Attack wins you games, but defense wins you trophies.
There is no country that takes these words to heart more than Italy. The Roman army was known for its impenetrable defenses, and the Italian football team could fool you into thinking that they were part of that army. It takes only one picture of the Italians singing their National anthem to realize the passion that exists within the heart of this team.
Coming into Euro 2020 (which occurred in 2021), Italy were not victorious on most peoples brackets, even though they had been unbeaten from almost 30 games. But soon enough, it became clear that they weren’t there just to participate.
For the Italians, it all starts at the back, with Gianluigi Donnarumma, who shares his name with one of, if not the greatest goalkeeper of all time. In front of him, 2 old guards, Chiellini and Bonucci, who have played alongside each other 187 times, but the most important game came up against England at Wembley.
Going down 1-0 to a goal scored in the second minute, Italy would be feeling immense pressure, and with the roaring Wembley crowd against them, the aging Italian side would have felt like the stadium was closing in on them. The young English team took over the start of the game, but slowly the Italian teams experience kicked in, and they dominated more and more territory.
The game eventually finished 1-1 after extra time, with Bonucci equalizing after a brilliant save from Pickford. Donnarumma was the hero in the penalty shootout, saving 2 penalties, including the crucial, final one. Football didn’t go home, but it did go to Rome.
Comentarios