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- Originally scheduled for 12 July 2020, the match had been postponed along with the rest of the tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2020_final
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The UEFA EURO 2020 final took place on Sunday 11 July 2021, kicking off at 21:00 CEST. It was originally scheduled for 12 July 2020 before the tournament was postponed due to the COVID-19...
- Italy worked out England's wing-back system - and Southgate's response was too late
- Kane suffers as England's struggle to gel a front-three hurts
- A step further, but echoes of Croatia
- When will it come home?
Image: England's manager Gareth Southgate has plenty to reflect upon ahead of next year's World Cup
Tactical flexibility was at the heart of England's success at Euro 2020. Gareth Southgate's ability to mould and shape his side into a system which would nullify an opponent's strengths and expose their weaknesses has seen England flick between back threes and back fours, and flex the shape and type of midfield and attack further up the pitch.
It appeared the manager had played another masterstroke 30 minutes into the final, with England's surprise wing-back set-up allowing them to pull Italy across the pitch in possession and have enough men back to block out any incision from the Italian attackers at the other end. Luke Shaw's goal perfectly highlighted how England had caught their opponents off guard and stretched them.
•Italy 1-1 England (3-2 on penalties) - Match report
•In-depth stats and analysis | Player ratings
•Roy Keane: 'England players can't let Bukayo Saka take that penalty'
Image: England's Harry Kane applauds the fans following defeat in the penalty shoot-out to Italy
It was a remarkable stat unearthed by Opta in the wake of the Euro 2020 final: 'Harry Kane didn't attempt a shot or create a chance for only the second time in his 61 games for England, with the other coming in a 29-minute substitute appearance against Switzerland in 2018.'
Half of any reflection on that incredible statistic should of course go to the Italy defence, led by stalwarts Chiellini and Bonucci. But there's also no getting away from the other side of the same coin: when England needed their captain the most, he wasn't there. But was that really Kane's fault?
Any striker thrives on service and Kane received none. Any centre-forward needs support and Kane barely had any. And any centre-forward needs to play as just that…and for most of the game, Kane was anything but an out-and-out centre-forward.
Kane's drift deep was surely by design and, in fairness, England's goal hinged on Kane dropping into midfield and linking up the play. But the longer the game went on, the more isolated Kane became and the more peripheral he drifted. If England's game-plan was to expose a perceived weakness of Italy on the flanks then the best that can be said of their game plan is that it worked for two minutes out of 120. For their rest, their talisman was, as a consequence of their own design, a passenger.
•Gareth Southgate: Penalty decisions are on me
Image: England's Marcus Rashford reacts after missing his penalty in the shootout
One of the positives from England's Euro 2020 campaign has been the progression. A strong defence has emerged with excitement and creativity going forward - something England fans have been crying out for. England are no longer set in a rigid structure, and can change their formation around mid-game to suit the opponent and the situation. More importantly, they can do it and win on the biggest stages.
It was different from what we had seen at the World Cup three years ago. England had progressed a step further by reaching the final and Southgate had cultivated and nurtured a truly special group of players. And for the first half an hour of the final, when England were on the front foot, it looked they would go all the way and clinch a first major trophy for the men's side since 1966.
But soon, the old England, the England that stumbled in 2018, started to creep back in. Southgate's side sat deep from pretty much the 30-minute mark onwards. Initially, it was a case of making it to half-time and regrouping, but things only got tougher.
England invited Italy onto them, sitting back and as Roberto Mancini made pro-active decisions with substitutions, their confidence only grew. England had a minor spell towards the end of the extra time period where they started to press after the introduction of Jack Grealish and Bukayo Saka, but it was never going to be enough.
Image: Only three England players averaged in Italy's half during the second half of normal time, as England looked to protect the right flank and push forward down the left
When England's rather unexpected run to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup was brought to a halt by Croatia, the sense of disappointment was palpable also but countered by the optimism Gareth Southgate managed to conjure throughout that heady summer in Russia.
Three years on, and a nation that was gripped with football fever like never before ahead of kick-off is left contemplating an all too familiar sense of anguish. For football isn't coming home, it's going to Rome.
As was the case in Moscow, England struck early, even earlier in fact, as Luke Shaw wrote his name into the history books. His sumptuous half-volley cannoned in off the post with barely two minutes on the clock as he scored the fastest goal in a European Championship final.
Shaw was the beneficiary of Southgate's bold pre-match tactical switch, as England's wing-backs tormented Italy in the wide areas. The only criticism of England's rumbustious start, however, was that no one was able to follow in the Manchester United defender's footsteps.
Italy took their time to get their heads around England's formation, but when they did, they steadily hauled the Three Lions back within reach. Leonardo Bonucci got the all-important equaliser midway through the second half, and the expectation that clearly weighed so heavy on England shoulders transferred into anxiety.
A reluctance to really push on for that winner, for Southgate to turn to his bench sooner, left England at the mercy of their old nemesis - the penalty shootout - and in the cauldron of an expectant Wembley Stadium, the pressure told.
England became the third nation in the 21st century to lose the European Championship final on home soil, following Portugal in 2004 and France in 2016.
- UEFA Euro 2020
- Wembley Stadium , London
Dec 4, 2021 · Dec 4, 2021. By the time England ’s first appearance in the final of a major tournament since 1966 had reached penalties, many on duty at Wembley that night were praying Italy would win: the...
Jul 11, 2021 · England's bid to end their 55-year wait for a major trophy ended in the familiar agony of defeat in a penalty shootout as Italy claimed the Euro 2020 crown at Wembley.
Jul 10, 2021 · Here we explain why the final of the European Championship will take place late on Sunday night for a domestic audience. Why is 8pm BST the chosen time?
Jul 12, 2021 · No-one should begrudge Italy their victory, their crown in winning the European Championships. But this felt desperately tough on England given their campaign; on their young team and on...
