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Associated Press

Italy and Spain are going to meet at the fourth tournament in a row, and this time a place in the Euro 2020 final will be on the line.
Both won their quarter-finals and both were made to work for a place in the last four.
Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Insigne scored a goal each while Leonardo Spinazzola make a key second-half block to give Italy a 2-1 win over Belgium and a spot in the European Championship semi-finals.
“Everyone, myself included, is really playing with a smile on their faces,” said Insigne, whose team extended its national record unbeaten run to 32 games.

TEAM

Will @azzurri go all the way?#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/U31kYbyTnp
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 2, 2021

Romelu Lukaku kept his team in the game with a penalty right before halftime but the Belgians missed further chances to equalise in the second half as Italy’s defenders excelled.
Barella put Italy in the lead in the 31st minute when Jan Vertonghen failed to properly clear the ball. Marco Verratti passed to Barella, who eluded two Belgium defenders before sending it in off the far post.
Euro 2020: England beat Germany to get through to quarter-finals
Insigne got the second in the 44th when he put a curling shot inside the far top corner after skipping past one defender and facing two more.
Belgium were awarded the penalty when Giovanni Di Lorenzo pushed Jeremy Doku soon before halftime. Lukaku then made it 2-1 by sending his shot down the middle. It was only the second goal Italy has conceded at the tournament.
“I didn’t see the penalty,” Italy coach Robert Mancini said. “The defence told me it was rather cheap, but that aside, it was very important to produce a top-class performance, and we did just that.”

Unai Simón got that #FridayFeeling #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/GsvlC2aY22
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 2, 2021

The Spanish defeated Switzerland on penalties in St. Petersburg. Mikel Oyarzabal converted the decisive spot kick to give Spain a place in the European Championship semi-finals in a 3-1 penalty shoot-out victory.
Oyarzabal scored past goalkeeper Yann Sommer, whose penalty save from France striker Kylian Mbappe’s in the round of 16 had put Switzerland into the quarter finals at the tournament for the first time.
An own-goal by Switzerland midfielder Denis Zakaria had given Spain the lead in the eighth minute. The Swiss equalised when Xherdan Shaqiri took advantage of a defensive mix-up in the 68th.
Euro 2020 star Carrasco called a ‘skunk’ over China comments
Remo Freuler was shown a straight red card in the 78th for a studs-up challenge on Spain substitute Gerard Moreno.
“We will now savour this moment. We’ll try and rest up because it will be another tough match,” Mancini said.
In the second half, Spinazzola just did enough to deny Lukaku on the line with what seemed to be a certain equaliser when Kevin De Bruyne played the ball to the far post. Spinazzola was kissed by his grateful teammates, but he was later carried off on a stretcher with a leg injury.

Bellissimo
Insigne curls the ball beyond Courtois

Goal of the Round contender?@GazpromFootball | #EUROGOTR | #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/fVrkbD58z8
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 2, 2021

“We’ll try and go all the way in this tournament, above all for him, because Spinazzola has been a crucial component of this team,” Insigne said.
“We gave everything that we could. I couldn’t be prouder of my players and the staff,” Belgium coach Roberto Martínez said after the end of his top-ranked team’s 13-game unbeaten run. “Everything in this tournament has been fantastic and the application and dedication of everyone has been at the highest level.”
“We’re gutted about Spinazzola’s injury. He didn’t deserve that,” Mancini said. “Because he was playing extraordinarily well, he’s been one of the best players at Euro 2020. We are absolutely gutted and we’d like to send him our best wishes.”


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Euro 2020

Euro 2020: Italy and Spain to meet again in semi-finals

Spain players celebrate after winning the penalty shoot-out against Switzerland in the Euro 2020 quarter-final. Photo: Reuters

Euro 2020: England beat Germany to get through to quarter-finals and end 55-year jinx

England’s Raheem Sterling celebrates scoring the first goal against Germany with teammates at Wembley Stadium in London on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

epaselect epa09311363 Headcoach Gareth Southgate of England (R) and headcoach Joachim Loew of Germany during the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 soccer match between England and Germany in London, Britain, 29 June 2021. EPA-EFE/Andy Rain / POOL (RESTRICTIONS: For editorial news reporting purposes only. Images must appear as still images and must not emulate match action video footage. Photographs published in online publications shall have an interval of at least 20 seconds between the posting.)

England football fans in Piccadilly Circus, central London, celebrate the victory in the Euro 2020 round of 16 soccer championship match between England and Germany. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

29 June 2021, United Kingdom, London: England fans climb the statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus as they celebrate England's victory over Germany in the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 soccer match. Photo: Isobel Frodsham/PA Wire/dpa

Euro 2020: Luis Enrique hails Spain team spirit after ‘crazy’ 5-3 win over Croatia

Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal celebrates scoring their fifth goal with teammates. Photo: Reuters

Spain's coach Luis Enrique celebrates at the end of the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 football match between Croatia and Spain at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on June 28, 2021. (Photo by STUART FRANKLIN / POOL / AFP)

Euro 2020: Kylian Mbappe will bounce back after penalty miss, says Didier Deschamps

Kylian Mbappe reacts after his decisive spotkick is saved in a penalty shoot-out loss to Switzerland at Euro 2020. Photo: Reuters

Switzerland's goalkeeper Yann Sommer, right, saves a penalty from France's Kylian Mbappe during the Euro 2020 soccer championship round of 16 match between France and Switzerland at National Arena stadium, Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. (Daniel Mihailescu/Pool Photo via AP)

France's Marcus Thuram consoles teammate Kylian Mbappe, right, after he missed a penalty during the Euro 2020 soccer championship round of 16 match between France and Switzerland at National Arena stadium, Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. (Daniel Mihailescu/Pool Photo via AP)

Euro 2020: early exit for Portugal as Netherlands are dumped out by Czech Republic

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo kicks away the skipper’s armband after his team is eliminated from Euro 2020. Photo: EPA

27 June 2021, Hungary, Budapest: Czech Republic manager Jaroslav Silhavy reacts on the sidelines during the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 soccer match between Netherlands and Czech Republic at the Puskas Arena. Photo: Robert Michael/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa

Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Round of 16 - Belgium v Portugal - La Cartuja Stadium, Seville, Spain - June 27, 2021 Portugal coach Fernando Santos Pool via REUTERS/Alexander Hassenstein

Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Round of 16 - Belgium v Portugal - La Cartuja Stadium, Seville, Spain - June 27, 2021 Belgium's Thorgan Hazard celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates Pool via REUTERS/Thanassis Stavrakis TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Sport

Football


Fourth tournament in a row that European giants face off – ‘It will be another tough match,’ says Italy coach Mancini
Euro 2008 and 2012 champions beat Switzerland in shoot-out while Italians overcome Belgium



Fourth tournament in a row that European giants face off – ‘It will be another tough match,’ says Italy coach Roberto Mancini ahead of meeting with Luis Enrique’s side.
