Italy won the European Championship for the first time since 1968, as their goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma saved two England penalties en route to a 3-2 penalty shootout win after the teams had fought out a 1-1 extra-time draw at a raucous Wembley Stadium, London yesterday.
The giant keeper saved from Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after Marcus Rashford hit a post, as Federico Bernardeschi, Leonardo Bonucci and Domenico Berardi all scored for the Italy.
Luke Shaw had given England a dream-start with a superb goal after two minutes but Italy, which offered almost nothing in response in the first half, gradually took control and levelled through Bonucci after 67 minutes.
It was the first final to be decided on penalties since Czechoslovakia beat West Germany in 1976, and will be wildly celebrated in Italy after it lost in the final in 2000 and 2012.
Italy had most of the control after halftime and in extra time, and England can have few complaints after its early promise faded away.
It was heartbreaking for most of the 67,000 crowd at Wembley as England came up short in its first major final since it won the FIFA World Cup 55 years ago.
It all started so well for England when Harry Kane spread the ball wide to Kieran Trippier who sent over a curling deep cross that the fast-moving Shaw met on the half volley to hammer inside the post for his first international goal.
England had taken an early lead in its 2018 World Cup semifinal against Croatia before eventually being outplayed and beaten in extra time, but it did not look like giving up the initiative yesterday on home soil, playing on the front foot, though failing to threaten Italian goalkeeper, Donnarumma , Italy winning 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in extra time.
