Italy deal knockout blow to Belgium after heavyweight Euro 2020 contest

Belgium's Romelu Lukaku, top right, misses an opportunity to score at the Allianz Arena in Munich. (Stuart Franklin/Pool Photo via AP)

BELGIUM 1 ITALY 2 

WORLD football’s unstoppable force met the immovable object of these European Championships in Munich and, after a tie to remember, it may well also have been the game that effectively crowned Italy champions.

Make no mistake, this was a meeting of two of the heaviest of the world’s current heavyweights and one which would have served as the most fitting of finals for this most unusual of competitions rather than the quarter-final it actually was.

It left the world’s number one ranked team, Belgium, coping with elimination and possibly years of repercussions at home where the question will be asked long and hard as to whether this ageing, golden generation of talent should have delivered more.

But for Italy, now facing a semi-final with an uninspiring Spain side that needed penalties to squeak past the 10 men of Switzerland, manager Roberto Mancini will have seen nothing in the other half of the draw that will have caused him concern - England included - ahead of a potential appearance in their third Euros final this century and a first win since 1968.

Why should he lose sleep between now and Tuesday’s semi or next Sunday’s final, in which his side will, surely, face one of the hosts, Ukraine, the Czechs, or Denmark at Wembley?

This is an Italian team that has set a national team record of 32 games unbeaten, 13 of them now consecutive victories after their glorious quarter-final performance in Munich.

It took a late goal from Austria in the round of 16 to end a run of nearly 20 hours in which Italy had not conceded and, on Friday night as they raced into a 2-0 lead, only the rash man-handling of flying teenager Jeremy Doku by Giovanni Di Lorenzo gifted Belgium a penalty, and a lifeline, on the stroke of half-time.

Romelu Lukaku despatched that spot-kick with the last kick of a mesmerising first half and a tie which Italy appeared to have strangled to death was suddenly alive and kicking.

Leonardo Bonucci had already had an opening “goal” ruled out for offside before Inter midfielder Nicola Barella shot them in front after 31 minutes following an error by Jan Vertonghen who tried to dribble the ball out of his area, only to turn the ball over to Marco Verratti as the Italians pressed.

Verratti’s pass found Barella, who skilfully weaved away from three defenders and beat Thibaut Courtois with a devastating finish.

The Italians had been forced to weather a strong start by the Belgians, inspired by Kevin De Bruyne whose superb run and venomous shot forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a diving save after 22 minutes.

De Bruyne also launched a ferocious counter-attack and found Lukaku with a pass which the striker gathered in full stride and again tested the Italian keeper who moved low and fast to protect his goal.

But, after their opening goal, Italy’s energy and confidence threatened to sweep the Belgians aside before the interval as Federico Chiesa’s long shot passed just wide and Leonardo Spinazzola’s skilful cross picked out Ciro Immobile who greedily shot directly at two markers.

The second Italian goal did finally arrive, a minute before the penalty they conceded and a minute before the half-time whistle, when Lorenzo Insigne cut in purposefully from the left wing, skipping past Youri Tielemans as he went.

There was still much for the Napoli striker to do, and he did it, curling an exquisite 20-yard shot past the diving Courtois.

The second half was slightly less gloriously frantic - but only slightly.

The 19-year-old Doku drilled in a threatening cross that was well smothered by Donnarumma and Lukaku missed an astonishing chance after 61 minutes when he lunged at De Bruyne’s cross at an unguarded far post but could only hit it against Spinazzola.

The Italian left-back then made a lung-bursting run at the other end, meeting Insigne’s inviting cross on the volley and placing it narrowly wide.

Insigne also produced another goalbound shot, this one being saved by Courtois, before a cross from Belgium substitute Nacer Chadli just would not fall for Lukaku or Thorgan Hazard, unmarked in front of goal.

Chadli lasted just two minutes before injury curtailed his involvement and, as the toll of an extraordinary match began to be felt, Spinazzola was next off with a muscle pull that may have ended his tournament, judging by his tears as he was stretchered away. They were tears echoed, minutes later on the final whistle, by the losing Belgians.

Belgium (3-4-2-1): Courtois 7; Alderweireld 7, Vermaelen 6, Vertonghen 6; Meunier 6 (Chadli 70, Praet 73, 6), Tielemans 6 (Mertens 70, 6), Witsel 7, T Hazard 6; Doku 7, De Bruyne 8; Lukaku 7. Substitutes (not used): Boyata, Carrasco, Kaminski, Sels, Denayer, Dendoncker, Benteke, Batshuayi, Trossard.

Italy (4-3-3): Donnarumma 7; Di Lorenzo 7, Bonucci 7, Chiellini 7, Spinazzola 9 (Emerson 78, 6); Barella 7, Jorginho 7, Verratti 8 (Cristante 74, 6); Chiesa 7 (Toloi 90), Immobile 8 (Belotti 74, 6), Insigne 7 (Berardi 79, 6). Substitutes (not used): Sirigu, Locatelli, Pessina, Acerbi, Bernardeschi, Bastoni, Meret.

Referee: S Vincic (Slovenia) 7