The Fußball Chatter

Italy won the European Championship for the first time since 1968, defeating England 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw after extra time. Gianluigi Donnarumma saved the decisive penalty from Bukayo Saka to win Italy the trophy, denying England their first trophy since 1966 and crowning Italy's unbeaten run with silverware. Roberto Mancini did not make any change for the Azzurri with Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini partnering in defence, Jorginho in the base of midfield with Nicolo Barella and Marco Verratti ahead of him while Ciro Immobile played up-front. England played with a back three with Gareth Southgate making just one change with Mason Mount coming in for Bukayo Saka. England had the dream start with Luke Shaw scored, firing a shot past Donnarumma in just two minutes to give England the lead. Despite having the upper hand from the first twenty minutes, that would be England's only shot from the first half as they pushed back to hold on to their lead before halftim...

  It has finally come to this. After 50 games played across 11 cities from Seville to St. Petersberg, 140 goals with 24 teams involved, the European Championship is now set for its finale. Wembley Stadium in London is the stage for the final as the Azzurri of Italy faces the Three Lions of England. Both teams came into this tournament with some form of optimism and they are now one step away from being crowned champions of Europe. Italy has been excellent this tournament and they will be hoping for their first Euro title since 1968 after two final defeats in 2000 and 2012. For England, they are in unfamiliar territory as they are in not only their first-ever Euro final but their first final in over five decades, getting the attention of the country. After a year-long delay and four weeks, Euro 2020 is set to close but who are our finalists and what was their journey to Wembley? ITALY: A NEW MAKEOVER AND 33 UNBEATEN Before even the qualifiers for Euro 2020, Italy was in a need of re...

Italy has returned with a vengeance. The Azurri has made it to the Final of the European Championship, playing some fantastic football under Roberto Mancini, who changed the Italian national team following their appointment in 2018 after Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. They have achieved one of the longest unbeaten runs in international football with 33 games unbeaten, with their last defeat coming against Portugal in September 2018. The Italians will face England in the Final on Sunday, hoping to win silverware for the first time since winning the 2006 World Cup. They have not won the Euros since 1968 and have reached two Euro Finals in 2000 and 2012. Let's take a look at their starting line-up against Spain in Kyiv during Euro 2012. GOALKEEPER: GIANLUIGI BUFFON This was a final to forget for Gianluigi Buffon. He only conceded three goals before the Final before Spain scored four past him. Buffon is without a doubt one of the best goalkeepers of all time. The Itali...

  Group E Spain Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Round of 16) Coach: Luis Enquire Captain: Sergio Busquets Most Important Player: Marcos Llorente Spain goes into this year's Euros in an unusual position. Luis Enquire chose a 24-man squad rather than a 26-man squad. The biggest omission was Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, with no Real Madrid player in the Spanish squad for the first time in a major tournament. They qualified unbeaten with six  Spain has several talented players with midfield their biggest strength, having the likes of Thiago, Koke, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo. However, it is not of the level that they enjoyed from the late 2000s to early 2010s when they dominated the international game. With no Ramos at the back, Pau Torres and Aymeric Laporte will shoulder the responsibility at the back. Laporte switched allegiances from France to Spain, giving his lack of opportunities for France under Didier Deschamps. Despite his qualities as a defender. Enquire has not ...

  Group C Netherlands Last Appearance: Euro 2012 (Group Stage) Coach: Frank de Boer Captain: Georginio Wijnaldum Most Important Player: Memphis Depay The past couple of years has not been kind to the Oranje. They failed to qualify for two consecutive tournaments (Euro 2016 & 2018 World Cup), their stalwarts of  Van Persie and Robben retired with very few players taking place and were quite dull to watch having been renowned for attacking football and technical skill. Their rejuvenation since 2017 has been the Dutch back in the spotlight firstly by Ronald Koeman with Virgil van Dijk, Georginio Wijnaldum and Memphis Depay leading this Dutch with some fantastic young player like Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, Donyell Malen and Ryan Gravenberch. However, Koeman left for Barcelona with former Ajax manager Frank de Boer appointed in 2020. Boer has not won many critics over with some questionable performances and they will be without van Dijk, who is recovering from an ACL in...

The UEFA European Championships are about to commence on Friday, June 11th. The first game of the tournament will be Italy playing against Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico. The 2020 edition was to be staged in every corner of Europe from Dublin to Baku plus cities like Munich, Paris and Saint Petersburg. The Championships were postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, which affected not just the staging of the tournament but also the qualification campaign as the playoffs were not completed before the pandemic started. Some cities like Dublin and Brussels will not stage any games for the tournament and while spectators will enter stadia, they will be at full capacity. Nevertheless, the Euros are going ahead and the anticipation has begun. There are 24 teams in the tournament with each team having a 26-man squad to see who will be the Kings of Europe on July 11th. Here is a preview of Groups A and B for Euro 2020. Group A Italy Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Quarterfinals) Coach: Rob...