All football fans are waiting for the final of the second most important football tournament in the world after the World Cup, in which the heavily armed England team will face Italy’s experience and its firewall.
Euro 2020 final date
Italy and England will play in the final of the European Nations “Euro 2020” tomorrow, Sunday, at 19:00 GMT.
The fiery confrontation will take place at Wembley Stadium in the English capital, London, meaning that the England team will be supported by playing at home and among its fans.
Italy and England confrontations
This is the first time that the English have qualified for the final of the European Nations Championship, while the Italians have experience in that tournament, as this is the fourth time they have run in the final, and they are seeking to win their second title after an absence of 53 years, where they won their only title in 1968
The English seek to benefit from playing at home, but they have to realize that only 3 teams have won the title at home, namely Spain in 1964, Italy in 1968 and France in 1984.
France lost the tournament in the final at home in 2016, and the Portuguese also lost it in 2004.
The Three Lions team has a bad history in the victory over the Azzurri, as Italy and England met in 27 matches previously, in which England won 8 matches, and Italy managed to win 11 matches, and the two teams tied in 8 matches.
But the English excel in the goals scored, as they scored 33 goals against the Italians, while the Azzurri scored 31 goals.
The last confrontation of the two teams was in May 2018, and it was a friendly meeting at Wembley Stadium and ended in a draw with a goal for each of them.
The last official match between them was in the 2014 World Cup, in which the Italian national team won with two goals to one.
The last official match between the two teams in the Euro Championships was in the 2012 edition of the quarter-finals, in which the Azzurri won on penalties.
The road to the final
The Italians and the English had a very balanced way to reach the Euro 2020 final.
In the group stage, Italy managed to top Group A, in which it was playing with the teams of Wales, Switzerland and Turkey, while England topped Group D alongside Croatia, the Czech Republic and Scotland.
In the round of 16, Italy defeated Austria with two goals to one, while the English overcame the German obstacle with a clean double.
In the round of 8, the Azzurri defeated Belgium with two goals to one, while the “Three Lions” defeated Ukraine 4-0.
In the semi-finals, Italy overcame Spain’s obstacle with great difficulty on penalties after the end of the original time with a positive tie with a goal each, while England overcame Denmark in extra time and won with two goals to one, thanks to Harry Kane’s killer goal.
Young people in front of experience
The confrontation of Italy and England is a confrontation between the young people that the English enjoy in their new updated squad, and the Italian experience, especially its fire defense wall.
And the rock of Italy’s defense, Leonardo Bonucci, confirmed that the England team is better prepared, because of its young squad.
“But we are not afraid to play at Wembley, because what will happen during our match with England is the best display of European and world football by England, Italy and the refereeing staff,” Bonucci said.
He described the confrontation as between the “impaired” of Italy’s defense and the “youth” of England, referring to the speed of the attackers and wings of the “Three Lions” team.
Regarding Harry Kane’s performance, Bonucci said: “We will find out his performance in the next match. In the last three games we have been fortunate to face the best strikers in the world such as Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku and Spain’s Alvaro Morata. He is an additional motivation for us.”
“We have no excuses, we don’t feel tired, we will be ready to go to battle,” he said.