Italian joy, English heartbreak after Euro final penalties drama

TIL Desk Sports/ Italy inflicted heartbreak on England to win the Euro 2020 final after a penalty shoot-out at London’s Wembley Stadium on Sunday, with pundits and ex-players paying tribute afterwards to both teams.

Luke Shaw gave England an early lead and Leonardo Bonucci equalised in the second half to send the game into extra time, but neither were able to add to their tally and Gianluigi Donnarumma made the crucial shoot-out save from Bukayo Saka to win the title for Italy.

“Football is a cruel, cruel game at times. Those boys have performed heroically for a month, such a shame that it has to come down to a situation like this,” former England striker Alan Shearer said. Former Italy fullback Gianluca Zambrotta was gleeful.

“An unforgettable night for our Azzurri! What a fantastic achievement for Roberto Mancini and his team. They deserved to win this second Euro title, and their performance from the opening game in Rome one month ago has been perfect!” he said.