Euro Finals Recap

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Sunday afternoon's final was likely the most anticipated soccer match for England fans in my lifetime. Though the English team made the World Cup semis in 2014, this game presented the best opportunity for England to bring home a major international trophy for the first time in over 50 years. Couple the chance for history with the momentum/pressure of having the title clash in Wembley Stadium, and the drama in London was dialed up to 11 on Sunday afternoon for the English side.

On the other half of the pitch stood an Italian team that, despite not possessing a true world-famous superstar, has torn through international competition for years to the tune of a 33 match unbeaten streak. For some reason, regardless of the winning streak and defeating a much tougher half of the bracket than England, Italy came into the match a decided underdog.

The oddsmakers seemed to be right on within mere moments as England notched a goal two minutes into the match on a slick finish from Luke Shaw after a terrific cross from Kieran Trippier. Both sides held firm through the rest of the first half and England led 1-0 at halftime.

England was decidedly defensive coming out of the break, and the Italians seemed to perpetually possess the ball until Leonardo Bonucci found a window for the equalizer after English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford's stellar save on a header by Marco Verratti rebounded directly to him. Both sides played out both regulation and extra time without significant fanfare, though the timing of some substitutions on the English side will certainly be a topic of discussion for years to come.

In PKs, England seized a 2-1 advantage after the two Harrys, Kane and Maguire, took care of business and Pickford made a strong stop on the second attempt by Andrea Belotti. A make by Bonucci to tie PKs at 2 was followed by a horrendous miss by Marcus Rashford (one of a couple late substitutions for England) to bring the match even again. A solid make by Italy's Federico Bernardeschi followed by a stellar save by Gianluigi Donnarumma on Jadon Sancho gave Italy an upper hand with famed penalty kicker Jorginho on deck to take the potential tournament winner. Jorginho's attempt to the lower left corner had tremendous pace, but Pickford's anticipation was up to the challenge. In what felt like the last necessary stand for a soccer-crazed country decades removed from success at the highest level, England's keeper redirected the attempt off the side post to the roars of a simultaneously exhilarated and relieved crowd of over sixty thousand cheering for the white and red.

Unfortunately, England still needed a successful try from Bukayo Saka to extend the match, and Donnarumma was not content to be upstaged in the duel of the two dominant keepers of the tournament. Saka's attempt to the right half was emphatically denied by the eventual Player of the Tournament (Donnarumma), and the Italians' winning streak continued. The team that I personally fell in love with throughout the tournament raised the trophy, possibly ushering in a new era of Italian dominance at the major international tournaments in the years to come.

Another tournament, another gut-wrenching loss for the Three Lions (one for each consecutive penalty kick they botched to close this match). While this tournament presented ample evidence that England's days as an also-ran on the international stage are coming to an end, one must question the impact that such a devastating loss can have on the young core that helped lift the English in this tournament. Manager Gareth Southgate's decision to sub in both Sancho and Rashford (young players, at that) in the last minute of extra time with the express intent of having them take the penalty kicks they ultimately missed on will be a topic of discussion for the remainder of his tenure. While it's hard to know, such a monumental flop on one of the highest stages in soccer can have reverberations throughout young players' careers. Additionally, bringing on Jack Grealish as late as Southgate did raises my eyebrows, as the young attacker has been so impactful for England's offense late in matches throughout the tournament.

Overall, the Euro final was an average match until the outsized drama in penalties. The crowd reaction to Pickford's save on Jorginho's PK attempt yielded one of the more electric crowd reactions I have ever witnessed on television regardless of sport, but the immediate crowd-silencer by Donnarumma provided tremendous visuals. Italy was the very best team throughout the entire tournament, and I believe the correct team won the final.