Roberto Mancini has let emotions get the best of him after guiding Italy to an astonishing, albeit unexpected Euro 2020 success. Gli Azzurri prevailed in a nerve-shredding penalty shoot-out duel against England at Wembley to wrap up their first continental trophy since 1968.
Despite falling behind after just two minutes, courtesy of Luke Shaw’s half-volley, the Italians never abandoned their hope of upsetting a full-packed Wembley. Mancini’s men dominated possession and kept England in their opening third for most of regulation time, even though they failed to create many clear-cut chances.
However, Juventus stalwart Leonardo Bonucci took advantage of a chaotic situation inside Jordan Pickford’s six-yard box to level the score in the 67th minute and take the grand final to extra time. Both teams were focused on keeping the opposition at bay which saw the match head into penalties, where Gianluigi Donnarumma stole the show.
Italy are now 34 matches unbeaten, dating back to September 2018…
?? Roberto Mancini ?#EURO2020 | #ITA https://t.co/yhvdAXLd0s pic.twitter.com/9tuVspuZv8
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 11, 2021
The new Paris Saint-Germain keeper denied the likes of Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka to hand Italy their first major tournament success since the 2006 World Cup. With the emotions boiling over in the aftermath, Mancini shared his view of the final.
“We conceded the goal straight away and struggled, but then dominated from there on,” he told RAI Sport through tears. “The lads are marvellous, I don’t know what more to say. It’s important for all the people and all the fans.
“We are happy that we played well when winning the game. I hope the supporters are celebrating right now. We’re happy now, that’s all that matters.“
A memorable win against England stretched Italy’s remarkable unbeaten streak in all competitions to 34 matches, a run they embarked on back in 2018.