Rewind: Italians Win Euro ‘2020’ Championship Like Never Before

The 17th European Championship is set to begin in Germany on June 14th, and in anticipation, 24hscore is highlighting some of the most memorable moments from the tournament’s history.

Historically, only three times have the World Cup or European Championship been cancelled due to non-sporting events. The tournaments in 1942 and 1946 were called off due to World War II, resuming in 1950. In 2020, the European Championships faced a similar fate, but the cause was a global pandemic, not a war.

The COVID-19 pandemic upended plans for the 2020 European Championships, which were initially intended to celebrate UEFA’s 60th anniversary with matches held across Europe. The pandemic forced a one-year postponement, pushing the tournament to 2021. Even then, numerous restrictions were in place, limiting spectator numbers in many countries and preventing many fans from travelling to support their teams.

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Given the unpredictable nature of COVID-19 outbreaks within teams, UEFA expanded squad sizes from 23 to 26 players. This rule, originally a health measure, has been maintained for the 2024 tournament due to the demanding schedules and injury risks players face today.

A Contradictory Italy

Italy’s head coach Roberto Mancini made full use of the expanded squad, fielding 25 of his 26 players throughout the tournament. Only third-choice goalkeeper Alex Meret remained unused, with backup goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu even getting two minutes of play in the final group game against Wales. Italy secured their knockout stage qualification with dominant group stage victories: 3-0 against Turkey and 3-0 against Switzerland.

Despite their strong group stage performances, Italy was not seen as a favorite to win the title. The team had missed the 2018 World Cup and, as it would later turn out, would also miss the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, between these two significant failures, Italy managed to clinch a European title, their first since 1968, marking the longest gap between European Championship victories for any national team.

It’s Coming Home!

Italy’s path to the final was marked by a series of challenging matches. They narrowly defeated Austria 2-1 after extra time in the last 16, overcame Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-finals, and edged out Spain in a dramatic semi-final that ended 1-1 before Italy won 4-2 on penalties.

In the final, Italy faced England, who had the advantage of playing at home. The final was held at London’s Wembley Stadium, and the English fans were euphoric, chanting “It’s coming home!” with hopes of finally securing a major trophy in the birthplace of football. However, the atmosphere turned chaotic both before and after the match, with fans storming the stadium gates and later expressing their frustration over the loss.

A Cagey Final

The final couldn’t have started better for England, with Luke Shaw scoring in the second minute, igniting a frenzied reaction from the home crowd. However, England’s conservative approach, with star striker Harry Kane playing deeper to protect the lead, allowed Italy to regroup. Veteran defender Leonardo Bonucci equalized from a corner, capitalizing on a rare defensive lapse from England.

With the score tied 1-1 after 90 minutes and no further goals in extra time, the match was decided by penalties.

It’s Coming to Rome!

England’s history with penalty shootouts is fraught with disappointment. They lost in the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup to Portugal, in the last 16 of the 1998 World Cup to Argentina, and in the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup to Germany before finally winning against Colombia in the 2018 round of 16. Their record at the Euros was similarly poor, with losses to Italy in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012, to Portugal in Euro 2004, and to Germany in the semi-finals of Euro 96. Their only penalty shootout win at a European Championship came in Euro 96 against Spain.

Italy’s penalty shootout history was also troubled, with losses in the 1990, 1994, and 1998 World Cups and the 1980, 2008, and 2016 European Championships. However, at Wembley, they faced an England team notoriously vulnerable in penalty scenarios. Despite missing two penalties, Italy prevailed as England missed three, allowing Italian fans to jubilantly declare, “It’s coming to Rome!”

Italy became the first team in history to win two games on penalties in a single European Championship, having previously beaten Spain in the semi-final shootout.

Team of the Tournament

• Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)
• Defenders: Kyle Walker (England), Leonardo Bonucci (Italy), Harry Maguire (England), Leonardo Spinazzola (Italy)
• Midfielders: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Denmark), Jorginho (Italy), Pedri (Spain)
• Forwards: Federico Chiesa (Italy), Romelu Lukaku (Belgium), Raheem Sterling (England)

The 2020 European Championship was a tournament like no other, marked by unprecedented challenges and memorable triumphs, epitomized by Italy’s unexpected and dramatic victory.