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Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Euro 2020: Italy vs Spain semi-final – Live - Al Jazeera English

  • Italy unbeaten in their last 32 games
  • Spain aiming for a record fourth continental crown
  • Up to 60,000 fans expected at Wembley Stadium
  • Winner to face England or Denmark in the final on Sunday

It’s a wrap

That is it. It’s time to wrap up the blog and head home.

Thank you for joining us on this great journey.. it really was an epic game of football.

Do give our match bulletin a read.. we have lots of stats thrown in for easy late-night reading.

See you tomorrow for the other semi-final.

Stay safe. ⚽

(Not sure the Italian fans are heading home anytime soon ๐Ÿ‘‡)

Italy fans celebrate after the match [Reuters]
An Italy fan celebrates after the match [Reuters]
Italians celebrate their side’s sixth win in the tournament [Reuters]

These Italians…

Failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Will now be playing in the final of the Euro 2020.

What a turnaround.

Next stop: Sunday

Italy beat Spain 4-2 on penalties.

That’s six wins out of six in the tournament. They remain unbeaten for a 33rd game. What a run that is!

They will extend their London hotel bookings.. ready for England or Denmark for the final on Sunday.

Unfortunate end for Spain. They had 65 percent possession but that did not count for much in the end.

ITALY WIN!

Italy: ❌ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽

Spain: ❌ ⚽ ⚽ ❌

Italy players celebrate after winning the penalty shoot-out [Reuters]

Time’s up

The first finalist of the Euro 2020 will be decided from the penalty spot.

A goal each for Italy and Spain in the 120 minutes. No more.

Final five

Italy, Spain, someone give us a goal.

Penalties beckon. I’m already practicing pasting goals and misses emojis on this blog…

GOAL! Hold on…

It’s in the back of the net… but Berardi ruled offside.

Spain survive. Italy enjoying a good spell.

Substitutions

Captain Busquets off, Thiago on. Extra-time second-half underway.

Bad news for Italy. Their goal-scorer Chiesa forced off. Bernardeschi replaces him.

Italy 1-1 Spain

15 done, 15 to go

First-half of extra-time gone, scores remain level.

Into the final 15 minutes of open play to find a goal.

Yellow card

Spain break on the left.. Toloi breaks that down with his right hand and gets a yellow for his efforts.

Bit of a start-stop game now. Can see smoke coming out of the referee’s whistle with all those fouls.

Italy 1-1 Spain

Morata’s record

That 80th-minute equaliser has taken Morata to the top of a list.

He’s now the highest goal-scorer for Spain at European Championships.

Here we go… again

Another 30 minutes to find a winner… otherwise it will be penalties.

Kick-off in extra-time.

Italy 1-1 Spain

End of normal time

That’s it, the 90 minutes (and some) done and dusted.

Spain ahead on possession, total shots and passes.

But Italy equal on goals scored. Onto 30 minutes of extra-time shortly…

Italy 1-1 Spain

Last five minutes

Change of personnel, change of tactics… change of scoreline too?

Five minutes of normal time to go. Not ruling out a result in normal time the way this is going.

Italy 1-1 Spain

⚽ GOAL

Morata, the super sub! Scores the equaliser in the 80th minute.

Italy 1-1 Spain

Spain’s Alvaro Morata scores [Reuters]

Heading into the last 10

Spain need a goal. Simple.

Spain coach Luis Enrique [Reuters]

Italy’s substitutions

Pessina on for Verratti

Toloi on for Emerson

Spain’s substitutions

Moreno on for Oyarzabal

Rodri on for Koke

Twenty minutes left.

Italy 1-0 Spain

A 33rd for Italy?

As things stand, Italy are on course for a 33rd match unbeaten.

They last lost in 2018… that was a long time ago.

And a reminder that Italy have conceded just two goals in this tournament so far. Spain would need to double that tally at least to stand a chance.

Italy fans celebrate after Federico Chiesa scores their first goal [Reuters]

Substitutions

Spain: Morata on for Torres

Italy: Berardi on for Immobile

⚽ GOAL!

Chiesa curls in the opener for Italy in the 60th minute from a counter-attack.

Spain’s goal-keeper Simon did not even try to stop that… he couldn’t. It was a fabulous goal from a fabulous move.

Italy 1-0 Spain

Federico Chiesa scores Italy’s opener [Reuters]

Busquets in the book

Seemed untidy but not THAT untidy. Spanish captain gets the first yellow card of the semi-final.

And he NEARLY scores a minute later! Curls it just wide of the post..

Back to work

We’re back underway… 45 minutes of normal time remain for both sides to find a goal (or five).

Let’s see who gets there first.

And we’re also the closest we’ve ever been in the match to penalty kicks… ⚽⚽⚽

Stalemate at half-time

With half the match (normal time) gone, Spain have enjoyed greater possession (65 percent) and have looked the more dangerous side but Italy have not sat back.

Unfortunately for both sides, it’s goalless.

Spain fan displays a sign inside the stadium [Reuters]
Italian fans cheer during the semi-final [AP Photo]

Five minutes until half-time

On the touchline, who would you say be the happier of the two? And with the voice intact?

Spain coach Luis Enrique and Italy coach Roberto Mancini [Reuters]

Spain’s got fans

Or is that sarcasm?

30 minutes gone

Half an hour gone and Spain the only side to have a shot on target – add 253 passes and 69 percent possession to that.

Spain’s coach Enrique did say yesterday “we are leaders in ball possession [in the tournament]”.

Dani Olmo-st

First shot on target and Dani Olmo almost scores for Spain. Good block by Donnarumma after he gave the ball away from the goal-kick.

26 minutes gone, it’s 0-0.

Massive chance for Italy

Italy attack from the left, Spain’s goal-keeper Simon left stranded on the edge of the box but Italy miss the chance to go one-up.

Back on the seats, everyone.

One-sixth of the semi-final gone

With 15 minutes being played, Spain, as they’ve done throughout the tournament, enjoying greater possession – 76 percent of it and 159 passes already.

No goals yet to show from the efforts though.

Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal in action with Italy’s Emerson [Reuters]

Even so far

Five minutes into the semi-final, no shots on target but both teams have enjoyed equal time on the ball.

Spain did have a couple of scares but the offside flag – twice – helped them stay even.

Kick-off

We’re underway. It’s Italy vs Spain for a space in the final of the 2020 European Championship.

Spain get us started from left to right.

One team is playing its last match at Euro 2020…

Italy to win…

That’s what our Twitter followers have predicted in the poll. Four minutes until kick-off

Rain or shine?

A bit of rain around in London. Could it influence play? Maybe, maybe not.

Where I’m sitting, it’s dry and it’s 33C (91.4F) with 78 percent humidity… that makes the real-feel 46C (14.8F).

And it’s past 9pm…. ๐ŸŒ™ Take your pick.

Mancini calls it 50-50

And here is what Italy’s coach Roberto Mancini said:

“If Italy and Spain have made it thus far, it means that we’ve done very well. If we’re into the semi-final, it means that we deserve to be at this stage of the competition.

“So I think it’s 50-50 with regards to who has the tag of favourites.”

‘Leaders in ball possession’

Here’s what Luis Enrique, Spain’s coach, said about his side on the eve of the semi-final:

“We are leaders in ball possession [in the tournament] but they can also make use of it and enjoy the ball, that’ll be the first battle we need to conquer.

“They can adapt to not having the ball, they’ve done that in the tournament in certain stages but they’re more comfortable with the ball and stronger with it.

Under an hour to go…

The crowd is rolling in and both teams have (finally) arrived at Wembley.

Kick-off is just 55 minutes away.

What must be going through Morata’s mind. What is going through your mind?

Tell us. Vote:

Here are the starting-XIs

Italy (4-3-3)
Gianluigi Donnarumma; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini (c), Emerson Palmieri; Nicolo Barella, Jorginho, Marco Verratti; Federico Chiesa, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne.

Spain (4-3-3)
Unai Simon; Cesar Azpilicueta, Eric Garcia, Aymeric Laporte, Jordi Alba; Pedri, Sergio Busquets (c), Koke; Mikel Oyarzabal, Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo.

Incase you missed it: Morata drops to the bench for Spain ๐Ÿ˜ฒ

Morata started every game at Euro 2020 despite criticism for his struggles in front of goal.

It’s coming Rome…

Italy’s football supporters make their way to Wembley Stadium [Tolga Akmen/AFP]
Spain supporters cheer on the stands before the match [Facundo Arrizabalaga/Pool via AP]
Italians are already celebrating… a 33rd win? [Carl Recine/Pool via Reuters]

Report card

Here’s a look at how both teams have performed at this year’s tournament.

Italy haven’t dropped any points. Spain just don’t like giving the ball away…. but have won just ONE game in normal time at Euro 2020.

Neither side has seen red… And a semi-final isn’t the best place to get your first.

A record already (almost)

Both sides will create a record at kick-off.

In just under two hours, Italy vs Spain will become the most-played fixture at the European Championships.

Predict the winner

You don’t need to be the late Paul the Octopus, that smart elephant or a super-computer to make the predictions.

It’s easy. Just head over to our Twitter page and take part in our first semi-final poll.

When is kick-off?

In two hours – 19:00 GMT

Road to the semis

Italy
Beat Turkey 3-0
Beat Switzerland 3-0
Beat Wales 1-0
Beat Austria 2-1 (after ET)
Beat Belgium 2-1

Spain
Drew 0-0 with Sweden
Drew 1-1 with Poland
Beat Slovakia 5-0
Beat Croatia 5-3 (after ET)
Beat Switzerland 3-1 (penalties)

Getting ready

How Luis Enrique got Spain to the semis

Spain’s coach Luis Enrique has coped with personal tragedy and the effect of negative public opinion to rally his young squad and lead them to the semi-finals.

He incurred the wrath of many fans and large sections of the Spanish media for leaving Sergio Ramos out of his squad and picking no players from Real Madrid.

The coach turned more heads by only picking a 24-man squad instead of 26 and for encouraging French-born defender Aymeric Laporte to switch nationalities and lead the team’s defence instead of Ramos.

He then kept Sergio Busquets in the squad after the midfielder tested positive for COVID-19, showing a sense of patience he did not afford Ramos, who had missed much of the last season through injury.

Radio Marca described Luis Enrique as “pigheaded”, adding Spain were “not cut out to win this Euros and we all know it”.

Spain coach Luis Enrique [Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool via Reuters]

Unbeaten Italy vs possession kings Spain

Italy vs Spain marks a blockbuster first semi-final at Euro 2020 with Tuesday’s game the latest episode in a burgeoning rivalry between the nations meeting in a fourth consecutive European Championship.

Italy have won all five matches at this year’s tournament. Spain boast an average possession of 67 percent.

Read our preview of the first semi-final.

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Euro 2020: Italy vs Spain semi-final – Live - Al Jazeera English
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