Euro 2020, Italy beat Spain in penalty shoot-out: Records broken

Written by

Rajdeep Saha

Twitter

Last updated on Jul 07, 2021, 03:18 am

Italy reached the UEFA Euro 2020 final after overcoming Spain 4-2 on penalties in the semis. The match ended 1-1 both in normal and extra time as both teams had chances. In the penalty shoot-out, Spain saw Dani Olmo and Alvaro Morata miss their kicks as Italy marched on to the final. Italy will face the winner between England and Denmark. Here's more.

The match ends 1-1 in normal time

Spain looked like the bigger threat in a goalless first half. Ferran Torres' shot went just wide as Dani Olmo saw his effort drawing a top save. Italy got the lead in the second half with Federico Chiesa curling his shot into the bottom corner. Spain had a couple of chances and it was Alvaro Morata, who equalized for them in the 80th minute.

What happened in extra time and the penalty shoot-out?

The first half of extra time saw Leonardo Bonucci block Marcos Llorente's effort ahead of the empty goal. Italy's Domenico Berardi slotted the ball into the back of the net but the goal was ruled out for off-side. In the penalty shoot-out, Manuel Locatelli saw his shot get saved before Olmo blasted over. Morata then missed his kick for Spain as Italy emerged winners.

Spain's Morata smashes these records

Morata is the second player in Euro Championship history to score three-plus goals in two editions (2016 and 2020), after Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (2012, 2016, and 2020). Morata (6 goals) has scored more goals at the European Championships than any other Spain player, overtaking Fernando Torres' five goals. Morata is also the first Spanish player to score for both club and country at Wembley.

Italy unbeaten in 33 games across competitions

Italy extended their unbeaten run to 33 games in all competitions (W28 D5). The Azzurri have maintained their 100% record at the Euro 2020 (W6). They won their 13th successive match across competitions. Italy beat Spain for only the third time in 15 meetings. This is the second successive occasion where the Italians have eliminated Spain at the Euros.

Contrasting records for Italy and Spain

As per Opta, Italy have now reached their 10th major tournament final (World Cup/Euros). Germany (14) have participated in more major tournament finals amongst European nations than Italy (including Euro 2020). Spain failed to progress from a semi-final of a major tournament (World Cup/Euros) for the first time in history. They had previously reached the final in each of their previous five semi-final appearances.

Unique record for Italy

As per Opta, the Azzurri have become just the second side in European Championship history to have as many as five different players (Chiesa, Pessina, Insigne, Immobile, and Locatelli) score 2+ goals at a single edition of the competition, after France in 2000.

The winning penalty