Italy win UEFA Euro 2020 title: Records broken

Written by

Rajdeep Saha

Twitter

Last updated on Jul 12, 2021, 03:33 am

Italy have won the European Championships crown after beating England 3-2 on penalties after the match ended 1-1 after extra time. Luke Shaw handed England the lead in the second minute before Leonardo Bonucci equalized in the second half. Italy were the better side, dominating possession and the chances. England let the advantage slip by in the penalty shoot-out after an Andrea Belotti miss.

Match ends 1-1 in normal time

Harry Kane released Kieran Trippier, who had acres of space down the right. Tripper provided a cross to the far post where an incoming Shaw lashed a volley past Italy keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Italy were the dominant force from there on and came close twice via Federico Chiesa. Italy threatened more and enjoyed the comforts before Leonardo Bonucci equalized in the 67th minute.

What happened in extra time?

Raheem Sterling had a good chance to give England the lead but Chiellini was alert to thwart any advancements. Kalvin Phillips then saw his shot whistle past the post. Bernardeschi failed to make contact from a cross as Jordan Pickford stood his ground. The second half of extra time saw a more tight affair as both sides stayed strong to the task in hand.

Shaw and Bonucci script special records in a Euro final

As per Opta, Shaw's opener was the quickest ever goal scored in the final of the European Championships, as well as his first-ever for the England national team. Meanwhile, Bonucci (34 years and 71 days) has become the oldest scorer in a Euro final, beating the previous record of Bernd Holzenbein in 1976 (30 years and 103 days).

Fourth-youngest and oldest appearance records scripted

Aged 19 years and 309 days, Bukayo Saka is the fourth-youngest player to appear in the finals of the European Championships, after Renato Sanches (2016), Cristiano Ronaldo (2004), and Anatoliy Baidachniy (1972). At 36 years and 331 days, Giorgio Chiellini became the oldest player to start a final at the Euro as captain, overtaking Gianluigi Buffon in 2012 (34 years and 154 days).

Italy unbeaten in 34 matches; win second Euro crown

Italy have extended their unbeaten run to 34 games in all competitions. They have also won 14 matches in a row. The Azzurri stayed in sync with their 100% record at the Euro 2020 (W7). This was the second Euro title for Italy. This was their fourth participation in European Championship finales. They won the title in 1968 before faltering in 2000 and 2012.

England's wait for a major tournament trophy continues

England's 12-match unbeaten run came to an end. They had reached their first-ever European Championships final. Their wait for a major tournament trophy continues. They haven't won anything since the 1966 World Cup triumph.

Italy win sixth major tournament title

Italy have won their sixth major tournament title (4 World Cup, 2 Euros); among European nations. Only Germany (7) have won more honors.