High Victory Over Penalty, Italy To Euro 2020 Final

JAKARTA - Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma became Italy's hero after guiding Italy to the Euro 2020 final by denying Spain's Alvaro Morata a penalty shootout, even though it was Morata who forced the match to go to a penalty shootout after equalizing 1-1 from Federico Chiesa's goal in the second half of the semifinal match. Euro 2020 at Wembley Stadium, Wednesday morning western Indonesia time.

Four of Italy's kickers did their job in this shootout, while only two of Spain's four were successful. Spain's final kicker is no longer needed because it is not decisive. The final position on penalties was 4-2 for Italy.

The four Italian kickers who succeeded were Andrea Belotti, Leonardo Bonucci, Federico Bernardeschi, and Jorginho, while their first-kick Manuel Locatelli missed because it was saved by Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon.

On the other hand, Spain only managed from two kickers, namely Gerard Moreno and Thiago Alcantara, while Dani Olmo went wide over the goal and Morata was denied by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. This is the first time Spain has failed to win the Euro semi-finals out of the five semi-finals they have played. Three of them ended with the status of European champions.

A penalty shoot-out was taken after the score was 1-1 following Alvaro Morata's goal to deny Italy's lead from Federico Chiesa's second-half goal which lasted until 120 minutes of the Euro 2020 semifinal match.

Spain pressed and attacked in waves but chances were few, including in the 25th-minute goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a brilliant save to parry a shot from Spanish striker Dani Olmo. Eight minutes later Olmo broke through the Italian defense again to meet Koke's cross but his right-footed shot went wide over Donnarumma's goal.

Italy only created its first goal in the 45th minute which was also the best chance of the first half, when Emerson Palmeiri's left-back hit the Spanish post.

The second half of the match was even more intense. Both teams threatened to reply in the first minutes of the second half. Ciro Immobile missed a goal with only Unai Simon in the 49th minute, while Sergio Busquets almost broke the deadlock when he headed home Mikel Oyarzabal's pass. Five minutes later, both Donnarumma and Simon made saves from Federico Chiesa and Oyarzabal respectively.

It wasn't until the 60th minute that Italy broke the deadlock on the counter-attack when Federico Chiesa ended a four-man maneuver that started with a volley from goalkeeper Gianlugi Donnarumma to Marco Verratti who while running accepted and carried it into the heart of the Spanish defence.

Chiesa ended the breakthrough which came just seconds after Spain's goal was narrowly missed by curling a shot past two Spanish defenders into the far corner of the Spanish goal from the left side of the field which goalkeeper Unai Simon failed to keep out.

Twenty-one minutes later in the 80th minute, Spain equalized when substitute Alvaro Morata netted Donnarumma's goal from outside the Azzurri box following an assist from Dani Olmo. This goal came just seconds after Domenico Berardi almost tore the Spanish goal again, this time Unai Simon was quick to catch the ball.

The 1-1 score did not change even though Spain did not stop attacking the Italian defense which was shining by the combination of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Leonardo Bonucci, and Giorgio Chiellini in the heart of the Azzurri defense. This situation made the match continued to 2x15 minutes extra round and during this round, the score was 1-1 did not change so the match continued to a penalty shootout.