CONTINENTAL CLASH
Argentina vs Italy as South America takes on Europe
It’s is a one-off fixture played over 90 minutes. There is no extra time, so if the match is level at the end of regulation time, it will go straight to penalties.
Madrid, May 31: Lionel Messi’s Argentina will take on Italy on Wednesday at London’s Wembley Stadium in a showdown between the South American and European champions.
That match, called the ‘Finalissima,’ will be the third time the two continental champions face off in official competition. On the other two occasions, France beat Uruguay 2-0 in 1985 and Argentina beat Denmark on penalties in 1993.
The Finalissima is a one-off fixture played over 90 minutes. There is no extra time, so if the match is level at the end of regulation time, it will go straight to penalties.
Argentina won their 2021 Copa America semifinal against Colombia on spot kicks — Emiliano Martínez saving three — before they beat Brazil 1-0 in the final, while Italy became the first team to win two shoot-outs at a single UEFA European Championship when they saw off Spain and England in the semis and final (notably at the Wembley) to win Euro 2020.
The match is part of the expansion of the cooperation between the world’s most powerful football confederations UEFA and CONMEBOL, which notably includes women’s football, futsal and youth categories, the exchange of referees, as well as technical training schemes.
As UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin explained in the past, “We are very much looking forward to exploring new opportunities together and we are eagerly awaiting the Finalissima in London in June 2022.”
Italy coach Roberto Mancini was upbeat ahead of the match. “We should have qualified for the World Cup,
but some details didn’t go our way. We have a young team: the fans are with us. Under a year ago we won the UEFA EURO 2020, deservedly. We are in the toughest group in the UEFA Nations
League,” he said.
“It’s always good to play against a strong opponent. Argentinian players, the ones that play for the national team, play for the love of the crest and their family, their friends. It was always like that and now it’s even more so,” said Lionel Scaloni, Argentina coach.
Both team will go full throttle to lay their hands on the CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions trophy which is made of brass, coated in silver plating, stands at 45cm in height and weighs 8.5kg. The shape and design is much as it was when it was originally made ahead of the first edition in 1985.
Italy and Argentina have faced each 16 times before in which Argentina have the upper-hand with six wins under their belt. On the other hand, Italy have won five of them and the other five games have ended in a draw. However, Italy have all of their last four outings against Argentina in recent times.
LIKELY LINE-UPS
Italy: Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Emerson, Barella, Jorginho, Verratti, Bernardeschi, Scamacca, Insigne. Argentina: E. Martínez, Foyth, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna, De Paul, Rodriguez, Lo Celso, Messi, L. Martínez, Di Maria. —