Italy 1-1 (4-2 on penalties) Spain: Player ratings as the Azzurri reach finals after shootout victory | UEFA Euro 2020
Italy reached the finals of Euro 2020 after beating Spain 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in normal time.
Federico Chiesa's lovely opener for the Azzurri on the hour mark was canceled out by an 80th minute goal from Alvaro Morata.
La Roja dominated the match, holding more possession - 71% to 29% - and completing almost thrice as many passes - 908 to 387. But they couldn't quite make it count, and there was no separating the sides in extra-time either.
A penalty shootout beckoned, with both Spain and Italy missing their opening kicks. But the sides recovered their mojo, with the next five penalties combined being successfully converted. Morata then fluffed his lines from the spot, setting the stage for Jorginho to clinch the night with the winning penalty.
It was heartbreak for Spain, who came really close to winning the match but were ultimately cost by their inability in the final third and later, from the penalty spot. Massive credit must go to Italy for entering their third European Championship final in six editions. They will play either Denmark or England in Wembley on Sunday.
Here are the player ratings:
Italy Player Ratings vs. Spain
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 8/10
Italy's custodian turned in a legendary performance tonight. Besides Morata's goal, he was equal to everything else, pulling numerous fantastic saves and reading the game brilliantly to punch it clear during set-pieces. He started the counter-attack which culminated in Italy's first goal and saved Morata's penalty in the shootout too.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo - 7/10
Di Lorenzo was seen as the weak link in Italy's defense but proved everyone wrong with a superb defensive performance. He made two tackles and won two fouls, apart from completing 74% of his passes.
Leonardo Bonucci - 8.5/10
It was a colossal performance in defense from the Italy veteran, who stood like a rock in the face of the Spanish onslaught. Bonucci's stats speak for themselves as he recorded a staggering four clearances, two blocks and six interceptions on the night.
Giorgio Chiellini - 8/10
Italy's captain was a true leader at the back. Chiellini not only starred for his side but was also seen signaling to his teammates often. His final numbers showed five clearances, four tackles and two interceptions in a colossal performance.
Emerson - 7/10
It wasn't the left wingback's most adventurous outing, but Emerson threw his weight around the defense to tighten up the screws and deny Spain from finding any gaps. His passing was excellent too, registering an 87% success rate.
Nicolo Barella - 6/10
His influence was very limited tonight and Spain deserve credit for minimizing his threat from the left side. Barella created two chances in the match which was the only highlight of his game. He was extremely sloppy in possession, losing the ball a staggering 14 times!
Jorginho - 8.5/10
Italy's penalty shootout hero Jorginho's best contribution was to clean up everything in front of the defense. He made interceptions and three clearances before converting the decisive penalty kick.
Marco Verratti - 6.5/10
The PSG midfielder worked very hard on and off the ball but couldn't dictate his side's rhythm as much as he would've liked. Verratti completed only 23 passes at a 76.7% success rate, but made two tackles.
Federico Chiesa - 7.5/10
He's been a different beast in the knockout round and continued in the same vein with an absolutely sensational strike to open the scoring for Italy in the 60th minute. Chiesa also registered one key pass and a 76.9% passing accuracy.
Ciro Immobile - 6.5/10
His goal-drought has now been extended to four games at Euro 2020, having not scored since bagging a goal apiece in the opening two rounds. Immobile never looked certain to break that duck either as Spain's stoic defense had the Lazio star under wraps. He did however get the assist for Chiesa's goal and won one foul.
Lorenzo Insigne - 6.5/10
It was a poor game for Insigne tonight as he struggled to break down Spain and failed to muster a single effort for the period he was on the pitch. The Napoli man did provide one key pass and won a foul as well.
Italy Substitutes
Manuel Locatelli - 5/10
The Sassuolo midfielder came on for Barella in the 85th minute. Locatelli was a peripheral figure for much of the 35 minutes he played and even missed his penalty in the shootouts.
Andrea Belotti - 6/10
Spain's high press meant Belotti spent much of the time in his own half after replacing Insigne in the 85th minute. But he made his presence count in the shootouts by successfully converting his spot-kick.
Domenico Berardi - 6.5/10
Berardi replaced Immobile in the 62nd minute. He offered the only real threat during Spain's lengthy period of pressure late on, driving the ball forward and getting two shots away.
Matteo Pessina - 6/10
Pessina had a good chance to double Italy's lead moments before Morata equalized, but fired his close-range effort straight at Simon. Otherwise, he did not have much to do after replacing Verratti in the 74th minute.
Federico Bernardeschi - 6/10
He came on really late in, replacing Chiesa in the 107th minute during the second period of extra-time. But Bernardeschi left a mark on the match as he successfully converted his penalty.
Rafael Toloi - 6/10
He replaced Emerson midway through the second-half but couldn't really impact the match in the time he spent on the pitch.