On Sunday, July 11, 2021, England and Italy are going to face each other in a historic European Championship (Euro 2020) final at Wembley Stadium.
The match which will kick off at 20:00 could be the first time in the history of football that England would win the European Championship.
England and Italy enjoyed a very successful run in Euro 2020 and showed that they are the teams to beat throughout the tournament. From the group stage to the semi-finals stage, the two teams did not lose any match to show how solid they have been.
In the case of England, the team only recorded a goalless draw in the group stage and ended up winning their group without conceding any goal.
They had to wait until their semi-final game against Denmark on July 7 before they conceded their first and only goal in the tournament.
As for Italy, the country has been enjoying superb form even before the European Championship kick-off on June 11. It took the country almost a year before they conceded their first goal.
In Euro 2020, Italy did not record any defeat throughout the group stage. They were so good that they didn’t drop any point in all the stages of the European Championship.
Hence, the two teams got to the final of Euro 2020 without suffering a defeat which means that one of the two teams would win the title undefeated while the other team would have to record their first defeat in the tournament.
“We will have to be at our best to win the game”, the head coach of the England national team, Gareth Southgate told Sky Sports.
“It’s an exceptional team and I think, without doubt, the two best teams in the tournament have made the final, and now it’s whoever performs well on the day.
“Once you get to a final, you have to win, and that’s going to be very difficult, we know that, but that has to be our ambition, and that has to be our belief.
“I’ve been watching them closely for two years because I know the job Roberto Mancini was doing.
“They’ve got a very clear way of playing, great spirit, great energy in the way they play, tactically like all Italian teams very good, but also the style of play is probably different to the Italian teams from when I was younger – very modern.
“We’re excited about being able to prepare for a European Championship final.
“We are very conscious that for our country, this has been a fantastic journey but if you are in finals, you have to win, and we are playing against the team that have probably the best record in European football over the last three years, with some exceptionally experienced players and a fantastic coach.”
Difference between England and Italy
England and Italy are European football giants especially when it comes to club football. But when it comes to international football, Italy have a huge edge over England.
For instance, before now, England have never played in a European Championship final in the history of the game. Hence, they are yet to win the tournament.
On the other hand, Italy have played in the final of the tournament three times. They were defeated in two editions of the tournament and won the 1968 edition.
Italy missed out on the FIFA World Cup in 2018. While England got to the semi-finals of the tournament.
After the World Cup, Italy went on to record a 33-game unbeaten streak. While England are just on their 13th unbeaten streak.
Though England and Italy proved to have the best defense in Europe based on their performance in Euro 2020, England have proven to have a better defense in recent times. For instance, throughout this year, the English team has conceded just two goals, while Italy have conceded 5 goals.
