Euro 2020 Semi-Finals! (2021)

Italy *1–1 Spain 

The Italian juggernaut continues to steamroll past their opponents; can they do it against Spain? This Spanish side is brimming with talent, and aren’t going down without a fight.

Italy win against Spain, to progress to the EURO final! The Italians were not at their best tonight, but, even then, they're still a damn good team. While they couldn't dominate in midfield, It was Italy’s defense that saved the day, Giorgio Cheillini and Leonardo Bonucci both putting in amazing defensive displays. I really want to know what’s in their wine because, as they age, the center back partnership becomes smarter and more efficient. You would think that a good center back needs to be fast, but they know where to position themselves. Italy’s goal came from a quick counterattack, and when the ball fell to Federico Cheisa, he curled an effort into the far corner from a difficult angle. Italy did well to not let Spain regroup, moving the ball too fast for the Spanish to get back into order. Because of this, Ciro Immobole ran into the space that the Spanish defense left open, leading up to the goal. 

What has really impressed me about Italy throughout this tournament is the trust that every player has in each other. We saw it against Belgium, where Italy sliced and diced the Red Devils’ defense to pieces with rapid passes. Jorginho is so integral to that part of their play because of how press resistant he is—kind of like Sergio Busquets of Barcelona. Italy went through on penalties, and now have one more game to focus on: the final. 

Spain head home, after a tournament with many ups and downs. Luis Enrique’s side had to go to at least extra time in every single knockout game, which must have been mentally draining. But they didn’t seem to show the fatigue that we all expected, and were in fact more energetic than their opponents for many periods of this game. The Spanish midfield made sure to close down many of the passing lanes, which stumped the Italian attack. If there’s one thing Spain is known for, it's that they always produce some of the best midfielders in the world (Xavi, Andreas Iniesta, and Busquets, to name just a few). In this new generation, all eyes are on Pedri, the 18-year-old Catalunian sensation. He was no doubt the best player for Spain in this tournament. He possesses such maturity, even for his age, and you can see it in the way he reads the game, as well as in the quality of his passes. 

While the midfield was never in question, the problems arise in their forwards, and defenders. Both of the Spanish fullbacks are over th

e age of thirty, and I’m sorry, but Eric Garcia shouldn’t yet be trusted to start in a game of this magnitude, being all of 20. Up front, we have a tale of two Alvaro Moratas. There’s the Morata that scored the equalizing goal in the semifinal, and then there’s the Morata that had his poor penalty saved by Gianluigi Donarrumma. Morata may have scored 3 goals, but he isn’t the #9 that Spain so desperately craves. Overall, while this loss must be tough to take, you bet they’ll come back even stronger next year for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. With the potential they have, they are a force to be reckoned with. 

It may have been an ugly win, but an ugly win is still a win. Spain will have been disappointed to have been eliminated through a penalty shootout, but that’s how it is sometimes. 

England 2–1 Denmark

England could be in a major tournament final for the first time in 55 years, if they beat Denmark. The Danes are still rampant, being motivated by their #10.

England are through to the final, after a narrow win against the Danes. I’ll be honest, I was predicting an England sweep, but a combination of stout Denmark defending and some English hesitation when having the ball meant that England couldn’t split open Denmark as they had done with Ukraine. England's midfield was still great in transition from defense to offense. When they had the ball, Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka would be open to a pass on the wing, and create a chance of their own. In fact, England's equalizer came thanks to Saka, who was played in by Harry Kane, before fizzing the ball into the 6-yard box for Sterling to score. 

Defensively, England were solid, not giving Denmark many chances to get themselves into the box. Harry Maguire was great in the match, and his leadership is so influential, I believe that he deserves to be the England captain more than Harry Kane. Overall, England has had a pretty good tournament so far. However, they have to play Italy in the final, a much stronger opponent than England's previous ones. It's pretty fair to say that England are on the easier side of the bracket, facing an outdated Germany side, Ukraine, and Denmark. Italy have had to face an adaptable Austria side, Belgium (the #1 ranked team in the world), and Spain. England will have a lot on their plate in the final, and seeing how good this Italy team is, you wouldn’t exactly call England favorites.

England against Denmark was always going to be a delicious fixture. Denmark were playing like madmen, inspired by Christian Eriksen, who’d suffered a heart attack on the field during Denmark’s opening game. England were their toughest opponents yet, but they were determined to give it everything they had. The Danes held their own, and if it weren’t for a 105th-minute “foul” on Sterling in the penalty box (which was definitely reviewed by someone with cataracts) Denmark would have forced the game into extra time. I think Denmark is more of a unit, where every player has a strong connection to each other. Even though England has by far the better players, because many of those players play each other in the Premier League, they don’t have the kind of connection and friendship that the Danes have. 

Denmark’s goal was the first of the night, when Mikkel Damsgaard’s free kick went high above the English wall, then dipped under the bar. While the Danes did score, they didn’t produce much from open play. Most of the shots that Denmark took were from outside the box, no problem for Jordan Pickford. Had they found those pockets of space, we could very well have been talking about a different scenario. All that being said, these Denmark players have had a monster of a tournament, and you can’t help but hope they’ll be back again. 

England had it to do against a very strong opponent, but they made it in the end! Denmark can hold their heads high, knowing that they have made their fans proud.