Italy is a team that made an outstanding performance at the 2020 European Cup. Roberto Mancini's team won the championship after defeating England on penalties in the final which took place at Wembley Stadium, London, on July 11, 2021. This is Italy's second title at the European Cup, having previously won the 1968 edition.


Italy started the tournament by joining Group A with Turkey, Switzerland and Wales. Italy ran out 3-0 winners over Turkey in their opening match, then repeated the same score against Switzerland. Italy ended the group phase with a 1-0 win over Wales, thus winning the group with perfect points and without conceding.


In the round of 16, Italy met Austria, the runners-up of Group C. Italy had to fight hard to beat Austria, who put up a fierce fight. The match ended in a 0-0 draw until normal time, and only scored in extra time. Italy took the lead through Federico Chiesa's goal, then Matteo Pessina added to the lead. Austria had reduced the score through Sasa Kalajdzic's goal, but Italy still maintained a 2-14 victory.


In the quarter-finals, Italy faced a tough opponent, Belgium, the winner of Group B. Italy showed their class with a 2-1 win over Belgium, who were ranked first in the world at the time. Italy scored two beautiful goals through Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Insigne, while Belgium could only reply through Romelu Lukaku's penalty.


In the semi-finals, Italy faced Spain, the winners of Group E. The match was exciting and balanced, with both teams attacking each other. Italy took the lead through Chiesa's goal, but Spain equalized through Alvaro Morata's goal. The match ended in a 1-1 draw until extra time, and had to be decided on penalties. Italy won 4-2 on penalties, with Jorginho being the decisive executioner, while Spain missed twice through Dani Olmo and Morata.


In the final, Italy took on hosts England, winners of Group D. Italy fell behind when England scored a quick goal through Luke Shaw in the second minute. Italy tried to get up and finally equalized the score in the 67th minute through Leonardo Bonucci's goal. The match ended in a 1-1 draw until extra time, and again had to be determined on penalties. Italy showed better composure and accuracy by scoring three goals from four, while England missed three times through Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka. Italy celebrated their third European Cup title, and gave credit to Mancini for resurrecting the team after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.


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