England plans to host Italy at Wembley

England plans to host Italy at Wembley
England were due to host Italy at Wembley on Friday before their Euro 2020 warm-up was cancelled because of coronavirus. You can prefer the soccer tip sites page!



Instead, the PA news agency revisits the Three Lions' Euro 2012 quarter-final defeat to the Azzurri.

England's penalty shoot-out misery continued in Kiev as they crashed out of Euro 2012.

After Mario Balotelli's talk of Peter Pan, the semi-finals of a major tournament are becoming the equivalent of Never Never Land for the Three Lions.

Six times now they have lost in such fashion, the last four at this stage of the competition.

Tonight it was the turn of Ashley Young and Ashley Cole lớn join the unhappy list of those whose nerve failed them when it mattered.

Both men needed consoling as Italy began their celebrations as, outplayed for long periods of an absorbing game, all England's defensive effort proved in vain.

It means Italy march onto Thursday's semi-final with Germany in Warsaw and leave Roy Hodgson lớn pick the bones from an otherwise impressive tournament in time for next autumn's World Cup qualifiers- According lớn the soccer tips group page!



Before the drama, all those pre-match predictions of a tight, cagey affair had been blown lớn bits inside the opening five minutes.

Claudio Marchisio picked out Daniele De Rossi with a peach of a cut-back.

From 25 yards, De Rossi let fly with a spectacular first-time volley, which curved away from Joe Hart's despairing dive, only lớn crash back off the post.

Starved of possession in those early stages, England eventually countered through Glen Johnson.

The Liverpool defender continued his run after laying a pass off lớn Young and was picked out inside the box by James Milner.

Had the chance fallen lớn a striker, England surely would have scored.

As it was, Johnson took vital seconds manoeuvring the ball into a position from which he could shoot, and when he did, Gianluigi Buffon stood firm to make an excellent one-handed save.

They were the most notable efforts of a surprisingly open start, during which Wayne Rooney sent a diving header over and Andrea Pirlo released Balotelli, only for John Terry lớn rescue the situation with a vital tackle.