itsbeautifuloutside

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IBO Reporter: Spot51

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|So a month of football and the team that began the tournament comes to the home of the side that played all but one game at home. In Brazil, home advantage did not help Brazil, who lost the Copa final 1-0 to Argentina. Will Wembley help or hinder England?

For news and stuff I prefer ITV, but returned to the “Ad-free” BBC for this one. One of Drew’s old drinking buddies, Pete, joined me to watch the game. He grew up in Ryde, supporting bloody Spurs, but after many years living in Nottingham converted to Forest. He now lives in Manchester but his family’s “birthday season” is July and always comes “home” few a few weeks each Summer.

After a dry day in London and a Men’s final played under an open roof at Wimbledon (where the Italian lost), by the evening it was raining at Wembley. I watched Gareth Southgate’s pre-match interview and his smart suit was getting soaked. I didn’t concentrate on much of the rest of the 100-minute preview – for a 90-minute match…

Italy were nominally the home side and were unaltered from the side that defeated Spain. The actual home side returned to a 3-4-3, with Trippier in and Saka to the bench. At least both sides were able to play in their home strips and Italy belted out their anthem, despite the boos from England’s mentally challenged minority. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge led the singing of God Save The Queen.

Millionaire Bjorn Kuipers became the first Netherlander to referee a major final and it was good to see both England and Italy take a knee before kick-off. Guy Mowbray and Jermaine Jenas were on vocals and England nervously conceded an early corner, which they were able to deal with.

As England moved forward, Luke Shaw rolled the ball inside to Kane and began to trot up England’s left. The #9 saw Tripper in space on the right and found him with a diagonal pass. He moved forward as Walker sprinted past him on the overlap and England’s forwards broke into the Italian box. Ignoring all these, Trippier saw Mount and Shaw making runs towards the far post and launched his cross in their direction. It was the former Saints left back who reached the ball, hitting a hard half-volley off the Wembley turf and past Donnarumma at his near post. Under 2 minutes gone and England were ahead.

As Italy tried to settle, Chelsea duo Jorginho and Mount exchanged fouls. On 7', Shaw’s foul on Chiesa gave Italy their first shooting chance, but Insigne’s shot was wide. Then Chiellini’s foul on Sterling allowed Tripper to put another cross into the box, but it was the Italian captain’s head that cleared the danger. The rain was falling harder when Insigne lofted a ball over the England defence, but Pickford was off his line to reach it before Immobile. England then won a brace of corners, one directly and one not, but both ended in the gloves of Italy’s huge keeper. On 17' Jorginho found Emerson overlapping but up went the flag – eventually.

Play stopped on 22' when Jorginho was down. The Italian was treated both on, then off the pitch, before being waved back on. Phillips was having another decent match and on 25' he tracked back and won a goal kick as Italy got forward. Walker then got Trippier away on England’s right, but he too was flagged offside.

By now the game had become very even, with Italy starting to see more of the ball and Verratti starting to call the tune in midfield. On 28' he found Insigne, but the Napoli man’s shot flew wide. England were now struggling to bring the ball out and, in the manner of all previous Italian teams, quite happy to employ the dark arts – as Mount found when he tried to go by Di Lorenzo.

Italy grew in confidence and on 35' Chiesa left Rice for dead and sent a fierce shot just wide of Pickford’s post – their closest effort yet. Shaw was still trying to drive forward on England’s left, but when his cross came in, it was an Italian head that got there first. Up at the other end Insigne sent a pass through England’s back line, but Immobile had gone to soon – offside. When Mount’s foul allowed Verratti to swing another cross into the England box, it was Luke Shaw who headed it away.

The half ended with Italy camped in the other half. In added time Stones did well to block Immobile’s shot, before Jorginho set up Verratti who drew a save from Pickford. The final attempt of the half came from Bonucci, but his shot was way off target. England were probably the happier to hear the half time whistle. 1-0.

Neither side made personnel changes, but Italy clocked up the first yellow card for Barella’s foul on Kane. Sterling then barrelled forward and went down as he tried to get between two defenders. The Dutch referee told him to get up as he followed play up-field. Sterling himself was then penalised for a foul on Insigne just outside the box. Italy’s #10 took it himself, missing the far post.

Walker, on the other hand, was coolness personified. When Chiesa pounced on Kane’s error and floated a cross towards the far side of the box, the City defender stepped inside his man and headed the ball back to Pickford. Ten minutes into the half, Italy began making changes, bringing on Cristante and Berardi for Barella and Immobile.

Sterling went on a run down the left, but out came Bonucci - with sufficient force to get his name taken by Mr Kuipers. Shaw sent over the free kick which reached Maguire, but his header went too high. Italy then tightened the screw. Insigne set up Chiesa whose shot came back off a defender. Insigne recovered the ball, drove into the box and drew a smart block from Pickford at his near post. You sensed what would happen…

On 62', Pickford made his best save yet. Chiesa carried the ball across England’s box before loosing a low shot that Pickford dived full length to stop. This spurred England forward, forcing Di Lorenzo into giving away a corner. Trippier’s cross found the head of Stones and Donnarumma saw fit to tip it over (England’s 2nd and last attempt on target – before penalties).

The second corner was headed away by Bonucci and Italy swept up the park. Maguire was back just in time to head over his own bar. Bryan Cristante was now on corner duty from the right and his cross found an Italian head – I think it was Chiesa who sent the ball towards the back post, where Mount and Stones were failing to mark Verratti and Chiellini. Both Italians got goal-side of their markers and it was Verratti who met the ball as it bounced up, but Pickford did well to get a hand to it. Sadly for the Everton stopper the ball carried on, hit the post and bounced out behind him. Kane had dropped back onto the line but was back on his heels. The only man moving towards the ball was Bonucci and he was rewarded with a close-range tap in. 1-1 and game on!

Southgate immediately reverted to 4-3-3, with Saka replacing Trippier and England hoping to get back onto the front foot. However, the Italians seemed to have found a higher gear, as even their defenders were now moving up in search of another goal. It was Bonucci who set up Berardi but the Sasuolo striker fired wide. With Italy’s shot count rising, England took off Rice who’d had another decent match, but clearly hoped the older, wiser Henderson could wrest control of midfield from the blue tide. As England tried to build, the Italians were happy to foul them – Jorginho on Maguire (twice) and Verratti on Saka an a few minutes. Before Walker could take the free kick for this latest foul, Insigne was down and the medics were on for along while.

When play resumed, Insigne was not prepared to chase Phillips and tripped him instead, earning him a booking. Mount’s free kick was headed out, but collected by Shaw. He took a pot at goal from distance, but this time did not trouble the score keeper. On 86' the very decent Chiesa was obliged to come off, replaced by his Juventus team-mate Bernardeschi. Six minutes of added time were signalled, followed by a string of fouls by both sides. The last, and worst, of these was by Chiellini who, threatened by the pace of Saka, grabbed the youngster’s collar and dragged him to the ground. The yellow card was brandished again. In between the fouls there was one last demonstration of cool, when Walker repeated his earlier feat, this time getting goal-side of his man and chesting the ball back to Pickford. Proceedings were halted by the referee’s whistle – 1-1 after 90m.

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Extra Time

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During the break, Mancini replaced Insigne with Torino’s Andrea Belotti wearing the #9 shirt. England made no further changes.

Bernardeschi tried to play in Emerson who was again offside, but both sides now looked a little more tentative. No room for any errors now, Sterling got forward forcing Chiellini to concede a corner, but Italy decided to bring on Locatelli for Verratti before it was taken. The ball broke for Phillips outside the box, but his speculative effort went past the post. Maguire then got rid of Di Lorenzo’s cross, but Belotti got the ball, his shot had the sting taken out of it, giving Pickford an easy catch. England went up the other end where Mount, wide left, was fouled by Jorginho. The Chelsea man went to take the free kick, but saw his number was up. To massive cheers, England brought on Jack Grealish instead.

England looked a little livelier, but it was still the Italians causing more problems. The offside flag stopped Belotti in his tracks, but soon after he was in again, shooting just wide of Pickford’s goal. When Grealish finally got involved, he laid a cute pass on for Saka, but the Arsenal man ran the ball out. On 105', Bernardeschi set up Locatelli, but Phillips got an important block on the shot. We had 2' added, littered with fouls and not much else.

The final 15' saw Maguire booked for a foul on Belotti. Bernaedeschi took a direct strike, but Pickford saved his free kick. England got up field and Grealish took aim, but Italian bodies deflected his effort. Locatelli then found Belotti, who was again offside. On 113' Jorginho saw yellow for his foul on Grealish which, in slow motion, looked like it might have warranted a red. The Chelsea man may have gained sympathy, as both players had medics on to treat them. Both were able to continue and the free kick was caught by Donnarumma. Italy then brought on PSG’s Florenzi as a straight swap for Emerson.

With minutes left, both Sancho and Rashford waited to come on. We’d heard England had been practicing penalties and it appeared that these two were expected to take two of them. The ball remained in play until Florenzi won a corner and the two youngsters replaced Henderson and Walker. Another 3' were signalled. England cleared the corner kick, but Bernardeschi gathered the ball, crossed it and Cristante headed wide of the post – the last attempt of the final.

Italy bossed possession without doing much with the ball until time ran out. My notes say “Frig it. Bloody penalties!”

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Penalty Shootout

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It seemed that Harry Kane won the toss and chose to take the kicks at the “England end”. He was presumably unaware that sides who go first win penalty shootouts more often than not. Chiellini opted to go first.

Sassuolo’s Berardi was first up. He looked confident and sent Pickford the wrong way. 1-0.

Harry Kane took the captain’s part, taking England’s first spot kick and firing low and hard beyond the dive of Donnarumma. 1-1.

Next up was Belotti who went low to Pickford’s left. The keeper guessed right and saved it. Still 1-1.

It was noticeable that after each penalty Pickford collected the ball and handed it to the next taker and not leave them to go get it themselves. All Harry Maguire had to do was put the ball on the spot and stick it in. The keeper went right, Harry put it high into the opposite corner. 1-2 England.

If I was awarding a MoM for the final I’d probably go for Leonardo Bonucci. He came up to take Italy’s third and launched it into the top corner giving Pickford no chance. 2-2.

Next up was Rashford an experienced penalty taker. His low shot beat the keeper but not the post, bouncing away from goal. Still 2-2.

Bernardeschi took Italy’s 4th. Blasted it down the middle as Pickford dived to the side. Italy now 3-2.

Sancho came next. He had clearly been sent on for this but stuck his shot to Donnarumma’s left but the big keeper guessed right and turned it away. Still 3-2.

When Jorginho strode up most watchers assumed here came the coup de grâce. How many times have we seen his dodgy run up, followed by sticking the ball away for Chelsea? Well, not tonight. Pickford went right, got a touch and the ball rebounded off the post into his arms. Still it remained 3-2.

England had to score to take it to “sudden death”. Dunno about you, but I was shocked to see the youngest player on the park come out to take the next penalty. Saka must have bottle but he went the same side as Sancho. So did Donnarumma. All over. 3-2 and Italy were Champions.

Football had come – and gone - to Rome!

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