It just had to be, didn’t it?
And so, after 55 years of waiting, England’s return to a major final will be settled by – yes, you guessed it – a penalty shootout.
Despite making a dream start to the final of Euro 2020 thanks to Luke Shaw’s second-minute opener, England failed to build on their lead.
In the second half, Gareth Southgate’s men were made to pay as Italy tightened their grip on the match, steadily creating more and more chances until the eventually drew level through Leonardo Bonucci.
Italy were more on top in the second half, with Federico Chiesa a constant threat until eventually being withdrawn through injury. His departure saw Italy lose some of their attacking menace, but Roberto Mancini’s men remained the team in control as the time ticked away.
Extra-time followed, but again, England – clearly exhausted with every passing second – failed to muster anything more than a few half-chances.
Italy might have finished the additional time with ten men after Jorginho followed through with his studs up on Jack Grealish. The referee, who was yards away from the incident with a clear view, deemed it a yellow card, and no VAR review followed.
