England had not finished better than fifth in the UEFA European Championship since all the way back in 1996 when they made it to the semifinals before falling to Germany.
As for Italy, they were the runner-up in the event back in 2012 before making it to the quarterfinals in 2016.
Going up against one another to take over the mantle as the best soccer team in Europe leading up to the 2020 Summer Olympics, England and Italy gave us and some unruly fans a show inside the famed Wembley Stadium.
England defender Luke Shaw opened scoring at the two-minute mark before Leonardo Bonucci answered for Italy some 65 minutes later. The seen was then set for penalty kicks to see who could come out on top and gain bragging rights.
As fans throughout Europe and the rest of the world looked on, Italy came out on top by the margin of 3-2 in penalties after England’s Marcus Rashford shanked a penalty kick and Italy goaltender Gianluigi Donnarumma stopped a kick from Bukayo Saka to end the match.
It’s the first time in championship history that two defenders scored a goal in the same game. For their part, England had only four shots on goal in regulation time — all four coming from defenders. It’s the first time in 45 years that the Cup has been decided on penalties. It’s also Italy’s first major title since 1968.
Regardless of whether you liked how the match ended, England vs. Italy 2021 will go down in history. It really is that simple.