England can end its 55-year wait for a major trophy with a win against Italy in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday.
Over half a century since beating West Germany to win the 1966 World Cup, England reached the final of a major tournament for the second time in its history by defeating Denmark 2-1 in extra time on Wednesday.
Now only the Azzurri stand between the Three Lions and a first European Championship crown, which would be the ultimate redemption story for Gareth Southgate.
The current England manager missed the crucial penalty as his team lost a penalty shootout against Germany in the semifinal of Euro 96 at Wembley a quarter of a century ago, but he could now become only the second man in the history of English soccer to lift a major trophy.
Southgate has proved to be an inspired choice of coach, leading England to the World Cup semifinals three years ago, and bringing about an enormous improvement after taking over a team that had been humbled by Iceland in the Round of 16 of Euro 2016.
"To get to a semifinal in Russia was probably ahead of where we expected. To get to a final now, it's hard to say," he told The Guardian this week.
"That was our aim, for sure. You're never quite certain how things are going to play out when we had so many issues to deal with at the start. But we are there and we now have a wonderful opportunity."
As was the case 55 years ago and on Wednesday against Denmark, England's reckoning with history will be with the backing of a raucous partisan crowd, with English fans set to account for the overwhelming majority of the 66,000 people who will pack Wembley Stadium in London.
The final will be England's sixth game at Wembley out of seven played at this tournament—the 4-0 thrashing of Ukraine in the quarterfinals in Rome was the only exception—but with home comfort comes the added pressure of delivering, a burden England has repeatedly struggled with in previous decades.
The current team, however, appears to be cut from a different cloth. Southgate's men have conceded just once in the entire tournament and after a barren group stage, talismanic forward Harry Kane has rediscovered his goalscoring touch, scoring four goals in three games in the knockout stages.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker netted the winner against Denmark in the semifinal, tapping in the rebound after seeing his penalty saved by Kasper Schmeichel.
Italy, which has played twice at Wembley so far at Euro 2020, may not enjoy the crowd's backing, but it possesses the kind of experience in this environment that England sorely lacks.
The Azzurri have been one of the most impressive teams in the tournament and on Sunday will mark their fourth final at the European Championships and the second in the last three editions, following a 4-0 shellacking at the hands of Spain in 2012.
Italy got revenge on Tuesday, defeating Spain in a penalty shootout in the semifinal after the game ended 1-1 following extra time.
"They [England] want to win clearly because they are playing at home and have never won a European Championship so the details will decide things," Italy midfielder Marco Verratti said.
"These matches can put you under a lot of pressure and I think that the team that plays with a mind that is free will gain the upper hand."
Here's all you need to know ahead of Sunday's game.
When is England vs. Italy?
England faces Italy at 8 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) on Sunday, July 11.
Where is England vs. Italy?
England plays Italy at Wembley Stadium in northwest London, the venue that hosted both semifinals.
England has so far played every game at Wembley, bar the 4-0 quarterfinal thumping of Ukraine in Rome. Italy, meanwhile, played at Wembley for the win over Austria in the Round of 16 and in the semifinal against Spain.
How to watch England vs. Italy on TV and online
The game is broadcast on ESPN, with a live stream available on ESPN+ and via the ESPN app on mobile and tablet. The game will also be available via streaming services such as fuboTV and Sling TV, which both carry ESPN.
England vs. Italy odds
There's little to choose between the two teams, at least according to the bookmakers. England is a 7-4 favorite to win in 90 minutes with William Hill, while Italy is 15-8 and the draw is at 2-1.
England is a 4-5 favourite to lift the trophy with SBK, while Italy is even odds.
The same bookmaker has England's captain Harry Kane as a 5-1 favourite to be the first goalscorer, followed by Italy's Ciro Immobile at 6-1.
With four goals, Kane is joint-third in the race for the Golden Boot award reserved for the tournament's top goalscorer. He needs to score twice in the final to overcome Cristiano Ronaldo's tally of five goals and is 5-1 to pull off the feat. For context, the England captain was 100-1 after failing to score in each of the three group stage games.
England has conceded just one goal so far in this tournament and is 7-1 to win 1-0 on Sunday, while Italy is 8-1 to win 2-0.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
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