AGI – It’s the night of Italy-Spain, the first semifinal of Euro 2020. The theater is that of Wembley, one of the most important and well-known stadiums in the world. Over 60,000 fans in the stands, almost all resident in Great Britain due to the rise in Covid cases, due to the Delta variant, which hit the British country.
“When you arrive on the eve of the match, the tension is there. In the preparation phase, no because you have to be cold in order not to make mistakes. But now you can and that’s the beauty of these matches.” Thus the coach of Italy, Roberto Mancini, had explained in a press conference the emotions of the eve that, now, has become reality.
The official formations
The coach, Roberto Mancini, sends on the field: Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Emerson, Barella, Jorginho, Verratti, Chiesa, Immobile, Insigne.
Luis Enrique’s Spain is made up as follows: Unai Simon; Azpilicueta, Laporte, Garcia, Jordi Alba; Koke, Busquets, Pedri; Dani Olmo, Torres, Oyarzabal. Alvaro Morata starts from the bench.
The curiosity of the ‘Under’ now grown up
Italy against Spain, final of the under 21 European championships, year 2013. Two teams full of talents and young people with high hopes, all in their twenties. On the one hand De Gea, Koke, Thiago Alcantara, Alvaro Morata and Sarabia. On the other Marco Verratti, Alessandro Florenzi, Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne.
The same ones who will play the semi-final of Euro 2020 today, eight years later, at Wembley still with the national team jersey, but that of the greats. Since that June 18 (Raffaella Carrà was celebrating 70 years) a lot of water has passed under the bridge, even in the world of football.
The arrival across the Channel
Italy trained in Coverciano yesterday morning and then took a charter flight which landed in Luton in the early afternoon. At 5pm yesterday training again at the Hive stadium in Harrow and then rest until Tuesday evening.
Spain arrived in the evening at 6pm, and will be staying in the luxury Marriott hotel in Regent’s Park. Italy has not won the European championship since 1968 and, after a 53-year wait, the fans are hoping for it.
The referee
To direct the match is Felix Brych, assisted by the assistants Mark Borsch and Stefan Lupp. The fourth official will be the Russian Sergei Karasev. The German referee, lawyer, born in 1975, he has already directed four matches at Euro 2020: Netherlands-Ukraine, Finland-Belgium, Belgium-Portugal, and the quarter-final between Ukraine-England in Rome.
He was also the referee of the match between Juventus and Real Madrid, in the 2017 Champions League final. The match between Italy and Spain is nothing new for him: he has already refereed the match valid for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, in Turin , ended in a draw.
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