Giorgio Chiellini ‘felt something magical in the air’ as Italy made their way to win UEFA EURO 2020, beating England on penalties even after that early goal ‘punch in the face.’
Luke Shaw opened the scoring within two minutes, but Leonardo Bonucci equalised and it was decided in a shoot-out at Wembley.
“We won, I think deservedly. We felt something magical in the air, we’d been saying it since the start of May and we deserve it, all of Italy deserves it,” Chiellini told RAI Sport.
“It was an incredible sensation, thank you to everyone who was part of this group over three years and we dedicate it to all those players who are watching from home too.”
Although the Azzurri dominated possession on England’s home turf, they needed spot-kicks in the end.
“They key was always to play football and enjoy ourselves. We wanted to control the game, to hold possession, and despite getting that punch in the face within two minutes, we dominated the rest of the match and wanted it at all costs.”
It went to penalties and Gianluigi Donnarumma made two saves, while Marcus Rashford hit the woodwork.
“We had Gigione! We’ve gone from Gigi to Gigio! It was right to win this way. We are all so happy and can’t wait to celebrate with all the Italians tomorrow.”