England certainly have to be heartbroken after failing to win Euro 2020 (Euro 2021) after losing to Italy on penalties with a score of 2-3 after a 1-1 draw in normal time in the final match which was held at Wembley Stadium, London (11/7).
On the other hand, the joy was felt by Italy after successfully lifting the trophy for the second time after winning Euro 1968.
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma appeared to be the hero of the Azzurri Team in this final match by blocking England’s three penalty kicks.
England actually appeared quite clever from the start of the match by being able to take a quick lead in the second minute.
A brilliant cross from England right-back Kieran Trippier headed home for Luke Shaw to put the Three Lions ahead in the second minute.
This proves that Gareth Southgate has chosen the right strategy by using a 3-4-3 formation and playing Trippier as a starter in this match.
The Atletico Madrid player performed well in this match. He is well positioned, has speed in attack, has an accurate pass, and Trippier is also able to help well in defense.
In addition, Southgate’s instructions to Harry Kane to come down to pick up the ball also worked effectively.
The England forward always started England’s attack from the middle of the pitch with direct passes to the wingers followed by crosses that created chances. Including Luke Shaw’s goal which originated from Kane’s idea who chose to provide feedback to Trippier.
On the other hand, Italy seemed to have lost its best rhythm at the beginning of the first half.
Roberto Mancini’s troops often make mistakes in providing feedback and play at a tempo that is too slow.
The distance between the Italian players which is too far also makes the flow of the Azzurri Team’s attack often interrupted because it is too easy to be cut by the English defense.
However, entering the middle of the first half Italy began to rediscover its best game. One-touch short play by Roberto Mancini’s men. This quick game proved effective to create several chances for Italy.
On the other hand, after winning by one goal, England made a mistake by tending to play defensively and only relying on counter-attacks. As a result, England did not have many opportunities to widen their advantage.
As a result, England actually gave space for Italy to continue to attack and finally got an equalizer through Leonardo Bonucci in the 68th minute. After conceding, the new England snapped.
In the 70th minute, Southgate changed the formation from 3-4-3 to 4-3-3 by pulling out Trippier to be replaced by Bukayo Saka. Saka occupied the right winger position and returned Mason Mount’s position to the midfield position.
However, there were not many changes that England could make in the remaining matches. On the other hand, the mentality of the Italian players is getting better by showing confidence in the game.
England finally had to waste 90 minutes by only able to play 1-1 against Italy. The match must also be continued to extra rounds, even to the penalty shootout.
Obviously this is a loss for England who do not have a good report card in penalty shootouts. And, it was proven that the Three Lions finally lost on penalties with a score of 2-3 from Italy.
On the other hand, this Italian victory proved that the mentality and experience of appearing in the final had quite an influence on the Azzurri Team’s success in winning Euro 2020.
Although, failed to win the Euro 2020 (Euro 2021), but the current England squad deserves to be maintained.
This can not be separated from the impressive record inscribed by the England national team at Euro 2020. The Three Lions have shown their might by being runners-up at Euro 2020 by conceding only two goals throughout the tournament.
Gareth Southgate’s squad also deserves to be recognized as the golden generation of England who are ready to win in other major tournaments, including the opportunity to compete at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The depth of the Three Lions squad is also inseparable thanks to the increasing quality of competition in the Premier League. This can be seen from the dominance of Premier League teams in the Champions League and in the Europa League in recent years.
In fact, in the 2020/2021 season, two English teams: Manchester City and Chelsea successfully dueled in the Champions League final. In addition, Manchester United is also a finalist in the 2020/2021 Europa League.
The current England squad is also inhabited by quality players. Starting from team captain Harry Kane who is the top scorer of the 2020/2021 Premier League, Raheem Sterling who has successfully brought Manchester City to the Premier League title, and Mason Mount who brought Chelsea the 2020/2021 Champions League.
England currently also has players with almost equal abilities in every position, both starting players and reserve players. In fact, Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini said England could win only by using reserve players at Euro 2020.
The composition of complete and quality players makes England one of the favorite teams at Euro 2020.
England’s failure to win Euro 2020 is not the end of the journey of the Three Lions golden generation. However, this failure can actually strengthen the mentality of the England players who are still quite young.
In fact, Gareth Southgate has been projected to remain in charge of England until Euro 2024. This means that the England FA is very satisfied with the performance shown by the Three Lions squad at Euro 2020.
Gareth has done a brilliant job at Euro 2020 by finishing top of Group D, eliminating Germany in the last 16, not conceding a goal until the quarter-finals and making it through to the final.
