Euro 2020 final prediction: Football not coming home as Italy spoil England party


Steve Luckings
  • English
  • Arabic

We're down to the final two teams of Euro 2020 following two dramatic semi-finals.

Italy clinched their place in Sunday's showpiece with a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Spain while England beat Denmark 2-1 in extra time to punch their ticket to Wembley.

Here's the lowdown.

Euro 2020 final

Italy v England, Sunday, July 11, 8pm BST (11pm UAE)

After 55 years of hurt England finally reached a major final after seeing off a spirited Denmark in Wednesday's semi-final.

England conceded for the first time at the tournament as they fell behind to a Mikkel Damsgaard free-kick but showed their resolve to claw their way back into the match.

Kasper Schmeichel was forced to make several fine saves but was powerless to prevent Simon Kjaer's own goal and was unfortunate to see his save from Harry Kane's extra-time penalty rebound to the England captain who made no mistake second time around.

England were asked plenty of questions defensively with Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire putting in colossal performances to prevent the Danes adding to their tally.

Italy, meanwhile, showed they too can tough it out as they found themselves on the backfoot for the majority of the 120 minutes against Spain before holding their nerve in the penalty shoot-out.

Giorgio Chiellini will need to be a little cuter in his handling of in-form Kane than he was with his opposite number Jordi Alba as the respective captains discussed which end to take the penalties in Tuesday's first semi-final.

The Juventus defender, 36, resembled a grizzly bear toying with its prey before ripping it to shreds and if the idea was to rattle the Spaniards it seemed to have the desired effect.

Emerson Palmieri filled the void of the injured Leonardo Spinazzola down Italy's left and showed good combinations with Lorenzo Insigne ahead of him and should keep his place in the starting XI.

The battle for midfield supremacy will pit English terriers Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice against Italian stallions Marco Verratti and Jorginho and while the English duo may lack the same quality on the ball as the Azzurri double act it has been their tenacity that is the driving force behind England's best performances.

Roberto Mancini is likely to persist with non-scoring Ciro Immobile and the lively Federico Chiesa in attack as Italy look to extend their unbeaten run to 34 matches while Gareth Southgate's toughest selection looks to be whether to stick with Bukayo Saka as part of a front three with Kane and Raheem Sterling or recall Jadon Sancho.

Jack Grealish is likely to have to be content with a place on the bench but the Aston Villa forward could yet play a key role if England can apply pressure on Gianluigi Donnarumma's goal in the closing stages.

Prediction: Italy to break England hearts

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

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Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
McIlroy's recent struggles

Last six stroke-play events (First round score in brackets)

Arnold Palmer Invitational Tied for 4th (74)

The US Masters Tied for 7th (72)

The Players Championship Tied for 35th (73)

US Open Missed the cut (78)

Travellers Championship Tied for 17th (67)

Irish Open Missed the cut (72)

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The flights: South African Airways flies from Dubai International Airport with a stop in Johannesburg, with prices starting from around Dh4,000 return. Emirates can get you there with a stop in Lusaka from around Dh4,600 return.
The details: Visas are available for 247 Zambian kwacha or US$20 (Dh73) per person on arrival at Livingstone Airport. Single entry into Victoria Falls for international visitors costs 371 kwacha or $30 (Dh110). Microlight flights are available through Batoka Sky, with 15-minute flights costing 2,265 kwacha (Dh680).
Accommodation: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel by Anantara is an ideal place to stay, within walking distance of the falls and right on the Zambezi River. Rooms here start from 6,635 kwacha (Dh2,398) per night, including breakfast, taxes and Wi-Fi. Water arrivals cost from 587 kwacha (Dh212) per person.

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Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Klipit%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Venkat%20Reddy%2C%20Mohammed%20Al%20Bulooki%2C%20Bilal%20Merchant%2C%20Asif%20Ahmed%2C%20Ovais%20Merchant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Digital%20receipts%2C%20finance%2C%20blockchain%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%244%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Privately%2Fself-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

if you go

The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.

The trip 

Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.

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If you go

The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road. 

The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
 

Updated: July 09, 2021, 3:41 PM`