It was a rollercoaster night in Kyiv, as the breathless drama of first half fizzled out before regaining momentum in a thrilling penalty shootout.
England 0 – Italy 0
(Italy wins 4-2 on penalties)
– England may have
played like it, but they weren’t the underdog. Italy might be
more talented than England, but it is not by much — certainly not enough to
justify a full-on defensive mindset. In fairness, the Three Lions came out of
the tunnel roaring, going blow for blow with the Italians in an open first half.
As the legs got tired, though, England retreated into a shell. Their attackers
failed to make a real impression, with wingers Ashley Young and James Milner
especially out of sorts.
– Those who ignore
history are doomed to repeat it. For England fans, this script
must have felt like déjà vu. The supporters filled the Olympic Stadium with
sound for 120 minutes, but as the shootout began, they grew quiet. All around
me, fans had their hands on their heads, even before England turned a 2-1
advantage into a 4-2 defeat. Oddly enough, it seemed as though the English
played for a shootout, despite their historical ineptness from the spot. Roy
Hodgson may have hoped that bringing on Andy Carroll in the 60th minute would
exploit Italy’s aerial weakness, but it only served to encourage his team to
constantly fire long balls over the top. From then on, it looked as if England
was playing for the draw.
– Italy needs to
solidify their identity. Traditionally, Italy’s pragmatic,
defensive-oriented system had drawn few admirers but won plenty of silverware.
Manager Cesare Prandelli has attempted to introduce an attacking edge into the
Azzurri and, at times, they find a good balance. More often, however, the
Italians seem stuck in purgatory, unsure when to head forward and when to sit
back. This confusion kept them from putting England away — Italy better figure
it out fast, because Germany won’t be as kind.
