It all comes down to this. After 50 matches of Euro 2020, only one remains and it’s the biggest of all. At Wembley Stadium on Sunday, Italy looks to win its first Euro since 1968 and will have to do so against an England side that is playing in front of a raucous home crowd in London as they look to win their first major international tournament since the World Cup in 1966.
The Azzurri, still with a 1.000 record, knows that they are entering into the most hostile environment possible on Sunday, but won’t let that deter them from their goal.
“Even though there will be a mostly English crowd, it will give us additional motivation,” defender Leonardo Bonucci said.
Manager Roberto Mancini doesn’t buy the idea that the home crowd will put England under greater pressure.
“Well, we have to put them under pressure,” Mancini said. “But, of course, matches have to be played to the end, and England are a great team; they’re strong physically and technically, they fight. We’ll have to fight until the very end.”
Mancini, who won a Premier League title as manager of Manchester City, says that even though the stakes are immense, his team must savour the moment and try to relax.
“We have to be very focused, but we also have to play with joy because it’s a football match, and you can’t play a football match if you’re tense and stressed,” Mancini said. “We need to go in with the right amount of pressure, but try to have fun because that’s the only way you can win a final.”
Having defeated Austria, Belgium and Spain in the knockout rounds on the way to the final, the Azzurri have already faced some of the best that the Euro has had to offer, but Bonucci says England’s backline presents a difficult challenge. Denmark winger Mikkel Damsgaard’s direct free-kick goal in the semi-final was the first goal conceded by the Three Lions at the tournament.
“England have a super defence, I already said this during the qualifying phase,” Bonucci said. “They have an excellent midfield, and behind them are [Harry] Maguire and [John] Stones, who had great seasons at Manchester United and [Manchester] City. We will need to give great attention as a defence and show a lot of cunning to score in attack.”
With England a completely different task to undertake than the Azzurri’s previous opposition, Mancini believes the ability to adapt to your opponent is the sign of a great team.
“If you make it to the finals of a tournament like this, all your opponents are strong,” Mancini said. “You have to adapt to different situations. You cannot expect to win with total domination. There are games where you may suffer, because a game doesn’t go the way you would like it to, or because others are doing things you don’t expect.”
Much of the knockout round has been about exorcizing demons for Gareth Southgate. Defeating Germany and then winning a semi-final at Wembley erased the bad memories of 1996 when his missed penalty meant England did neither. Now with the Three Lions in their first final in 55 years, Southgate wants to finish the job, but knows the Azzurri are a daunting test.
“Italy have been a top team for the last couple of years,” Southgate said. “We’ve followed their progress closely. We know the way they play. They play with great energy, they play with great style. They are always difficult to score goals against. Without a doubt, they deserve to be in the final – they have beaten two top teams to get there in Belgium and Spain so it’s the biggest possible test we could have.”
The Danes pushed England to the limit with the Three Lions needing extra time to get the victory and Southgate knows what needs to be different on Sunday than Wednesday’s match.
“I didn’t think we kept the ball well enough through Denmark’s pressure from their front three and we’re going to have to do that better on Sunday because Italy are very good at it,” Southgate said. “We need to find better solutions with that.”
Sunday’s match will be the Azzurri’s eighth major tournament final since England reached its only one in 1966. Italy also holds the edge over the Three Lions historically, posting an 11-11-8 record all-time against England. It will also be the third time these two nations have clashed at a Euro with Italy prevailing in the previous two encounters.
Italy and England last did battle at a Euro in the quarterfinals of the 2012 tournament in Kyiv. After 120 minutes of football didn’t produce a goal, the match went to penalties. In the shootout, Gigi Buffon’s save against Ashley Cole and Ashley Young’s errant shot over the bar were the difference, as the Azzurri pulled out a 4-2 win on penalties.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
