Euro 2020 — 1st Semi-Final

Nobody interested in this?

Saving all your energies for tomorrow?

Hello Mike, it was hard to find. Spain have a better chance l think with no Morata. I liked Ferran

I am watching to see how Spain overcome this Italian defense

Yes Bill me too, quick passing but Italians are set up well as usual.

Spain better team at the moment could be nerves with the Italians, but have a lot of experience in the side

Yes, they are getting better each game and look bettee with the ball.

Italians will have to be patient tonight. I know they are favourites, but those Spaniards will have them "on the watzers" as SAF used to say, for long periods tonight.

Cant call this one

Gonna be tight one this, all the way to pens

maybe.

Spain getting on top though, Olmo doing well so far.
Italy too complex there, shoot!
Simon all over the place.

I think this will be a "mistake" game... decided by an error rather than some moment of virtuosity.

You know, a mistake like Unai Simon just made. WTF was he thinking? Great cover by the Spain defense.

Both of These teams will tear England a new one if they get to the final

Great reflexes there Donnarumma. PSG getting a great one.

I wonder if Fiorentina would swap Chiesa for Iwobi.

🤞Italy in the work sweep 🇮🇹

Does anyone remember Deryck Guyler, the school caretaker in "Please Sir"? Has he been reincarnated as Mancini's sidekick?

Just thinking how much better the Italian kit looks than Everton ever do when they wear all blue.

Yeh Rob he's deffo got the “joke shop” look going on! and the ref looks like Nick Faldo….

Different shades of Blue, Dennis.

Cagey first half, hope Spain score first, don't want to see the Italian theatrics and gamesmanship if they go 1 up.

Del Piero is a studio analyst for ESPN on this game, and he looks like he played the first half himself. Bit disheveled.

Bill #20, as opposed to Spanish theatrics if they go one up? Six of one etc. for me.

Great statistic just now from ESPN... Donnarumma has had more touches in this game than the entire Italian midfield put together.

Intriguing game for me. Two very good teams and some open stuff.

Spain edging it for me, but rooting for Italy. Partly as I lived there but mainly as I have them in the local pub sweepstake.

Veratti the Italy number 6. I like him. Shame he plays for PSG. Part of the deal for Kean??

Ian, l suppose these days some kids, when asked what they want to be when they grow up, say football agent.

Boring game this. Mind you, we can't complain. This tournament has knocked spots off the one the South Americans are arguing over…

Spain has turned up, that's for sure.

For the opening 5-10 minutes Italy reminded me of Everton's mid 80s team with 3-4 men harrying the Spanish man in position.

Spain never flinched and are now dominating the game for me. They have kept Italy's flying full backs honest and largely at home and cut off the lines for Italy's quick give-and-go plays.

Some talking up Donnarumma for the one save any decent keeper should save, but ignoring how cheaply he has given the ball away a couple of times allowing Spain to get straight back into Italy's back line.

Belgium-Italy was a toe-to-toe slug fest. Spain is using the whole ring, duck, bob, weave, jab, without yet landing the KO punch whereas Italy has barely laid a glove on them.

It's Italy with all the problems at the moment.

Danny #22, even if we can't get Verratti (and we can't), I'd love to get somebody with his attitude. Great TV shot of him in the tunnel just now, animatedly coaching up the other Italian midfielders. We lack that kind of on-pitch leadership.

Is it Bill #19? I wasn't sure if it was dark blue or black, either way it's better than the all blue we occasionally wear, making us look like Leicester City or Chelsea.

Totally Mike.

I'm enjoying this. Not everyone's cup of tea but the tactical dance off is great for me. Spain edging it but what was the keeper doing 5 minutes ago??

Jay #25, yep, Donnarumma's an extraordinary shot-stopper, best in the world no contest for me, but he still has a hell of a lot to learn about playing the position.

No surprise. He's only 22.

Very good game this, lots of good technique, end to end but with decent defending too.

That Immobile chap is actually quite erm….mobile

Italy 1 up; let's see what happens now.

That's what you call class.

Great goal Chiesa

Not there is much tactics now. Vwrybopen and end to end.

What a break.

Forza Italia.

Forza sweepstake

Apropos my earlier comment, I hope we arranged the swap before the first half ended

Although Spain were looking good, the Italians seemed quite content to soak up the pressure

Spain will leave gaps now for Italy to exploit.

Great counter attack

what a miss wasn't offside

How did that man not score from there!

And another one!

Chiesa is a great footballer

Italy finally get a telling run on Spain's goal, but neatly repelled by Laporte...only, Garcia didn't play his part on the 2nd ball. Chiesa says thank you very much. 1-0.

Spain should be level already mind. Oyarzabal should bury the clever chipped pass from Koke. Got a game now.

This game has certainly come to life!

Can't stand defensive footy.

Italy are pressing hard for a 2nd 1 1 Spain score

Ohhhhh! Sheer brilliance.

Well they deserve a goal the way they've approached the game

Now THAT was fucking brilliant.

Cut the world's best defense into shreds.

I'm not leaving my chair from this point on.

What a contrast to the first half.

Absolutely gripping Who fancies calling this one now ?

Actually just remarkably simple accurate passing to feet on the move. So slick!

Just when Italy were getting into the grove showing their high pressing game from earlier rounds, brilliant football from Spain to equalise.

Spain to win 2-1 in extra time, Darren.

Don't think it will go to penalties

That fella Busquets is a liability

Maybe Rob.

I don't mind who get the winner. I just hope its not settled by the penalties lottery

Barry, that may well be the first time in history that the words "Busquets" and "liability" have been used in the same sentence.

Legend.

Mike 58

"History" is not the present

Never been a fan of Busquets because of his play acting, but tonight he has been brilliant for Spain, behind only Olmo for their MoM

Italy playing for penalties.

Barry...

Neither is Busquets as a liability. He's still magnificent. No idea how you could be seeing otherwise.

Is it just me or do Italy's defenders look a bit panicky?

Busquets off, on a yellow but he's been impressive.

Italy look shot. Looking like only one winner in extra time and they ain't playing in blue.

Brilliant first half in normal time by Olmo, quieter 2nd half before waking up to lay on Spain's equaliser. Now the man again in extra time. Italy don't know how to play him.

Italy coming back now, hope they win, now the RS snide Thiago is on for Spain

If only you could be played onside by your own team mate!

Pickford to get the Golden Gloves award. (thought that was something in boxing )

The saddest four-letter word in tournament footy...

PENS.

It'll go with his black belt in taikwondo😉

Italy in the final then Spain have a cack record on pens

Donnarumma for me, fills the goal.

Lottery begins. Italy to win (my forecasting record on the line again)

Impressed with Spain tonight. Italy got a bit found out for having limited attackers despite their excellent intelligent play. Both played well enough to reach a final.

Chiellini and Jordi clowning at the coin toss. Pretty funny.

Agree with Jeff, advantage Italy.

What a character Chielini is... and he can play too

Wow Chiellini, big balls.

Simon dancing on the line great tactic

On the other hand... Simon says... NO

That behind the taker camera high up makes the goal look smaller

We centre-backs are the best penalty takers.

Morata...

Knew it.

Morata looked like a shitting dog there

Couple of poor penalties Italy win

Poor Morata will never be able to go home now.

Every penalty Jorginho takes goes to the keepers left. I was screaming at the telly "Go left, Go left". Guess he never heard me. 😟😟

Spain will be kicking themselves for letting it get to penalties.

Yup! Spain as ever challenging England as the poorest national team at penalties.

Olmo was outstanding across the 120 mins. His pen was awful. Rule #1 in penalty shoot outs: get it on target. Morata not alert to Donnarumma's early movement to dive the right way. Other than their first pen, Italy lethal.

Wembley's gonna be noisy on Sunday.

Italy are the Liverpool of international footy successful anti-football merchants who earn grudging respect but not love.

Can't stand them but they'll stuff England if that's the final.

'Spain will be kicking themselves for letting it get to penalties.'

They'd probably miss, Dennis.

Listen to the commentators there, it seemed like both teams had selected the five players with the worst penalty taking CV's...Every time somebody stepped up. The commentators told us they had plenty of previous for missing from the spot

High Drama

Or maybe they are just the brave ones who always put their balls on the line?

Not knowing anything about the lad, I just looked up Dani Olmo. Interesting career path!

A single season with Espanyol as an 8-year-old before moving to Barcelona for 7 seasons then at just 16-years-old moved on a free to...Dinamo Zagreb???!!!

Five seasons there before switching to RB Leipzig in January 2020, since when 8 goals in 44 appearances. First played for Spain's national team in November 2019.

Apart from his penalty, well impressed by him tonight. Curious and effective trait he has. Normally I don't care much for fancy dans attempting back heel flicks that for the most part come to nothing, but he seems to have perfected the art. I don't recall seeing a player attempt and complete so many really telling back heel flicks as he did tonight.

Just turned 23. Another example of the Bundesliga teams like Leipzig and Dortmund picking up very good players and grooming them into exceptional players.

He was immense Jay, penalty miss aside. Here's what we could have won, according to a tweet posted earlier tonight, mentioning a bid that Everton made for the kid in 2019.

Everton had a €28M bid rejected for Dinamo Zagreb's Dani Olmo (Source - @swearimnotpaul )

Never heard of any connection to Olmo with Everton, Barry, until your post. According to Transfermarkt, RB Leipzig picked him up still aged just 21 for €22M, 18 months ago.

Spain paid the price for not having a David Villa or a Fernando Torres. Plenty of possession and threat but no killer up top. I saw enough weaknesses in that Italian side that England can exploit.

Great tournament so far.

You're right Darren, not a match that deserved to be decided on the lottery of penalties, but then I've never been a big fan of that. I liked the golden goal experiment that fizzled out. At least that put the emphasis on going out to score and win.

Great match between two very good teams in my opinion. I thought Spain were better for the most part but then Italy had it sewn up at one point. Only for Mancini to go Italian so to speak and start tinkering and messing around, which invited Spain back into the game. Too many changes when the formula was working. Or is that just me?

England v Italy will be a fitting final for this competition, which has been one of the best in a long while in my opinion.

Forza Italia.

What an absolute stroppy, cocky penalty to win it though. Confidence in extreme.

Jay (94),

I made Olmo my MotM, outstanding with a lot of nark about him. I felt sorry for him when he missed the penalty. It brought back memories of the first penalty shoot-out in the European Cup when Joe Royle, who had been outstanding for Everton in that game vs Borussia Monchengladbach, missed the first penalty for the Blues, thankfully with a better result for Everton.

I thought Spain were the better team for much of the game and Italy were glad to hang on for the penalty shootout, especially after Spain scored the equaliser. A good game to watch for everyone who likes a good game of football. I hope we get another good game tonight and may the best team win. I don't think that happened last night.

A really good game of football between Italy and Spain. I thought the Italians started much the brighter but Spain grew stronger as the game went on. Olmo was certainly Spain's best player, although Busquets ability shone through the game always taking the right option.

But the player who has really impressed me throughout the competition has been Fredrico Chiesa. He is quick very strong and knows exactly were the goal is. He was Italys biggest threat all night and scored a terrific goal. He is on loan at Juventus from Fiorentina for 2 years with Juventus agreeing a £40 million buy-out at the end of his loan deal, what a bargain.

Although Spain were better last night, I think Italy have been the most impressive team in the tournament, and they will be a very tough test for whoever they meet in the final, obviously hoping it's England.

Sure was a great game to watch and it was good to see football played the way it should be and before a raucous crowd. Spain had most of the possession during the game but Italy had their moments too. Worthy of a final but no team deserved to lose, especially on a tacky penalty shootout.

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