Italy into Euro 2020 final

LONDON, England (AP):

Facing a wall of nervous blue-and-white clad Italy fans behind the goal, Jorginho took his trademark hop and skip before calmly stroking in the winning penalty.

So much for the pressure of a shoot-out in a European Championship semi-final match.

The Italians beat Spain 4-2 on penalties at Wembley Stadium yesterday to advance to the final, where they will play either England or Denmark back at the same stadium on Sunday.

The match finished 1-1 after extra time. Federico Chiesa scored for Italy with a curling shot in the 60th minute but substitute Alvaro Morata equalised for Spain in the 80th.

Morata, dropped for the first time in the tournament, missed the next-to-last kick in the shoot0out, giving Jorginho the chance to win it.

The Chelsea midfielder has his own style when it comes to taking penalties and he didn’t abandon it when it mattered most, sparking a throng of celebrations as Italy’s players ran toward Jorginho.

Italy’s players then lined up on the edge of the area and ran together towards the fans. Leonardo Bonucci went further, leaping over the advertising hoardings to get even closer to the crazed supporters.

Riding a national record unbeaten run of 33 games, Italy will play in their fourth European final and will look to win the title for a second time, after 1968.

It’s quite the redemption story after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

Italy’s players have had the aura of champions since Day 1 of the European Championship and they’ll be sticking around until the last day, too. But it’s at the home of English football where the team has had its toughest matches.