Italy 1-1 England (3-2 penalties) - 5 Hits and Flops as Azurri win Euro 2020 final 

Hit: Luke Shaw (England)

Italy v England - UEFA Euro 2020: Final

It’s no secret as to how much England star Luke Shaw has gone through over the past few years. From near career-threatening injuries to an unsupportive manager to being abused for his weight, Luke Shaw has had a tough time. As one of the best players of the entire tournament, the Englishman has proved a lot of his detractors wrong.

England goalscorers in major finals - Sir Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Luke Shaw.

— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) July 11, 2021

As a roaming LWB, Shaw produced 6 crosses, created 1 chance and scored England’s only goal. In a relatively timid performance from the Three Lions, Shaw’s eagerness to move forward at every opportunity was admirable.

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Flop: Gareth Southgate (England)

Italy v England - UEFA Euro 2020: Final

The England manager has seemingly won over millions of people during the course of this tournament. Coming into Euro 2020 he was deemed as out of his depth, inept and the wrong man to coach a golden generation of attacking talent. As of now, those complaints are rising to the surface again. It does not matter that he led the nation to a final, the fact he lost it has apparently discredited that remarkable achievement in some people's eyes.

I am not that quick to disregard him, but he deserves criticism for last night.

They need to stop the Southgate hero narrative and get a new manager In. Can’t waste these set of players on him

— . (@BodegaaCat) July 11, 2021

Not only did his switch to a 3-4-3/5-2-3 put England on the back foot for the entire game, but he also refused to rectify that mistake quickly too. With all the attacking talent at his disposal, Southgate still chose to play pragmatically and cautiously.

On top of that, his selection to put Bukayo Saka as the fifth penalty taker over the likes of Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish was heavily criticized.

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Hit: Leonardo Bonucci (Italy)

Italy v England - UEFA Euro 2020: Final

This is Leonardo Bonucci’s world, and we are all just living in it. The 34-year-old put in a monstrous performance, the kind we have come to expect from him. In 120 minutes of pure dominance, the centre-back completed 89% of his passes, won 4/7 of his duels and made 2 tackles.

🇮🇹 Bonucci: "It's coming to Rome!"@azzurri | #ITA | #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/ZtDM5xY1xK

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 11, 2021

Not only did he get Italy’s vital equalizer, but he also scored his penalty on enemy territory and kept his team on the front foot throughout. In these kinds of battles, you need your experienced leaders to step up and Italy hero Bonucci did just that.