To conclude a monumental tournament, Italy drew England 1-1, but emerged victorious in penalty kicks after 3 straight misses from the Three Lions.
The game was fierce and fiery from the start, with an electric half-volley scored by Manchester United full-back Luke Shaw, who elevated the Three Lions to a 1-0 lead in the 2nd minute.
After the goal, Southgate deployed a hold the lead tactic, moving his midfielders deeper, and asking his players to control the ball. Up until the halftime whistle, England were comfortably holding the Italian advance.
Both Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips played extraordinarily well; when one went forward, the other sat in behind, providing an extra defender in case of possession loss.
When the teams reemerged, Italy looked vibrant and dangerous, using possession to open channels to attack in. At this point, England dropped deep and hoped to contain the relentless onslaught of chances.
Finally, the English wall broke. Coming from a corner kick in the 67th minute, Marco Verratti's header caused Jordan Pickford to make a jaw-dropping save off the post, but with the defense unable to clear, Leonardo Bonucci tapped the ball into the net to level the scoring.
After the goal, neither team looked too adamant to go after a winner, and the full-time whistle was blown.
No chances were converted in the 30 additional minutes of extra-time, and the match would be decided by the infamous penalty kick.
Italy won the toss and elected to go first. Domenico Berardi converted the first penalty, tucking the ball away into the bottom left corner.
Kane was up next, slotting the shot into the bottom left corner, even when Gianluigi Donnarumma dove the right way.
Andrea Belotti stepped up to take the next kick for the Azzurri. He never looked particularly confident and fluffed his lines, allowing Pickford to save the low shot.
Harry Maguire thundered his shot into the top right corner, and Bonucci took his confidently.
The beginning of the end was imminent for England, as the substitute Marcus Rashford stepped up. Taking his time to shoot, Donnarumma was fooled into going the wrong way, leaving Rashford with an open goal, only to hit the left post and take the long walk back with his head in hands.
Federico Bernardeschi went straight down the middle, as Pickford went sailing to his right.
The newly revealed Manchester United forward Jadon Sancho was up next, who had just recently entered the game as well. In a great acrobatic save by Donnarumma, Sancho's side foot was denied by the 21 year old, giving Italy the chance to win it with their most reliable spot kick specialist, Jorginho.
In my opinion, Jorginho was still lucky to be on the field, after a studs up challenge on Jack Grealish late into the 2nd half of extra-time.
Jorginho, with his iconic and deceptive run-up, had his shot brilliantly saved by Pickford, giving England one more chance to extend the shootout.
Up stepped the 19 year old Bukayo Saka, who was replaced by Kieran Trippier to start the game. The young Arsenal forward had the weight of his nation on his shoulders, and to his disappointment, missed the third straight penalty to crown Italy the 2020 European Champions.
Italy looked destined to win the tournament from the start; Roberto Mancini played to Italy's strong suits and with a strong defensive presence for the entire competition, denied their opponents from using their attacking weapons to their fullest extent.
This was a phenomenal tournament, full of heartbreak and euphoria. We as viewers learned much about the players, managers, and national legacy. With the World Cup less than a year away, we can only hope for an electrifying competition so captivating, everyone will be talking about it.
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