It's been another fabulous day of Euro 2020 football, and the stage is perfectly set for what will surely be a cracking game between Italy and Spain. That's it from me, your host Teja, for tonight. Thank you very much for tuning into the live blog and I certainly hope you had a great time! Please stay safe and I hope all of you have a lovely weekend.
Cheers!
🇮🇹 🇪🇸 Tuesday 6 July. Wembley Stadium. Do not miss it!
On the other hand, it's another disappointing exit for Roberto Martinez and Belgium's revered Golden Generation. With Hazard, De Bruyne, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, and their other superstar names not getting any younger, you have to imagine the 2022 FIFA World Cup is their final shot at silverware.
This is certainly another MASSIVE step to the project that Mancini has put in place since taking over. They are now just two games away from winning Euro 2020. He deserves all the credit in the world for what he's done with this group of players.
— Nazionale Italiana ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Vivo_Azzurro) July 2, 2021
The only downside to this game was perhaps the unfortunate injury to star man Leonardo Spinazzola, who has had an absolutely incredible so far. We sincerely hope that he recovers soon, as it's never an easy sight to digest. He looked to be in some serious pain.
And if anything, I'm glad that Lorenzo Insigne's goal is the one that decided the result because it was one worthy of being a match-winner. What a peach of a goal, that. Brilliant. This wasn't vintage Italy, but it was something even better as far as Mancini is concerned — it was a mature, sensible display from his men when it mattered the most.
The second half definitely didn't have the amount of vigour and excitement as the first, but ultimately Italy earned their win and the right to play Spain in the semi-finals. There's certainly no denying that. They were definitely the better side across 90 minutes despite the theatrics in the second half, particularly towards the end.
ITALY ARE THROUGH TO THE SEMI-FINALS OF EURO 2020!!!!!
FULL-TIME!
BELGIUM 1-2 ITALY
.....and it's a poor header from Vermaelen which has all but given Italy the win.
97' Belgium engineer one final sequence of play and win a corner, and Courtois comes up as well!
Chiellini slams the ball away, throw to Belgium. This is beyond kitchen sink time.
Belgium are on borrowed time as we are now beyond the alotted five added minutes.
10 seconds left....
94' A disappointing cross into the box allows Donnarumma to collect the ball easily. Poor from the tired Belgian.
Only two of the FIVE added minutes remain.
93' Donnarumma is back up and launches a goal kick into Belgium's half. Roughly 120 seconds of extra-time to go.
91' De Bruyne stands the ball up intp the box but Witsel is deemed to have fouled an onrushing Donnarumma. The towering Italian is currently on the ground and appears to be in distress.
As a result, Berardi goes into the ref's book.
That was a relatively disappointing strike from De Bruyne but he's going to have another bite at the cherry. Berardi is deemed to have come a bit too close to Berardi to block the strike.
Will he clip it into the box or go for goal?
89' De Bruyne curls the ball into the box but it's headed away by Chiellini. Berardi fouls the Belgian to give them a free-kick from a dangerous area.
I'm not one of Jorginho's biggest fans but I have to admit, he's had a fantastic night for Gli Azzurri. Superb display from the UEFA Champions League winner.
86' Belgium look to try and find their way past a wall of white shirts and are pushing high up the pitch. Doku finds a yard of space inside the box but Jorginho stifles him.
85' Hazard catches Emerson, free-kick to Italy.
84' JEREMY DOKU WITH A CHANCE! The teenager dances past three challenges to unleash a rocket of a shot that flies just over the bar.
83' Belgium put together a promising counter but Witsel fails to put a ball into the box.
They'll take SOME doing if they are to get back into the game as Italy have not conceded more than one goal in their last 18 games at the European championships.
81' With less than ten minutes left on the clock, Belgium are pushing high up the pitch but they've made no real progress so far.
Emerson Palmieri of Chelsea comes on to replace the injured Spinazzola, who has been carried away on a stretcher.
Domenico Berardi also replaces Insigne.
The medical staff have brought on a stretcher as Spinazzola is unable to continue. This an extremely unfortunate sight and we wish him a speedy recovery!
Spinazzola looks to be in an incredible amount of pain here.
These are worrying sights for Mancini and the Azzurri's faithful as Spinazzola has been absolutely imperious for Italy.
76' Another change might be in the offing as Leonardo Spinazzola slips and immediately signalled to the bench that he needs to be subbed off.
CHANCE for Belgium! De Bruyne could've rolled the ball to Doku who was close to him but overran the ball which then fell kindly for Lukaku. His shot was blocked by Chiellini.
Verratti's on a yellow so his change is understandable, but it's been a solid shift from the PSG man. What a display for him.
74' Italy are also making a couple of changes here.
Verratti comes off for Bryan Cristante. Immobile comes off for Andrea 'il Gallo' Belotti.
74' Chadli unfortunately can't continue and is repalced by Dennis Praet.
He's barely had a kick of the ball as he's just come on.
We hope he's alright and that he can continue!
72' PLAY STOPPED as Nacer Chadli is down with an issue. He's being examined by the medical staff for what appears to be a muscle strain.
Doku fouls Di Lorenzo and gives Italy a free-kick.
Agonisingly close for Roberto Martinez's men.
The two subs were so close to making a brilliant change as as Mertens finds Chadli inside the box. He then puts in a cross and the ball was just inches away from Lukaku's head. Another instance, another brilliant chance for Belgium.
NEARLY!!! NEARLY AN EQUALISER FOR BELGIUM!!!!
The double change I told mentioned earlier has finally been made.
Nacer Chadli for Thomas Meunier. Dries Mertens for Youri Tielemans.
69' Insigne launches a curling effort from a tight angle to test Courtois, who palms the ball away.
68' Italy's freekick leads to nothing and allows De Bruyne to drive forward on the counter, but his run was stopped by Spinazzola.
DOUBLE CHANGE for Belgium coming up soon, with Dries Mertens and Nacer Chadli looking set to come on.
67' Vermaelen concedes a poor free-kick because of a foul on Verratti.
Jorginho sprays the ball to Insigne who then delivers a lovely cross to find Spinazzola, but the wing-back doesn't test Courtois.
66' WHAT A CHANCE! A GLORIOUS chance for Spinazzola to make it 3-1 but the AS Roma man misses from close range!
65' Lucky let-off for Bonucci who wins a lucky free-kick in a dangerous area, with Lukaku waiting to pounce on the counter. That was close, there'd be no catching Lukaku if he was set free from that distance.
64' CHANCE! Chiesa fires a low ball into the box but Spinazzola fails to make any contact. That could've been dangerous for Belgium!
63' Italy hit Belgium on the counter but Insigne loses the ball. This game's just gone up by a few gears.
Italy celebrated that chance like a goal itself, and understandably so. Their lead is intact. Spinazzola appears to have gotten a touch to it to thwart Lukaku.
Lovely footwork from Doku in the final third and he finds De Bruyne who then slots the ball to Lukaku, but the Belgian striker fails to convert from just a few YARDS out!
CHANCE FOR BELGIUM!!! HOW HAVE THEY NOT SCORED?!
59' Lovely spell of play from Italy as they zip the ball around nicely, but a loose touch from Chiesa leads to a throw.
58' Bonucci tries to find Insigne's run-in behind by he's miles offside.
The second half got off to a relatively somber start compared to the all-action end to the first half but it's definitely starting to heat up now.
58' Doku now appeals for a foul on the counter but the ball goes out for a throw. He doesn't look happy about it.
Shouts for a penalty from Italy! Jorginho appears to have been fouled in the box but the ref waves away the appeals.
Insigne's delivery takes a deflection off Meunier to give Italy a throw.
57' Italy find their way up the field on the counter and win a corner via Meunier. Insigne to take.
56' SUPERB WORK from Doku! He beats Verratti near the byline and finds himself in a promising area but the ball goes straight to Donnarumma.
55' Meunier puts in a ball into the box but it's a bit too far for Lukaku. Corner to Belgium as Di Lorenzo puts it behind.
55' De Bruyne tries to find Lukaku on the edge of the box but Chiellini steps in to intercept. He's been infallible today, hasn't he?
54' Meunier wins a throw deep in Italy's half and Alderweireld joins the attack as Belgium push up, but the ball goes out for a goal-kick.
Ball back with Belgium now, who desperately need to find a way back into the game soon.
52' CHANCE! Barella drives forward with the ball and finds Chiesa who arrows in a cross into the box, but Immobile fails to get a good connection.
50' Belgium make inroads into Italy's half after a good spell of combination play and De Bruyne tries to win a corner, but is deemed to have fouled Jorginho. Free-kick Italy.
Italy are relentless at the moment. Bonucci ties to go route one and find Immobile but Alderweireld intercepts.
Another superb spell for Italy but they failed to capitalise on a corner. Goal kick Belgium.
Many wondered why Martinez opted for rookie winger Doku in place of a seasoned pro such as Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, and while he didn't set the stage alight, he won the all-important penalty towards the end of the half.
Lukaku did what Lukaku does best and found the back of the net for the 64th time in his Belgian career. Which means he now has at least TWICE the number of goals than any Belgian has ever scored. Eden Hazard is next up at 32 on the list. That's some achievement, isn't it?
HT | Italy lead 2:1!
The first 45' in Munich were played at a high tempo, with plenty of end-to-end action – #ITA were better and they had a 2:0 lead, but Romelu Lukaku's penalty just before the break got one back for #BEL.
Immobile could have made matters worse for Belgium with a gilt-edged chance just before Insigne's goal, but he failed to take a shot. Mancini, however, will definitely be the happier of the two managers. There's no doubt there.
Italy edged the possession in the first half and definitely had the pick of the chances so far. That being said, Donnarumma was called into action on a couple of occasions at the start of the half.
Sheesh, we need a breather after that enthralling first half! Incredible end-to-end stuff from both sides.
I'm glad to see this match living up to the hype, it would've been disappointing if it didn't. So far, it's been sublime!
Belgium's record scorer sends Donnarumma the wrong way before coolly slotting the ball down the middle.
GOOOAAAALLLLLL! LUKAKU PULLS ONE BACK FOR BELGIUM FROM THE SPOT!
The penalty stands after a VAR check. Lukaku steps up to take the penalty.
PENALTY FOR BELGIUM! DI LORENZO SHOVES DOKU IN THE BOX!
Brilliant, brilliant stuff from Insigne. Absolutely majestic, that.
WHAT A STUNNING STRIKE FROM THE NAPOLI STAR! Insigne picks up the ball and cuts in, measures a strike and BAM! He curls it past an outstretched Thibaut Courtois!
GOOOOAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!! LORENZO INSIGNE, TAKE A BOW!!!!
43' CHANCE FOR ITALY! Insigne releases Spinazzola with a superb ball who finds Immobile just a few yards away from goal, but he doesn't take the shot!
Superb work from Verratti again to win the ball back and Italy retain possession. Great stuff from the PSG star.
41' Verratti's ball is headed away only as far as Chiesa on the edge of the area, who takes a shot which wasn't too far away from goal.
40' Play back udnerway as Italy win a corner after Vermaelen unnecessarily concedes the ball cheaply.
39' De Bruyne manages to keep the ball despite great defensive work from Verratti but his delivery is dealt with easily. Play stopped after Witsel appears to catch Verratti in the face.
Belgium looking to make inroads in the Italian half with both Vertonghen and Alderweireld pushing high up the pitch. They're patiently switching play to find an opening.
Another good spell of possession for Gli Azzurri, but Barella squanders possession with another loose touch.
35' A loose touch from Barella ends a promising passage of play for Italy.
A better delivery this time around but it's been dealt with by Chiellini with relative ease.
Corner to Belgium, De Bruyne stands over it.
33' Chance! Immobile goes for the ball and finds himself up against Courtois but he's deemed to have fouled the Real Madrid keeper.
Vertonghen fails to clear the ball past Verratti who finds Barella inside the box. He dances past a couple of Belgian defenders before beating Courtois with a powerful strike to the far post!
WHAT A STRIKE FROM THE INTERNAZIONALE STAR!
AAAAAAAND BARELLA GIVES ITALY THE LEAAAADDD!!!!!!!
Belgium have managed to thwart Italy time and again with what looks like a red wall in front of goal.
Near post delivery, easily thwarted by Belgium.
30' Meunier sends the ball behind for a corner.
29' Chiesa looks to find a yard of space and unleash a strike but he's blocked again, this time by Vermaelen.
27' Insigne looks to cut inside and shoot but his shot is a fraction high. Trademark from the Napoli man.
27' Chance for Italy! The Azzurri's turn to counter this time as they force their way into the box but they survive after some brilliant work from Alderweireld, who blocks a shot and allows Courtois to collect the ball easily.
De Bruyne drives with the ball and releases Lukaku, who tries to pass the ball into the bottom corner after a couple of step-overs but Donnarumma is equal to it.
ANOTHER SAVE FROM DONNARUMMA!!!
26' Vertonghen shows his class with a superb interception and releases Belgium on the counter.
Belgium's backline have been resolute so far barring the one instance for the disallowed goal. Very well drilled.
24' Meunier does well to stop Spinazzola's run down the left-hand side. The Italian full-back has had a great tournament, but he's not really got going tonight.
Maybe he's trying to play a one-two with his older brother.... Alright I'll see myself out.
The resulting corner is wasted as Hazard's cross flies into the stands.
Verratti's pass falls kindly for De Bruyne who drives with the ball and unleases a venomous strike to the top-left corner but Donnarumma gets to it at full-stretch. Superb football.
22' WHAT A SAVE FROM DONNARUMMA!!!
22' Insigne tries to dance his way into the box and appeals for a penalty, 'nothing doing' says the ref.
Two yellows in the span of 60 seconds. Yikes.
Things are getting fiesty here as Tielemans has now committed a foul from behind on Verratti! That looks a tad rash.
FIRST YELLOW! Verratti commits a professional foul on Tielemans to stop a Belgian counter-attack.
19' Belgium back into their own half as Italy are back on the ball. Spinazzola tries to carry the ball into the box but Meunier stops his run.
Thorgan, of course. Forgive me if I refer to Thorgan Hazard as 'Hazard', given the older and more decorated Hazard brother watches on from the sidelines.
Superb work from Hazard to help his side defensively.
18' Italy back on the ball now and Di Lorenzo tries to release Chiesa but Italy's defence thwarts his run.
A short corner from this time around and Doku carries the ball into the box, but his pass misses De Bruyne. The midfielder gets the ball again and unleashes a strike that goes out for a throw.
16' Belgium pushing higher up the pitch and Tielemans takes a shot from distance which is sent behind for a corner.
That's a lucky let-off for Belgium and probably a huge warning as the Italian skipper was marginally offside when the free-kick was taken.
NO GOAL, Chiellini is deemed offside in the build-up.
LEONARDO BONUCCI WITH A CLOSE-RANGE FINISH FROM THE FREE-KICK!
GOOOOOAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!! ITALY TAKE THE LEAD IN MUNICH!!!!!
13' Thorgan Hazard commits a foul on Jorginho in Belgium's half, free-kick to Italy.
Another disappiointing delivery from De Bruyne as his corner kick is dealt with easily by Spinazzola.
11' Tielemans and Meunier combine well down the right and the BVB man wins Belgium a corner.
Promising signs for Gli Azzurri so far.
9' A superb passage of play for Italy comes to an end after a poor touch from Immobile.
Italy showing great urgency at the moment, attempting to play their way into Belgium's box.
Italy edging possession at the moment and Belgium don't appear overly keen to press them as of yet.
Both sides are starting to settle in nicely, I must say.
6' Doku picks up the ball in the final third but ends up passing the ball to Donnarumma. Poor.
5' Insigne swings a cross towards Chiesa but the Juventus man fails to keep it in play. Belgium with a goal-kick.
4' Lukaku runs in behind the two centre-backs after a superb ball from Alderweireld but he skies the shot. Also flagged offside. An early warning for Bonucci and Chiellini, perhaps?
Proper end-to-end stuff from the get-go, this match! Oof.
It's dealt with easily by Italy's defence as the ball is headed away to safety.
3' First corner of the game as Donnarumma fails to keep the ball in play. De Bruyne stands over the set-piece.
2' Jorginho releases Chiesa into the final third but the winger gives away a foul.
1' First major chance! De Bruyne releases Lukaku into space into the Italian box but Donnaruma comes off his line to stop him.
Belgium quickly settle into their usual 3-4-3 and get the game underway.
AAAAAND ITALY GET US UNDERWAY AT THE ALLIANZ ARENA!!!
This match has that 'unstoppable force v immovable object' energy on the face of it, if you ask me. Should be an entertaining affair.
Italy and Belgium have made their way onto the pitch and the national anthems have been sung. We're edging closer to kick-off in Germany.
Meanwhile, Luis Enrique and Spain will surely have their sights set on the upcoming battle in Munich as they will face the winners of Belgium vs Spain.
Switzerland bow out of Euro 2020 but they didn't go down without a fight, that's for sure. They've had an incredible tournament and they were just a spot-kick away from sealing a spot in the semi-finals. They can leave with their heads held high, and their run will be remembered as one of the great underdog tales of this tournament.
AND OYARZABAL SCORES! SPAIN ARE THROUGH TO THE SEMI-FINAL OF EURO 2020!!!!!
Mikel Oyarzabal steps up to take a penalty that could seal Spain's spot in the semi-finals of Euro 2020 at Wembley.....
The Swiss star skies his attempt to give Spain the lead. La Roja in the driving seat now.
VARGAS MISSES! ADVANTAGE SPAIN!
Moreno scores emphatically! What a surreal strike that is.
3 attempts in, the scores are level at 1-1.
AKANJI MISSES! Simon with ANOTHER save. This is an incredible shootout so far.
Unbelievable scenes in Russia. Goodness me.
SOMMER SAVES RODRI'S PENALTY! INCREDIBLE!
SIMON SAVES! SCHAR FAILS TO SCORE!
Sublime finish from Olmo, who arrows it into the top-left corner. Superb strike.
Gavranovic converts! Switzerland 1-0!
Advantage Swizerland as Busquets fails to find the back of the net. WOW.
Meanwhile, Belgium and Italy prepare to kick off their game in Germany. T minus 30 minutes 👀
Ladies and gentlemen, we're set for the second shoot-out of the competition. Incredible drama.
AAAAAND WE HAVE PENALTIES IN RUSSIA!
Another save from Sommer, this man is playing with a point to prove. Brilliant stuff from the Gladbach star.
It's mayhem in the box! La Roja have bombarded the Swiss box but have failed to find any clear-cut opportunities whatsoever. Sommer and a brilliant backline have helped them stay alive as they fight for a spot in the semi-finals.
Penalties, anyone...?
110 minutes in, we still have no clear winner. Looks like this game could go right down to the wire. The Swiss have given everything they possibly can to keep the Spaniards out, and Yann Sommer has put in a HEROIC display so far.
5 - This will be the fifth meeting between Belgium and Italy at a major tournament – each of the four previous meetings came in the group stages, with Italy avoiding defeat in all four matches (W3 D1). Edge. #BEL#ITA#EURO2020pic.twitter.com/r29nvd8Z6D
Gli Azzurri's faithful will also be relieved to see captain Giorgio Chiellini return to the XI in place of Francesco Acerbi. Jan Vertonghen takes over the armband from the injured Eden Hazard for Belgium.
Elsewhere, Juventus star Federico Chiesa has earned himself a start after his heroics against Austria in the last round, with Domenico Berardi dropping to the bench. Manuel Locatelli remains on the bench with Verrattin in the XI, alongside Jorginho and Nicolo Barella in midfield.
The 19-year-old Stade Rennes has been tipped to achieve great things in his career and has been called upon by Martinez to step in for his injured skipper, Eden Hazard. It will certainly be interesting to see this young star in action for his country.
So let's get straight to it. The biggest surprise of the lineups is undoubtedly in the inclusion of one certain Belgian playmaker.
De Bruyne's situation was a bit unclear and he's managed to recover in time for the game, earning himself a start in Belgium's front three. He will be joined by Romelu Lukaku and, more surprisingly, tournament debutant Jeremy Doku!
The Atalanta star went flying in with his studs to win a ball but ended up ramming into Moreno's shins. Yikes, that looked dangerous.
More drama in Russia as Remo Freuler has been given his marching orders after an ill-adviced challenge on Gerard Moreno.
Shaqiri knows he can turn it on when he really wants to, and just enjoys life the rest of the time.
— Grace Robertson 🏳️⚧️ (@GraceOnFootball) July 2, 2021
SHAQIRI GIVES THE SWISS AN EQUALISER IN RUSSIA!
GOAAAALLLLLL!!!!! WHAT A MIX-UP AT THE BACK FOR SPAIN!!!!
I'll keep you updated as and when the lineups and other info regarding the Belgium Italy game come up!
For now, let's all sit back and enjoy the ongoing quarter-final clash between Spain and Switzerland. If there's one thing the Swiss have taught us, it is to never count them out. Poor France, they were forced to learn this the hard way 👀🇫🇷
⚠️ | QUICK STAT
With his goal against Switzerland, Jordi Alba has now scored 9 goals for the Spanish national team – that's more than any other player in the current #ESP squad not named Álvaro Morata.
Alright, so as things stand the winner of Belgium v Italy is set to take on Spain as they currently hold a 1-0 lead over Switzerland. If things remain this way, we could be set for a spicy semi-final encounter as well!
As I said, we're in for arguably one of the best match-ups of the tournament. Let's just hope it lives up to the hype 👀
Champagne football, bringing the youth through, incredible results. What more can you ask for?
No wonder Italy are the favorites to win the tournament!
What Roberto Mancini has done for his national side is hard to put into words. He took a struggling side and turned them into one of the most feared sides in the realm of international football. If you don't believe me, why don't you take a look at what the numbers have to say?
He took over in May 2018, when Italy were ranked #20 on the FIFA rankings. He's been in charge of 34 games across all competitions, during which he's seen his side lose only on two occasions — a friendly against world champions France (his second game) and one against defending European champions Portugal. Mancini has overseen 25 wins and seven draws in that period, with Italy scoring 82 (!) goals and conceding just... 15. Let that sink in.
Three years on, Italy are ranked #7 on the FIFA rankings, unbeaten at a major European competition conceding just once in four games. And, prior to conceding a 114th-minute goal against Austria, they hadn't conceded a goal in TEN straight games.
While Belgium have largely retained their core from 2016, Italy are on the other end of the spectrum. Gli Azzurri are nearly unrecognisable from their previous showing at the Euros.
In fact, NINE of the players that started in their 2-0 win against Belgium in 2016 aren't even in the squad... Imagine that! The only two players to survive this mass clear-out are Leonardo Bonucci and captain Giorgio Chiellini. The latter picked up a knock in the group stages, but is expected to return to the XI vs Belgium.
🥊 Roberto Martinez has faced Roberto Mancini eight times as a manager in the past and his teams have only ever scored one goal...
The last time these two sides met at the European Championships was in 2016, where Antonio Conte's Azzurri saw off Marc Wilmots' Belgian Red Devils at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
While Belgium's core group — including the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and so on — is still very much in action, they have evolved very well five years on. Roberto Martinez has done a superb job to make them a free-scoring unit capable of taking on the best of the best.
Belgium are currently the number one ranked side in the world according to FIFA, with Italy also making the top ten as they sit in seventh place. Martinez's men dumped defending champions Portugal out of the tournament in the Round of 16, albeit their win came at a great cost as both Kevin De Bruyne and captain Eden Hazard picked up injuries. Neither are expected to feature against Italy.
It was the younger Hazard, Thorgan, whose otherworldly strike from outside the box that settled a tight affair on that occasion.
🇮🇹 Giaccherini & Pelle scored when Italy beat Belgium 2-0 at EURO 2016! 👊
That being said, it is the pick of the bunch among all QF ties as it will see two of the most in-form international sides in the world go head to head. What a box office game we're in for tonight!
Belgium and Italy will surely feel hard done by as they are arguably two of the best sides remaining in the tournament (sorry, Spain), but ended up facing each other at such an early stage. What's worse is that the winner could possibly end up meeting Spain in the semi-final, should La Roja get past the Swiss in the first quarter-final.
Good evening everyone! We're just hours away from Belgium's high-profile clash against Italy at the Allianz Arena in Munich. I'm your host Sai Teja and I will be talking you through what is sure to be an entertaining match-up at Euro 2020.
Also, Paul Merson has an exclusive weekly column at Sportskeeda. He has taken a crack at predicting the UEFA Euro 2020 quarterfinals, have a read:
Cheers!
BELGIUM 1-2 ITALY
Domenico Berardi also replaces Insigne.
Verratti comes off for Bryan Cristante.
Immobile comes off for Andrea 'il Gallo' Belotti.
Nacer Chadli for Thomas Meunier.
Dries Mertens for Youri Tielemans.
Lukaku did what Lukaku does best and found the back of the net for the 64th time in his Belgian career. Which means he now has at least TWICE the number of goals than any Belgian has ever scored. Eden Hazard is next up at 32 on the list. That's some achievement, isn't it?
I'm glad to see this match living up to the hype, it would've been disappointing if it didn't. So far, it's been sublime!
Belgium 1-2 Italy
De Bruyne's situation was a bit unclear and he's managed to recover in time for the game, earning himself a start in Belgium's front three. He will be joined by Romelu Lukaku and, more surprisingly, tournament debutant Jeremy Doku!
Belgium XI: Courtois; Alderweireld, Vermaelen, Vertonghen; Meunier, Witsel, Tielemans, T.Hazard; De Bruyne, Lukaku, Doku
Italy XI: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Spinazzola; Barella, Jorginho, Verratti; Chiesa, Immobile, Insigne
For now, let's all sit back and enjoy the ongoing quarter-final clash between Spain and Switzerland. If there's one thing the Swiss have taught us, it is to never count them out. Poor France, they were forced to learn this the hard way 👀🇫🇷
No wonder Italy are the favorites to win the tournament!
He took over in May 2018, when Italy were ranked #20 on the FIFA rankings. He's been in charge of 34 games across all competitions, during which he's seen his side lose only on two occasions — a friendly against world champions France (his second game) and one against defending European champions Portugal. Mancini has overseen 25 wins and seven draws in that period, with Italy scoring 82 (!) goals and conceding just... 15. Let that sink in.
Three years on, Italy are ranked #7 on the FIFA rankings, unbeaten at a major European competition conceding just once in four games. And, prior to conceding a 114th-minute goal against Austria, they hadn't conceded a goal in TEN straight games.
In fact, NINE of the players that started in their 2-0 win against Belgium in 2016 aren't even in the squad... Imagine that! The only two players to survive this mass clear-out are Leonardo Bonucci and captain Giorgio Chiellini. The latter picked up a knock in the group stages, but is expected to return to the XI vs Belgium.
While Belgium's core group — including the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and so on — is still very much in action, they have evolved very well five years on. Roberto Martinez has done a superb job to make them a free-scoring unit capable of taking on the best of the best.
Belgium are currently the number one ranked side in the world according to FIFA, with Italy also making the top ten as they sit in seventh place. Martinez's men dumped defending champions Portugal out of the tournament in the Round of 16, albeit their win came at a great cost as both Kevin De Bruyne and captain Eden Hazard picked up injuries. Neither are expected to feature against Italy.
It was the younger Hazard, Thorgan, whose otherworldly strike from outside the box that settled a tight affair on that occasion.
Euro 2020: Paul Merson’s predictions for the quarterfinal fixtures
Belgium vs Italy prediction, preview, team news and more | UEFA Euro 2020