Hello everyone and welcome to this live blog for the Euro 2020 final between Italy and England, which is set to kick off at 21:00 CEST. Both Italy and England have been two of the favourites for much of the tournament after sailing through their respective groups.
This is the start of our Italy vs England live blog, where we’ll have updates throughout the build-up and during the Euro 2020 final itself. The most recent entries are the ones nearest the top.
ITALY WIN 3-2 ON PENALTIES!
Saka… SAVED!
Jorginho… saved. 3-2.
Sancho… saved! 3-2
Bernardeschi… scores! 3-2
Rashford…misses! 2-2
Bonucci… scores! 2-2
Maguire… scores. 1-2
Belotti… saved. 1-1
Kane… scores. 1-1
Berardi… scores! 1-0
Italy to go first. At the England end.
We’re into penalties again. Oh, God.
Rashford and Sancho are on for England. Henderson and Walker off.
Florenzi is on for Emerson. He played well tonight.
Gigio with a BIG catch on the resulting free-kick. Top goalkeeping. Dominating his area.
The Chelsea midfielder was late on Phillips. Could have been a bad one. A big risk, that challenge.
Bernardeschi hit it, and Pickford fumbled but gathered on the second attempt.
He’s the first England player booked, and Italy have a free-kick but it’s quite a way from goal.
Italy now playing towards the end where they scored.
Italy will feel like they could have had a goal in that half, but the ball just evaded Bernardeschi’s toe. It’s level. Fifteen minutes to settle it or it’s going to penalties.
A nervy end to the half… Nicely positioned… But there’s a foul as the cross comes in and it comes to nothing.
Italy should lead! Emerson cross from the left but Bernardeschi can’t make contact with the ball and Pickford turns it away. Belotti sends his rebound wide.
Grealish is on for Southgate’s side. He replaces Mount.
The so-called Yorkshire Pirlo sends a shot wide from outside the box.
Verratti, Chiesa and Insigne all off now. Locatelli on for the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder.
Extra time is underway.
Belotti on for Insigne. Berardi, Belotti and Bernardeschi are now Italy’s front three.
This is going all the way to 120 minutes. All square after 90, so Italy go into extra time for the third time this summer. Does anyone know any breathing exercises?
Chiellini was caught out by Saka and had to commit a professional foul on the halfway line.
Well, that’s a lot…
The Manchester City man looks to run at Italy’s defence, but Bonucci does well and sees him out over the byline.
Chiesa has to end his night early. Bernardeschi on. What a game from Fede, though.
Insigne cautioned for a foul on Phillips.
Chiesa might need to come off. He looks injured. He’s had treatment and has come back on, but Bernardeschi is ready.
Rice, who had been excellent, is off for Henderson.
Berardi so, so close! A great ball over the top finds him in and, with Pickford coming out, he stretches but his volley goes over.
A change from Southgate with Saka coming on for Trippier. Italy will need to keep an eye on him.
From the corner, ITALY ARE LEVEL! The corner was flicked on at the near post. Chiellini was set to finish but fell under a challenge from Stones. Pickford saved onto the post but Bonucci arrived to tap in from a yard out.
Chiesa has been excellent compared to his teammates. This time he’s put in a cross in that England clear behind.
Stones comes close on the end of a corner but Donnarumma tips over.
Pickford forced into a good save down to his left. Excellent play from Italy and Chiesa to work the chance.
Italy’s two most dangerous forwards go close. Chiesa drives into the box and then Insigne picks it up and works Pickford from a tight angle.
On the end of the free-kick, Maguire climbs highest but heads over.
Bonucci now booked for a foul on Sterling Free-kick in a dangerous area for England.
Both Cristante and Berardi are on for Gli Azzurri as Mancini looks to change things up. Barella, who had been booked, and Immobile are off.
Cutting in from the left, Insigne sends a wild shot wide as he looks to curl into the top corner.
Insigne tries to curl it into the top corner but it doesn’t come down in time.
Sterling now fouls Insigne on the edge of the box. Free-kick given.
Sterling goes to ground wanting another penalty, but this time the referee waves away his appeals. Unlike in the semi-final.
The first booking of the final. Barella brings down Kane and gets a yellow card.
The second half has got going now. Italy need a goal, but they have to improve at the back as well. Let’s hope!
Italy looked better for the last 15 minutes of the half, but were made to pay for a terrible start. Even when Mancini’s men look good, though, they still seem vulnerable to a quick England attack.
From about 30 yards, Bonucci has sent an audacious shot wide. Don’t ask why he opted to shoot there…
A cross from Di Lorenzo is volleyed by Immobile but blocked by Stones. Verratti’s follow-up effort is tame and held by Pickford.
England look very dangerous, but Italy have settled a little in possession over the last 15 minutes. Still shaky at the back.
England very nearly walked their way to a second goal, but Chiesa came close then at the other end. Direct and threatening, the Juventus forward powered his way to the box and drove a low shot just wide of the bottom corner.
Verratti is more involved now and, along with Insigne and Jorginho, he has been getting some control for Gli Azzurri. A move ends with an overhit pass to Emerson, though.
Frustrated, Insigne has tried a shot from a long, long way out that dragged wide. He then turns and tells his teammates to be in better positions.
Jorginho went to ground and has had to go off the pitch. He’s back now, thankfully. But we might see Locatelli or Pessina here earlier than planned.
Kane is proving to be a handful and he wins a free-kick for England. It’s a long way from goal though and is eventually cleared, but the danger hasn’t passed.
Italy aren’t able to move the ball as they’d like to. England are pressing aggressively and buoyed on by their home support.
Things are opening up a little with both teams looking to drive through midfield. England looking the better side still.
Italy have been hit unexpectedly early with that Shaw goal. Insigne has sent a free-kick over the crossbar.
Luke Shaw has given England the lead. A Kieran Trippier cross from the right found the other full-back at the back post and he volleyed in at Donnarumma’s near post.
Both teams take a knee before kick off and Ciro Immobile gets us underway!
Siete pronti?
Wembley boos and whistles the Italian national anthem…
The Euro 2020 closing ceremony is underway, but people don’t seem to care about the – to be fair – impressive dancing choreography on the pitch.
The teams have finished their warm-ups and it’s almost time for the national anthems…
It’s time for a poll! Let us know who you think will win Euro 2020.
Well… it’s almost time #Azzurri fans. Who wins tonight?
— ForzaItalianFootball (@SerieAFFC) July 11, 2021
We have the official team news for the Euro 2020 final. England are going with five at the back, while Italy are as expected.
England: Pickford; Trippier, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Phillips; Mount, Sterling; Kane.
Italy: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Emerson; Barella, Jorginho, Verratti; Chiesa, Immobile, Insigne.
More of this. It’s appalling. Not enough police and security guards being overwhelmed. pic.twitter.com/JMxtP2Ffzk
— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) July 11, 2021
Social media is full of horrible scenes from around London but, in particular, on Wembley Way. England are trying to storm their way past security and into the stadium.
Editor-in-Chief of The Athletic UK, Alex Kay-Jelski, commented the following:
Gates being stormed at Wembley time and time again. Hundreds of people each time.
Stewards just can’t contain them.
Gates being locked. Pretty tense atmosphere@theathleticuk
— Alex Kay-Jelski (@AlexKayJelski) July 11, 2021
The Daily Mail’s Dominic King, meanwhile, said this:
If you are coming to the game tonight and you have tickets, please be careful. There have just been two separate incidents of crowds trying to storm into the stadium. Wembley Way doesn’t have the kind of atmosphere you would want on an occasion such as this.
— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) July 11, 2021
The weather forecast doesn’t look too good for kick off. Italy are likely to take on England under a downpour of rain in North London.
Neither Mancini nor Gareth Southgate are likely to make changes to their respective XIs. Italy should line up as they did in their semi-final win over Spain, with Emerson being the only player who wouldn’t be in Mancini’s first-choice XI due to Leonardo Spinazzola’s injury.
England are thought to be preparing to line up with a back four, but Southgate could mix things up again and go with a three-man backline.
Italy (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Emerson; Verratti, Jorginho, Barella; Chiesa, Immobile, Insigne.
England (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Phillips; Sterling, Mount, Saka; Kane.
Italy vs England will kick off at 21:00 CEST, which is 20:00 BST, or 15:00 ET.
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