Maintaining their unbeaten form, Italy progressed to the Euro 2020 final after defeating Spain 4-2 on penalties. The semi-final at Wembley was a tight contest that ended 1-1 after extra time, but Italy's grit allowed them to conquer the three-time winners. They are now set to face the winner of the England vs. Denmark match this coming Sunday.
The shootout ended when Jorginho stepped up and scored the decisive goal, using his characteristic stutter-step before placing the ball precisely in the lower corner. He was supported by the heroics of Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose save from Alvaro Morata's penalty gave Italy the upper hand in the closing moments.
Italy showed great mental strength throughout the encounter. Spain, despite being the favorites, started sluggishly but gradually took control, controlling the tempo and creating multiple openings. Italy almost scored early on through Nicolo Barella, whose shot rattled the post in the first five minutes, although he had been flagged for offside.
Dani Olmo had a prime opportunity to put Spain ahead in the first half, but his shot toward the corner was expertly blocked by Donnarumma. Spain missed another massive chance when Mikel Oyarzabal found himself unmarked in the heart of the Italian defense; unfortunately, he failed to control a pass from Pedri, allowing the ball to slip away.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 60th minute by Federico Chiesa. While Aymeric Laporte managed to intercept Ciro Immobile, Chiesa managed to weave through two defenders on the left side of the area and executed a brilliant lob to put Italy up 1-0. This marked Chiesa's second goal of the competition, following his strike against Austria in the round of 16.
Spain fought back and found an equalizer 20 minutes later through Alvaro Morata. After a slick exchange with Dani Olmo, the Juventus forward placed a precise side-foot shot past Donnarumma. With this goal, Morata etched his name into history as Spain's all-time leading scorer in European Championships, overtaking Fernando Torres' record of five goals.
Despite the game stretching into extra time, neither side could find a winning goal. Spain continued to look like the stronger team during the additional period, but their dominance didn't translate into a win during the shootout. Crucial Spanish players, including Morata and Dani Olmo, failed to convert their spot-kicks.