square singing and cheering for Italy.The two big screens at the fan zone are currently broadcasting the Wimbledon final.”
Impossible to walk around Wembley
Our correspondent Maira is taking a walk outside Wembley Stadium. And she sends us this update:
“There are loads of people arriving at the stadium, shouting, singing, people are just really happy and it is almost impossible to walk around. Loads of rubbish already on the floor and some people falling on the broken glasses, little bit dangerous.
She’s also spotted some Italian fans!
Stats Centrale
Got an appetite for some delicious freshly baked stats? Well, some stats date back to 1933 but I can safely say you can easily digest them.
Seated? Here you go: A statistical look at the Italy-England rivalry
Road to the final
Do you still remember how these teams got to the final?
You can either take a trivia in 55 years (some may ask why 55, others will know why 55) or head over to our special photo gallery:
In Pictures: Italy, England road to Euro 2020 final
Home or Rome?
What started on June 11 ends tonight: Italy take on England at Wembley Stadium in London in the final of the 2020 European Championship.
England hope that a partisan home crowd will help them lift a first major trophy since winning the 1966 World Cup at the old Wembley.
Italy have not won the Euros since 1968 but the Azzurri are on an unbeaten run of 33 games since September 2018 and have never lost against England at a major event.
Read our Euro 2020 final preview here.
