Italy booked their place in the UEFA Euro 2020 final in dramatic fashion after a 4-2 win on penalties decided their semi-final tie against Spain on Tuesday evening.
Contrary to general opinion before the game, it was Spain that began the game on the front foot. Luis Enrique’s men had the better chances in the first half while successfully keeping their more fancied opponents at bay.
And so it was against the run of play that Italy took the lead in the 60th minute as Federico Chiesa put the finishing touches on an incisive counter-attack. However, Spain did not let their heads drop and regained parity in the 80th minute. Alvaro Morata came off the bench and coolly slotted home a well-worked equalizer.
Although both sides looked dangerous in attack, neither goalkeeper was unduly tested as the game went into extra time. However, both sides seemed to prioritize not conceding over scoring as an uneventful 30 minutes fizzled out and gave way to a penalty shootout.
Stepping up to put his side back on level terms with four penalties taken by both sides, Morata’s evening then took a turn for the worse. His crucial miss left the door open for Jorginho to send Italy through with a nerveless spot-kick that sent Italian players, staff, and fans alike into raptures.
The Italians now await the winners of the second semi-final between England and Denmark, which is set to take place on Wednesday evening ahead of the final showdown on Sunday.
On that note, here are the hits and flops from an eventful semi-final tie.
