Italy win European Championship as England’s wait for major title goes on
POLICE INVESTIGATE RACIST ABUSE OF THREE ENGLAND PLAYERS Donnarumma saves decisive spot kick by Saka
LONDON, July 12, (AP): Italian soccer’s redemption story is complete. England’s painful half-century wait for a major title goes on.
And it just had to be because of a penalty shootout. Italy won the European Championship for the second time by beating England 3-2 on penalties . The match finished 1-1 after extra time at Wembley Stadium, which was filled mostly with English fans hoping to celebrate the team’s first international trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
Instead, just utter dejection again - they know the feeling so well - after Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italy’s imposing goalkeeper, dived to his left and saved the decisive spot kick by 19-year-old Londoner Bukayo Saka, one of the youngest players in England’s squad.
It was England’s third straight failure from the penalty spot in the shootout, with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho - players brought on late in extra time seemingly as specialist penalty-takers - also missing.
As Saka and Sancho cried, Donnarumma was mobbed by his teammates as they sprinted toward him from the halfway line after the second penalty shootout in a European Championship final.
They then headed to the other end of the field and ran as one, diving to the ground in front of the Italian fans who have witnessed a rebirth of their national team.
It was less than four years ago that
Italy plunged to the lowest moment of their soccer history by failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in six decades. Now, they are the best team in Europe and on a national-record 34-match unbeaten run under Roberto Mancini, their suave coach who has won an international trophy in the first attempt to add to the country’s other European title - in 1968 - and their four World Cups.
For England, it’s the latest heartache in shootouts at major tournaments, after defeats in 1990, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2012. They ended that losing streak by beating Colombia on penalties in the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup, but the pain has quickly returned.
“The boys couldn’t have given more,” England captain Harry Kane said. “Penalties are the worst feeling in the world when you lose. It’s been a fantastic tournament - we should be proud, hold our heads up high. It’s going to hurt now, it’s going to hurt for a while.”
It had all started so well for England, too, with Luke Shaw scoring the fastest goal in a European Championship final by meeting a cross from opposite wing back Kieran Trippier with a half-volley that went in off the post in the second minute.
It was Shaw’s first goal for England and it prompted a fist-pump between David Beckham and Tom Cruise in the VIP box amid an explosion of joy around Wembley, which had at least 67,000 fans inside. Maybe more, given dozens of ticketless England fans managed to barge their way past stewards and police and into the stadium in unsettling scenes before kickoff.
That was the only time Italy’s famously robust defense was really opened up in the entire 120 minutes.
Indeed, after Shaw’s goal, England barely saw the ball for the rest of the game.
Italy’s midfielders dominated possession, as widely predicted before the match, and England simply resorted to dropping deep and getting nine or even all 10 outfield players behind the ball. It was reminiscent of the 2018 World Cup semifinals, when England also scored early against Croatia then spent most of the game chasing their opponents’ midfield before losing in extra time.
Italy’s equalizer was merited and Leonardo Bonucci was the unlikely scorer. He put the ball in from close range after a right-wing corner was flicked on to Marco Verratti, whose stooping header was tipped onto the post by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
England managed to hold on for extra time - the way three of the last six European finals went - and actually had the better of the final stages.
Just not the shootout, again.
After the misses of Rashford - he stuttered up to the ball and then hit the post - and Sancho, whose shot was saved by Donnarumma again down to his left, Jorginho had the chance to win it for Italy.
Incredibly, the midfielder who converted the decisive penalty in a shootout win over Spain in the semifinals also failed to score as Pickford tipped the effort off the post.
Instead, it was Donnarumma who made the crucial
SOCCER
saves and within minutes he had also been named player of the tournament, the first goalkeeper to be so honored.
Meanwhile, British police opened investigations Monday into the racist abuse of three Black players who missed penalties in England’s shootout loss to Italy in the European Championship final.
The Metropolitan Police condemned the “unacceptable” abuse of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, and said they will be investigating the “offensive and racist” social media posts published soon after Italy won Sunday’s shootout 3-2 after the match ended 1-1.
The English Football Association said it was “appalled” by the “disgusting behavior,” adding that social media companies should take action to make their platforms free from this “abhorrent” abuse.
“We will do all we can to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible,” the FA said. “We will continue to do eve
rything we can to stamp discrimination out of the game, but we implore government to act quickly and bring in the appropriate legislation so this abuse has real life consequences.”
All three players targeted are part of a young England squad that has been widely praised for its diversity and social conscience. Rashford, for one, has been at the forefront of a campaign against child poverty, which convinced the British government to restore free lunches for thousands of poor children amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A mural of Rashford on the wall of a cafe in south Manchester
was also defaced in the wake of Sunday’s match. Greater Manchester Police said they were investigating the “racially aggravated damage,” which occured at 2:50 a.m.
“This is disgraceful behaviour and will absolutely not be tolerated,” Manchester police chief superintendent Paul Savill said.
Although British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves,” he has faced criticism for emboldening those booing the England team for taking a knee before their matches to protest against racial injustice.