Euro 2020: England and Italy’s path to final, top performers, key stats, battles to watch out for

The narrative arc is clear for the EURO 2020 final between Italy and England on Sunday at Wembley: is football coming home or going to Rome?

The United Kingdom will likely come to a standstill on Sunday as Queen Elizabeth and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent good luck messages to the home team for their big day.

Gareth Southgate’s side have reached the European Championship title match for the first time, ending England’s 55-year wait for a major final appearance.

Standing in England’s way are a battle-hardened Italy side who have restored the nation’s pride after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

England have never beaten Italy at a major tournament, although meetings between the nations have been few and far between.

Italy triumphed in a penalty shoot-out in the Euro 2012 quarter-finals and won 2-1 when they met in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup, though both sides ended up being eliminated in the first round.

The teams have been transformed since that low point.

Euro 2020 campaign stats: Italy

Although Italy needed penalties to beat Spain in the semi-final, the Azzurri have now stretched their unbeaten run to 33 internationals (W27 D6), breaking a national record that had lasted since the 1930s. Their last defeat was 1-0 against…

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