After 50 matches, it’s down to two teams in Euro 2020. Wales, Austria, Netherlands, Portugal, Croatia, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Spain, and Denmark have all suffered elimination in the knockout stages. Italy, the 1968 champions, and England, who will be playing in their first final, will battle it out for one of the biggest prizes in European football.
Semi-final Recap
Italy and Spain played out of the most exciting and thrilling matches in the tournament. After a goalless first half, Roberto Mancini’s men broke the deadlock through Federico Chiesa in the 60th minute. Spain responded with three attacking substitutions and leveled the match courtesy of Alvaro Morata in the 80th minute. The match went to extra time and then penalties despite Spain dominating the possession. Dani Olmo and Morata, who combined for Spain’s equalizer, missed their spot-kicks, while Jorginho took Italy’s fifth penalty and sent Unai Simon the wrong way to steer his team into the final.
Rock-solid England met high-flying Denmark in the second semi-final at Wembley Stadium. Mikkel Damsgaard opened the scoring from a freekick at the half-hour mark. But, nine minutes later, England leveled the game after Simon Kjaer put the ball into his own goal. The Three Lions were in complete control in the second half, but a gritty Denmark backline kept them at bay. In the first half of extra-time, Raheem Sterling won a penalty for England. Kasper Schmeichel saved Harry Kane’s spot-kick; however, the Tottenham Hotspur forward slotted home the rebound.
Final Schedule
| Date |
Match |
Timing (IST) |
| July 12 |
Italy vs England |
12:30 AM |
*IST: Indian Standard Time
Play fantasy football on Paytm First Games now!
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
Read All Articles >
