The penalties saved by Donnarumma, Chiellini and Bonucci’s fort, Emerson’s attention on the left, Chiesa’s skids. Thus Italy becomes European champion, once again on penalties as in the semifinals. Masters in their home, inside the Wembley Temple egg-filled with white and red. Here are the report cards of the Azzurri who took the field in the final against England.
DONNARUMMA 9 – Ice cream from Shaw in the start, he never really has to put gloves on for 120 minutes. Then come the penalties, Southgate puts his best to win it and Gigio is the spoilsport. Para on Sancho, is repeated on Saka. Monumental.
DI LORENZO 6.5 – The goal is his fault, but the skill lies in getting back on track immediately. Although there are difficult customers in your area. Never again a skid. On the contrary, he is careful in front of the English arrows. With a shrewd final, a super outsider European closes.
BONUCCI 9 – The equalizer, of course. The rigor, of course. But beyond that there is plenty of it. Kane canceled in the last hour of the game, the charge to the whole department, the tranquility in the management of each ball and also the trigger for the attack. Total leader.
CHIELLINI 8.5 – He is 37 years old, but you have to know it to realize it. He hits when he has to, he resolves with the class when he can. Wall everything in every way. He was and remains the best scorer in the world in one-on-one. And he proved it in front of all England cheering Kane, canceled from the final. Wall.
EMERSON 7,5 – Difficult task three times: defending on all the English centometrists, assisting the attack and not making Spinazzola regret. It does everything it has to, without smudging.
GAME 7 – You don’t see him, but he always plays the game. All the blue plots pass by him, he dictates the rhythm and does not spare himself even in the interdict phase, even with malice. Total player, even if this time he trembles from the spot. It will not be a car in the race for the Golden Ball.
VERRATTI 6.5 – Difficult game in the middle, to look for spaces and to break the restarts. Fight and squeeze, without flashes. Then he leaves the field exhausted. Precious.
STRETCHER 6 – It should give depth, fit into England’s bunker. He never succeeds and Italy suffers. His worst match in the European Championship, but he is always precious in breaking the English restart plans.
CHURCH 7.5 – He is the only one who always tries, even when others seem disoriented in the first half. Nobody follows him? He sets up on his own. Touch the goal twice, create numerical superiority, break enemy lines. He gives it all and only bends over for an ankle problem. The future is hers.
INSIGNIA 7 – Better without a building next to it, when it can move at full attack, from right to left passing through the center. He touches a hundred balls and even if this time the decisive flicker never arrives, he has the ability to pick up the team.
IMMOBILE 5,5 – Sorry to have to punish a blue player with an insufficiency in a won final. But his game is impalpable and evanescent. And the match turns when he comes out.
CRISTANTE 6 – Enter for Barella, bring centimeters and club. But also the head shot that leads to the goal.
BERARDI 6,5 – With him the attack changes skin and has the merit of opening the series of penalties with coldness. Always ready.
BERNARDESCHI 6.5 – Log in cold, not even the time to get in rhythm in an extra half hour without jolts that must already go to the disk. And he does not betray, making an encore of the semifinal.
LOCATELLI 6 – Thrown into the fray at 96 ‘, when Verratti can’t take it anymore, he is ready and reactive.
BELOTTI 6 – Called on the field in place of Chiesa at the end of regular time, he puts his body in it and lets Italy breathe on several occasions. Miss the penalty, but it is precious.
FLORENZI SV
MANCINI 10 – Only he believed it, three years ago. Instead, here we are, celebrating an unforeseeable triumph. Metro after meter he built an unbeatable national team, on the pitch and in the head. He also had the courage to change everything in the final, inventing an attack with 3 small ones and without a center forward. Who knows what this team would have done without him. He also adds the tears at the end of the game with Gianluca Vialli, which make us understand how much he cared. The 10 is an almost unusable vote, but raise your hand if you are able to find a defect, a shade in black for your national team. Author of the triumph, without ifs and buts.
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