LONDON - Roberto Mancini has promised a turnaround, following the Italy national team's lowest point after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. And he delivered.
While history will record him as the coach who led Italy to the 2020 European Championship (June 11, 2021, but that's another story), his contribution is far greater. He changed the vision of a country to his national team – one of the few institutions of all Italians from north to south outside the Catholic Church, family and pasta – some thought it might be: some fun, some adventurous. , something active based on wanting the ball and taking risks with it. When you've enjoyed massive success - four World Cups and, now, two Euros - it's a U-turn into a super tanker.
This would have been true regardless of the outcome of the spot kick at Wembley. Penalty kicks may not be the lottery that clichés say they are, but they are not football either. They are a different competition altogether. One that requires technical ability, guts, mental strength, and maybe even a little devil-may-care madness, but it's not football.
And Mancini's decision — and, for that matter, his opposite number Gareth Southgate — does not and should not change depending on who wins the shootout.
But, yes, it's just as sweet when you reach that far and take the cup home. Especially when you can go to your opponent's house and take them, after going down a goal, your fans count from five to one and without one of your best players in the tournament (well, Leonardo. Spinazola was there, limping around on his crutches, but he wasn't playing).
Oh, and let's remind ourselves who was there for most of the extra time. You had the center-forward from the almost-exile Torino (Andrea Belotti), two men from the younger Sassuolo (Manuel Locatelli and Domenico Berardi), Chelsea's third-choice left-back (Emerson) and Juventus' third-string winger (Federico Bernardeschi). Meanwhile, two minutes from full-time, the likes of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford looked from the sidelines... but that's another story and one Gareth Southgate can explain in due course.
The penalty kick may have determined who would take home the trophy, but the manner of the last 120 minutes determined who out-coached. And Mancini lowered that one hand.
England set up more conservatively than usual, with an additional full-back, Kieran Trippier, converting the previous outing's 4-2-3-1 to 3-4-2-1. England scored after just two minutes and played into Southgate's hands and made an already difficult task for Mancini even more difficult. It set up well for England and the pacer sat deep to counter with Raheem Sterling. This allowed England's front three to effectively suppress Italy's midfield trio, the team's creative engine. Throw in an inspired Harry Kane and there was a real sense that England could add to their lead, especially considering Italy ragging and struggling to find space, the occasional Lorenzo Insigne free kick and the odd run from the blistering Federico Chiesa. Apart from.
Leaving England, his advantage did not go home. Instead, he pushed himself further toward his goal, perhaps hoping that there would be some counterattack from the ether. Mancini's possession game, while failing to blunt England's actual line of seven (having five defenders and two midfielders), at least put Sting out of the game and saw him through the break.
"The initial goal we gave up hit us hard," Mancini said. "But we had the strength to get back in the game and I think we deserved to win."
He pulled the trigger just before the hour mark. Ciro Immobile (always fighting a losing battle) and Nicolo Barella moved on to Berardi and Brian Cristante. Insigne moved to a central position - call it a "false nine" if you like, although it was more like a "real ten" - and Chiesa and Berardi became the de facto strikers cutting through wide areas.
Insigne began looking for a place where there was none before. Jordan Pickford had to make two hard saves in rapid succession, the first from a close-range Insign effort, the second from a gleaming Cheesa. Then came the goal, Leonardo Bonucci popped up to poke it home after Pickford deflected Cristante's header from the post. scrappy? Maybe, but it was coming. A few minutes later, a pinpoint ball at the top was found by Berardi, whose walled contact was not sweet enough – otherwise it would have been the goal of a tournament contender.
90 Minutes ended with a reminder that, for all the smiles and positivity, there is still something bad lurking in Giorgio Chiellini's heart: When Bukayo Saka swung him off the touchline, he resorted to an old-school horse-collar yank. Take off the counter. The suspicion is so small that he may be Chiellini's son; Maybe that's why the captain of Italy looked at him in such a way that he said: "Sorry, child, this hurts me more, it hurts you."
But there's more to Chiellini: he was simply phenomenal at sniffing the Raheem Sterling counter in the first period of extra time, his 36-year-old body a model of efficiency, if not flat-out speed. Chiellini celebrated the way after Joel Embiid denied a shot. Sterling smiled and nodded as he ran back down the pitch - he also applauded the tackle. In the second half of extra time, on England's last man Stirling, Chiellini would make another similar stop, which was part experience, part witchcraft.
Then came the punishment, accompanied by his brutal change of pace. Belotti seeing his saved (Advantage, England); then Rashford dribbling out of play (deuce); Gianluigi Donnarumma making a save from Jadon Sancho (Profit Italy); Jorginho saw his strike hit the post, bounced Pickford and then nestled into the goalkeeper's arms (deuce); And then Donnarumma's oversized frame takes Saka out for the win.
Mancini's men played some of the best football in Euro. Not only that, his side outplayed the opposition in every game, except in the playing parts of Spain. The final told its own story: Italy had a 62% possession, outclassed the opposition 20 to six and restricted England to a single shot on goal - a goal from Luke Shaw.
He did this by making a hand-brake twist from the history of Italian football. They did this without the most talented squad at Euros. He did it with X and O, but also with psychology and charisma. And his Italy side is now unbeaten in 34 matches, one shy of Spain's record.
Bonucci said, "What made us special? Our trust and the relationships we've developed with each other." "We've been together for 50 days now and we're still not tired of each other. Even when we had time and got to see our families, we still stayed with each other My wife pointed it out and asked why the players were together even when families were around. We never got bored of each other. Normally, when you're away for so long, you go home Want to. But we never felt like it. We wanted to go but, to be with each other till the end. Until now."
now it's over. Now they can go home. And they can take the cup with them.
Bonucci was asked if he had actually shouted "It's coming to Rome" at the cameras, a dig at the ubiquitous "Footballs Coming Home" song loved by the English.
"Sure, yes," he said. "We've been hearing that since Wednesday night, when they beat Denmark to get to the final. Sorry for them, but it's going somewhere else. It's getting on a big plane and going to Rome. But had faith, we earned it and now it's time to celebrate."