There are evenings like this when England wonder why they invented the sport. As a perfect unworthy son, football has again paid the price of its father, Sunday July 11 in London. In the royal gallery at Wembley, George of Cambridge discovers from the height of his 7 years that the life of a supporter of the Three Lions risks being a story of disappointments (and this since the world title of 1966 under the eyes of his back) -grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II), missed appointments and often losses on penalties (1-1, 3-2 tab). But not always against the Germans!
This time the executioner is Italian. La Nazionale is European champion (for the first time since 1968) and no one is going to cry thief. Roberto Mancini’s team had their weak times during this tournament, but they were arguably the most ambitious team of this Euro 2021. Not the first qualifier that comes to mind to describe their victim of the evening.
“The English, this people of shopkeepers”, said Napoleon’s sore loser with contempt. But to tell the truth, Gareth Southgate managed this final well, like all this Euro, as a small grocer. The breeder wears the navy blue suit perfectly, but much less daring over the shoulder. With a goal conceded in six games before the final, his England is not uncovered by a thread. Chilly, yes, but effective. Even clinic. On the first attack of the locals, Luke Shaw cools Italy (2e).
Italian patience
When your left side chooses a final to discover the joy of the scorer in selection, it is because your star must shine very brightly. For about twenty minutes, the men of Southgate dominate their opponents, not because they want to, but rather because they do not quite know how to enter this match.
Then Italy sets foot on the ball and the English decide to count the minutes and the 67,173 spectators present at Wembley (minus the 7,000 tifosis) with them. “We got off to a perfect start and maybe we went back a little too far”, will admit the captain, Harry Kane, at the microphone of the BBC at the end of the match.
But, as UEFA has not yet decided on an artistic note to award the Henri-Delaunay trophy, the English cling to this plan as clean as it is minimalist. As a result of this refusal to play, their opponents have almost Spanish possession of the ball (65%) but lack ideas and legs. Only Federico Chiesa manages to create chances from nothing (35e and 62e). At least Italy has the merit of remaining patient, of circulating the ball to try to find a breach.
You have 56.85% of this article to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
