England lose to Italy on penalties in the Euro 2020 final

England fan at Wembley
England fan at Wembley
Martin Rickett
Gareth Milner

By Gareth Milner


Published: 11/07/2021

- 22:59

Updated: 11/07/2021

- 23:18

England men’s team fail to end 55-years of hurt

The England men’s team have lost a penalty shootout against Italy 3-2, becoming runners up of Euro 2020, the tournament delayed for a year by coronavirus.

Fans were ecstatic after England’s Luke Shaw scored a goal only two minutes in to the final. However, 34-year-old Italian defender Leonardo Bonucci pegged England back to 1-1 on 67 minutes.


Extra time provided thrills galore but no goals, with Italy only overcoming England during a penalty shootout.

England’s first win of a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup took was also the team’s maiden appearance in a European Championship final.

Italy and Scotland remain the only teams unbeaten by England during the tournament.

Pressure from an expectant nation had been high prior to the game, with goodwill messages from Her Majesty The Queen and also Boris Johnson, who had labelled the team a “band of brothers” in a letter to the manager.

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