The Euro 2020 semi-finals are here and first up it’s Italy versus Spain at Wembley. We’re about 25 minutes away from kick-off, here’s how the teams will start:
Italy: Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Emerson Palmieri, Barella, Jorginho, Verratti, Chiesa, Immobile, Insigne.
Subs: Sirigu, Locatelli, Belotti, Berardi, Pessina, Acerbi, Cristante, Bernardeschi, Bastoni, Florenzi, Toloi, Meret.
Spain: Simon, Azpilicueta, Garcia, Laporte, Jordi Alba, Koke, Busquets, Pedri, Ferran Torres, Oyarzabal, Olmo.
Subs: de Gea, Diego Llorente, Pau Torres, Marcos Llorente, Morata, Gerard, Thiago, Sanchez, Gaya, Rodri, Fabian, Traore.
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany).
Who do you fancy to advance tonight?
Poll Results:
Some fans outside the stadium before the game:
We’re underway in London!
3 mins – Italy 0-0 Spain
CHANCE! Barella crashes a shot off the post but he’s adjudged to have been offside when Emerson played him through. Nice move by the Italians.
11 mins – Spain are probing and moving the ball from one side to the other. Italy, led by Veratti, are putting pressure on their opponents inside their own half.
12 mins - Half chance for Spain after a few neat triangles. Their passing has been crisp in the last five minutes. A lovely through pass from Pedri finds Oyarzabal but he’s unable to control it in the area.
17 mins - Barella takes the ball off Busquets and the Barcelona midfielder pulls him back. Insigne dinks it over the Spanish line on the edge of the area, but Simon deals with it.
23 mins - Italy come forward with the ball and Chiellini’s cross-field ball sails over Chiesa’s head and over the sideline. Mancini’s side have struggled to retain possession at midfield. Spain have had 70% possession so far in this game.
25 mins – Spain have looked sharper and force an excellent save from Donnarumma, who gets down quickly to his right to make a good save from Dani Olmo.
The goalkeeper’s poor clearance was picked up by space and Pedri is influential as the ball makes its way to Olmo inside the area. It’s an excellent save from the former AC Milan stopper.
27 mins - Italy lack the sort of energy that’s been their hallmark so far. The Spanish, despite twice going to extra-time in this tournament, are dominating this game and look the fresher side.
31 mins - After some slack midfield play by Italy, Veratti gets robbed and Olmo drives forward. He takes the shot on despite having options either side and it flies over the bar. It’s all Spain at the moment. Italy need to get their foot on the ball in midfield.
36 mins - Emerson carries the ball down the middle, decides to go on his own but Busquets performs a perfectly timed tackle to intercept. Spain are back in possession.
39 mins - Spain flash the ball about and work it over to Oyarzabal on the right side of the penalty area. His left footed strike sails high and wide. It all arrived on a Spanish counter-attack after Insigne lost possession.
42 mins - Pedri is picking up some great positions. He plays a one-two with Olmo but the return pass is shepherded by to Donnarumma by Chiellini.
44 mins - Emerson and Insigne link up down the left flank as they create a two v one situation. Emerson’s strike hits the frame of the woodwork and travels wide. Good move by Italy. That’s more like it from Mancini’s men.
HALF-TIME – SPAIN 0-0 ITALY
It’s been an entertaining first-half without much goalmouth action. Spain have dominated possession but have lacked quality in the final third. Italy are struggled to put together passing moves in midfield, although Insigne has looked lively up front. A good second-half is in store.
Some first-half action from Wembley:
What change would you make for either side? Let us know in the comments section.
No changes for either side as the second-half begins.
49 mins – Spain are pushing for a goal here. Donnarumma punches clear a corner which arrived after Di Lorenzo turned away Dani Olmo’s searching cross with Ferran Torres lurking behind him.
52 mins – Italy attack and Chiesa gets a look at goal, getting his shot on target.
57 mins - Torres goes for a curler on the edge of the area but he’s blocked down. At the far end, Oyarzabal’s shot on goal is well saved by Spain. Both sides are threatening now.
GOAL! Chiesa gives Italy the lead against Spain.
60 mins - Italy 1-0 Spain
Chiesa’s second goal of the tournament gives Italy the lead on the hour mark. A lightning fast Italian counter attack sees Insigne attempt a through ball which falls into Chiesa’s path. The midfielder smashed the ball home with such accuracy that Simon didn’t even dive.
Now Spain’s task is to break down this Italian defence.
64 mins - Glorious chance for Oyarzabal after a lovely through ball from Koke, but he fails to connect with his header. Minutes later Olmo mishits a shot wide.
Subs are introduced for both sides as Domenico Berardi replaces Ciro Immobile for Italy and Spain bring on Alvaro Morata in place of Ferran Torres.
67 mins - Italy put together a nice counter attack and Chiesa brings it forward before putting through Berardi. He forces a good save from Simon. This game is really opening up now as Spain chase an equaliser.
Enrique is about to bring on two more subs here…
72 mins - Italy are camped in their own half now. Laporte hangs a ball into the area but it’s easily cleared. Pedri sends the it back into the danger zone but Donnarumma is fouled by Azpilicueta when he looked to be in trouble.
Meanwhile Spain replace Oyarzabal with Moreno and introduce Rodri for Koke.
Verratti comes off for Pessina on the Italy team.
76 mins - Morata gets in behind the Italy defence after a lovely threaded pass by Lorenzo. Bonucci sticks out his left leg and puts it out for a corner, which is cleared.
79 mins – Berardi strikes after Spain lost possession in their defence but Simon saves.
GOAL! Morata equalises for Spain in the 80th minute.
80 mins - Morata picked it up in front of the Italy defence from a long ball, played a neat one-two with Olmo and finished low into the bottom corner. An old-fashioned centre-forward’s goal.
We’re in for a rip-roaring final 10 minutes here.
84 mins - Morata gets in behind again and tees up Gerard on the edge of the area. The shot is blazed over the bar.
Italy introduce Locatelli and Belotti for Insigne and Barella, while Spain replace Azpilicueta with Llorente.
Here’s a look at Morata’s goal:
Italy 1-0 Spain - Chiesa breaks the deadlock with a terrific goal. Can Spain get past the blue wall in response? #ITAESP #EURO2020 #RTEsoccer
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) July 6, 2021
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FT – ITALY 1-1 SPAIN
We’ll have extra-time shortly.
It’s Spain’s third game in-a-row that heads to extra-time.
Who do you fancy to go through from here?
Poll Results:
Here we go for extra-time.
ET 4 mins – The pace of the game has slowed dramatically in the opening few minutes of extra-time. At this rate it looks like penalties could be on the cards.
ET 7 mins - Olmo is still full of running and he is taken down by Toloi on the flank. Olmo drills the free-kick low and hard into the danger zone. Donnarumma parries it out to Morata who fires it back in. It’s eventually goes out for a goal kick.
ET 12 mins – Gerard whips in a glorious cross at pace towards Morata and Donnarumma punches clear. That was a decent opportunity for Spain.
ET 13 mins - Olmo is still going strong here. He threads through a pass to Morata but it’s slightly overhit and runs out wide.
ET 15 mins - Llorente whips a low cross into the Italian penalty area and Chiellini clears. Chiesa looks like he’s struggling with an injury and may have to come off here.
HALF-TIME IN EXTRA-TIME: SPAIN 1-1 ITALY
Italy look out on their feet and Spain are dominating things. Mancini’s side look to be hanging on for penalties.
Spain have introduced Thiago for Busquets as the second-half of extra-time gets going.
ET 17 mins – Italy goalscorer Chiesa is coming off and Bernardeschi is on for the final 14 minutes of the contest. Meanwhile Spain have a free-kick halfway into the Italy half, but Thiago’s ambitious shot is easily dealt with by Simon.
Cramp has forced Spain’s Eric Garcia to go off and he’s replaced by Pau Torres.
ET 20 mins - Berardi slots home a lovely finish after a ball over the top but it doesn’t count as he’s offside. Italy thought they had a winner there!
ET 24 mins - Italy counter and Berardi is almost found with a through ball but it’s cut out. At the far end Moreno puts a cross into the area but there’s not enough white jerseys to contest it and it’s easily collected by Donnarumma.
ET 29 mins - Pedri tries a through ball but it’s cleared by Italy, before Thiago’s pass runs out for a goal kick. The Italians look like they’ve settled for spot kicks while Spain don’t have enough energy to break them down.
WE GO TO PENALTIES
Italy penalty 1 – SAVED
Locatelli shot is denied by Simon.
Spain penalty 1 – MISS
Olmo fires it over the bar.
Italy penalty 2 – GOAL
Belotti sticks it into the bottom corner.
Spain penalty 2 – GOAL
Moreno slots it home.
Italy penalty 3 – GOAL
Bonucci does the business.
Spain penalty 3 – GOAL
Italy penalty 4 – GOAL
Italy lead 3-2 after Bernardeschi’s brilliant finish.
Spain penalty 4 – SAVED
Morata’s low penalty is saved by Donnarumma, and Italy can win it with the next spot kick.
Italy penalty 5 – GOAL
Jorginho with the coolest of finishes to send Italy into the final.
Italy beat Spain 4-2 on penalties to reach the Euro 2020 final
Brazilian Jorginho sends Italy into the final to face the winners of Denmark and England.
What a night at Wembley, thanks for joining us.
