Copa America champions Argentina thumped Euro 2020 winners Italy 3-0 in a match dubbed the “Finalissima” on Wednesday night. This game is a revival of the Cup of Champions; a match between the winners of the European and South American continental football competitions.

The match marked the return of the Italian national team to Wembley Stadium in London, where they defeated England on penalties to lift the Euro 2020 trophy. The stadium was packed with 87,000 fans, a significant number of whom made the trip from Buenos Aires to support the reigning South American champions.

Lautaro Martinez and Angel Di Maria handed the Argentinians the advantage in the first half, while Paulo Dybala wrapped up the scoring with a 94th-minute goal at the death.

“It was a beautiful final, full of Argentinians. What we’ve experienced here was beautiful. We knew it was going to be an attractive game and a nice setting to be champion,” Lionel Messi stated following his team’s resounding victory.

What was a moment of pride for Argentina turned out to be an anticlimactic finale for veteran Azzurri defender Giorgio Chiellini, who was subbed off at halftime in what was his final match for the Italian national team.

The post Argentina Defeat Italy to Lift “Finalissima” Trophy appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The trophy reserved for the European Championship winner isn’t “coming home” after all. Instead, it was headed to Rome after Italy got a penalty shootout win over England in EURO 2020 finals.

England, who has never won a European Championship and has a lone World Cup trophy from 1966, entered the EURO 2020 finals as overwhelming favorites. The team managed by Gareth Southgate was considered to have a far more talented squad than Italy while also playing in front of the home crowd and conceding just one goal in the entire tournament.

Italy, on the other hand, was looking for redemption after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Manager Roberto Mancini fielded a team comprised out of young stars and season veterans, hoping to bring his country its second European Championship trophy and sixth overall, counting the previous four World Cup wins.

England managed to open the scoring early on when Manchester United’s full-back Luke Shaw used a great cross from Kieran Trippier to put the ball behind Italy’s goalie Gianluigi Donnarumma. The goal came at 01:56, making it the fastest goal ever scored in the EURO finals.

It looked like England would dominate the game after this, but it wasn’t long before Italy found its footing. The Italians took over the possession and were the better squad late in the first half. This trend continued in the second half, and their persistence paid off when Leonardo Bonucci scored an equalizer after a scramble in the penalty box. The Juventus defender became the oldest player to score in the EURO finals with this goal.

Italy had several more chances to complete the comeback but failed to convert them. This took the game to extra time, where both teams looked like they would be content to determine the contest via penalty shootout.

England had the lead after the first two series, converting both penalties and seeing Italy split theirs. Leonardo Bonucci and Federico Bernardeschi then scored for Italy while Donnarumma saved the kick from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford missed his by hitting the right post.

Jorginho had the opportunity to seal the win as the last penalty taker for Italy but sent his kick into the post and left the door open for England. Still, Donnarumma managed to negate Jorginho’s mistake by saving Bukayo Saka’s penalty and kickstarting a huge celebration for Italy.

“The guys were extraordinary. I don’t have words for them; this is a magnificent group. There were no easy games, and this one became very difficult, but then we dominated,” said Italy manager Roberto Mancini after the match.

“You need a bit of luck with penalties, and I’m a little sorry for England. This team has grown so much, I think it can still improve. We are so happy for all.”

The post Italy Lifts EURO 2020 Trophy After Penalty Shutout Win over England appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Euro 2020 won’t be played this year due to coronavirus. The decision was announced by UEFA, Europe’s highest soccer administrative body, on Tuesday. 

The members of UEFA and representatives of 55 national soccer federations agreed to postpone European Championship for next year in order to cope with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This move will enable UEFA to make necessary adjustments while also giving national league competitions an opportunity to finish the ongoing season.

According to the announcement, the competition will be held between 11^th June and 11^th July 2021.

Also, the play-off matches and international friendlies that were scheduled to take place in March will be postponed for June.

Coronavirus has delivered a tough blow to soccer in Europe, as the majority of the competitions around the continent ended up being suspended. Italian Seria A, Spanish La Liga, and German Bundesliga were suspended indefinitely, while English Premier League will reportedly be on hiatus at least until April 3rd.

Other sports have been affected as well, especially in the United States. NBA and NHL suspended their seasons alongside Major League Soccer, while MLB decided to cancel their spring training.

The post Euro 2020 Will Be Postponed Due to Coronavirus appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Copa America champions Argentina thumped Euro 2020 winners Italy 3-0 in a match dubbed the “Finalissima” on Wednesday night. This game is a revival of the Cup of Champions; a match between the winners of the European and South American continental football competitions.

The match marked the return of the Italian national team to Wembley Stadium in London, where they defeated England on penalties to lift the Euro 2020 trophy. The stadium was packed with 87,000 fans, a significant number of whom made the trip from Buenos Aires to support the reigning South American champions.

Lautaro Martinez and Angel Di Maria handed the Argentinians the advantage in the first half, while Paulo Dybala wrapped up the scoring with a 94th-minute goal at the death.

“It was a beautiful final, full of Argentinians. What we’ve experienced here was beautiful. We knew it was going to be an attractive game and a nice setting to be champion,” Lionel Messi stated following his team’s resounding victory.

What was a moment of pride for Argentina turned out to be an anticlimactic finale for veteran Azzurri defender Giorgio Chiellini, who was subbed off at halftime in what was his final match for the Italian national team.

The post Argentina Defeat Italy to Lift “Finalissima” Trophy appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The trophy reserved for the European Championship winner isn’t “coming home” after all. Instead, it was headed to Rome after Italy got a penalty shootout win over England in EURO 2020 finals.

England, who has never won a European Championship and has a lone World Cup trophy from 1966, entered the EURO 2020 finals as overwhelming favorites. The team managed by Gareth Southgate was considered to have a far more talented squad than Italy while also playing in front of the home crowd and conceding just one goal in the entire tournament.

Italy, on the other hand, was looking for redemption after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Manager Roberto Mancini fielded a team comprised out of young stars and season veterans, hoping to bring his country its second European Championship trophy and sixth overall, counting the previous four World Cup wins.

England managed to open the scoring early on when Manchester United’s full-back Luke Shaw used a great cross from Kieran Trippier to put the ball behind Italy’s goalie Gianluigi Donnarumma. The goal came at 01:56, making it the fastest goal ever scored in the EURO finals.

It looked like England would dominate the game after this, but it wasn’t long before Italy found its footing. The Italians took over the possession and were the better squad late in the first half. This trend continued in the second half, and their persistence paid off when Leonardo Bonucci scored an equalizer after a scramble in the penalty box. The Juventus defender became the oldest player to score in the EURO finals with this goal.

Italy had several more chances to complete the comeback but failed to convert them. This took the game to extra time, where both teams looked like they would be content to determine the contest via penalty shootout.

England had the lead after the first two series, converting both penalties and seeing Italy split theirs. Leonardo Bonucci and Federico Bernardeschi then scored for Italy while Donnarumma saved the kick from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford missed his by hitting the right post.

Jorginho had the opportunity to seal the win as the last penalty taker for Italy but sent his kick into the post and left the door open for England. Still, Donnarumma managed to negate Jorginho’s mistake by saving Bukayo Saka’s penalty and kickstarting a huge celebration for Italy.

“The guys were extraordinary. I don’t have words for them; this is a magnificent group. There were no easy games, and this one became very difficult, but then we dominated,” said Italy manager Roberto Mancini after the match.

“You need a bit of luck with penalties, and I’m a little sorry for England. This team has grown so much, I think it can still improve. We are so happy for all.”

The post Italy Lifts EURO 2020 Trophy After Penalty Shutout Win over England appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Euro 2020 won’t be played this year due to coronavirus. The decision was announced by UEFA, Europe’s highest soccer administrative body, on Tuesday. 

The members of UEFA and representatives of 55 national soccer federations agreed to postpone European Championship for next year in order to cope with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This move will enable UEFA to make necessary adjustments while also giving national league competitions an opportunity to finish the ongoing season.

According to the announcement, the competition will be held between 11^th June and 11^th July 2021.

Also, the play-off matches and international friendlies that were scheduled to take place in March will be postponed for June.

Coronavirus has delivered a tough blow to soccer in Europe, as the majority of the competitions around the continent ended up being suspended. Italian Seria A, Spanish La Liga, and German Bundesliga were suspended indefinitely, while English Premier League will reportedly be on hiatus at least until April 3rd.

Other sports have been affected as well, especially in the United States. NBA and NHL suspended their seasons alongside Major League Soccer, while MLB decided to cancel their spring training.

The post Euro 2020 Will Be Postponed Due to Coronavirus appeared first on SportzBonanza.