Euro 2020 final prediction: Football not coming home as Italy spoil England party

European Championship final takes place at Wembley on Sunday

Jordan Pickford 6 - Broke the England record for longest period without conceding a goal, then conceded a superb dipping free-kick. Fell to his knees. Could he have done more? Got down to make a save from Dolberg after 51 minutes.

Kyle Walker 7 - England’s best player in the first half. Picked up his 60th cap and so fast in chasing loose balls and stronger than full-back Maele. Crazy celebration when England equalised.

John Stones 7 - Competent against Denmark’s shifting attack. Pushed up as England dominated and his own influence grew.

Harry Maguire 9 - Header after 55 minutes was well saved by Schmeichel. Played well. Fuming at being pulled back by Poulsen after winning another tackle on 85 minutes. Booked.

Luke Shaw 7 - Superb against Ukraine in Rome, gave the free-kick away which led to the opening goal – and the first goal England conceded in seven games. Timed a run and crossed as England pushed for a second on 58 minutes and became more emboldened.

Kalvin Phillips 6 - Didn’t win a single duel – and nor did his sidekick Rice – in the first half. Better in second. Shot wide after 79 and then a left footed shot well over on 90 as he got far more involved.

Declan Rice 6 - Covered for Maguire as the Danes threatened before half time but Denmark’s midfield two bested them in first half. England’s were superior in the second. Adequate.

Bukayo Saka 6 - Only change from the last game and involved in the equaliser, finding Sterling. A danger on the right against Vestergard but hit and miss. Worked hard with Walker. His last move was to overhit a cross before he was the first player off.

Raheem Sterling 8 - Started brightly and had a shot parried away by Schmeichel after 38 when he should have scored. Then he put Kjaer under pressure as the Danish captain put the ball into his own net and England drew level. Had three of England’s four shots in the first half (and six overall) Quieter in second, but a vital player still running at speed after 115 minutes.

Mason Mount 7 - Weak curling shot on 63 didn’t trouble Schmeichel. Cross after 72 looked to be going in put Schmeichel tipped over. England passed ball around the 18 yard box all night, with limited killer instinct in front of goal. Much better in second.

Harry Kane 8 - Early bending ball across goal towards Sterling as England flew out of the blocks. Shot over after 14 as England kept coming at the Danes. Otherwise frequently dropped deep and allowed runners to attack channels. Did that for the equaliser. Held ball up well; won free-kicks England needed more quality in final third, but Kane gave it in the end. Took controversial penalty poorly. Saved. Swept equaliser in. Ecstasy. Incredible drama.

SUB: Jack Grealish 6 (On for Saka after 69) - To an ovation from hope he could change the game as he did against Germany. Had an impact, but not as great. Shot seven minutes into time added on. Subbed in second period of extra time for Trippier.

SUB: Phil Foden 7 (On for Mount after 103) - Went into number 10 position and involved as England dominated, jigging and turning as England completely dominated.

SUB: Jordan Henderson 6 (On for Rice after 103) - Went alongside Phillips. Tidy.

SUB: Kieran Trippier 6 (On for Grealish 106) - Did his job in helping England hold their lead.

Kasper Schmeichel 8 - A super save denied Raheem Sterling but the Denmark goalkeeper conceded only seconds later when Saka’s cross was directed into the net. An even better hand later tipped away a Harry Maguire header. A hand to Kane’s penalty guided it back into the striker’s path. Denmark’s best player.

Jannik Vestergaard 5 - Aggressive in the challenge but a mixed game that saw the centre-back struggle against the pace of England. Slow to react to the Bukayo Saka’s run that led to the equaliser and that summed up the game for the centre-back who looked exhausted.

Simon Kjaer 7 - Unfortunate to turn the ball into his own net as Raheem Sterling was waiting to pounce. Led the defence well overall and often the Denmark defender who was in the way of offensive crosses.

Andreas Christensen 6 - Would have been relieved to see Sterling switch sides not long after the hour mark. Worked tirelessly with England making constant runs in behind and was eventually forced off with a hamstring injury when stretching for a ball.

Joakim Maehle 4 - Anonymous to Saka’s run that led to England’s equaliser. No one picked up the Arsenal man as Kane played him through astutely. Questionable decision-making defensively overall eventually led to a costly penalty which he may have been unfortunate to concede. A harsh way to go out for the wingback who was excellent throughout Euro 2020.

Thomas Delaney 5 – A sloppy foul gave a free-kick outside the box that began England’s spell of pressure. Careless with passing that often turned over possession before eventually being replaced. A tough day at the office.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 7 - Unphased by the occasion and made frequent tackles to relieve pressure. A stand-out in the midfield in a tough night for Denmark.

Jens Stryger Larsen 6 - Could have taken better care of the ball. Not involved much before eventually being replaced by Daniel Wass.

Mikkel Damsgaard 7 - The Sampdoria attacking midfielder may be only 21-years-old but he took his free-kick like a major tournament veteran. The attacker’s free-kick gave his nation hope - a vital goal given how England went on to control the game.

Kasper Dolberg 6 - A nuisance upfront and battled in a physical matchup with Harry Maguire and John Stones. Dolberg was fighting off scraps for the majority of the game with the Danes looking to hit England on the break.

Martin Braithwaite 5 - Uninvolved for the majority of the game. Worked a yard and forced Pickford to make a save late in extra time.

SUB: Christian Norgaard (Dolberg 67) 6 - On to help secure a Danish midfield that was beginning to show cracks. Helped against constant waves of England pressure but offered nothing on the opposite end.

SUB: Yussuf Poulsen (Damsgaard 67) 5- A tall option in the box but didn’t receive the service to be effective. Gareth Southgate’s side had taken full control by the time the target man came on.

SUB: Daniel Wass (Stryger Larsen 68) 6 - Booked quickly for a foul on Grealish. Helped sure up a right side that was allowing too much pressure.

SUB: Joachim Andersen (Christensen 79) N/A - On for the injured Andreas Christensen.

SUB: Mathias Jensen (Delaney 88) N/A - Couldn’t get on the ball as England continued to dominate. Forced off in extra time with an injury to leave Denmark with 10.

SUB: Jonas Wind (Vestergaard 105) N/A - On for an exhausted Vestergaard.

We're down to the final two teams of Euro 2020 following two dramatic semi-finals.

Italy clinched their place in Sunday's showpiece with a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Spain while England beat Denmark 2-1 in extra time to punch their ticket to Wembley.

Here's the lowdown.

Euro 2020 final

Italy v England, Sunday, July 11, 8pm BST (11pm UAE)

After 55 years of hurt England finally reached a major final after seeing off a spirited Denmark in Wednesday's semi-final.

England conceded for the first time at the tournament as they fell behind to a Mikkel Damsgaard free-kick but showed their resolve to claw their way back into the match.

Kasper Schmeichel was forced to make several fine saves but was powerless to prevent Simon Kjaer's own goal and was unfortunate to see his save from Harry Kane's extra-time penalty rebound to the England captain who made no mistake second time around.

England were asked plenty of questions defensively with Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire putting in colossal performances to prevent the Danes adding to their tally.

Italy, meanwhile, showed they too can tough it out as they found themselves on the backfoot for the majority of the 120 minutes against Spain before holding their nerve in the penalty shoot-out.

Giorgio Chiellini will need to be a little cuter in his handling of in-form Kane than he was with his opposite number Jordi Alba as the respective captains discussed which end to take the penalties in Tuesday's first semi-final.

The Juventus defender, 36, resembled a grizzly bear toying with its prey before ripping it to shreds and if the idea was to rattle the Spaniards it seemed to have the desired effect.

Emerson Palmieri filled the void of the injured Leonardo Spinazzola down Italy's left and showed good combinations with Lorenzo Insigne ahead of him and should keep his place in the starting XI.

The battle for midfield supremacy will pit English terriers Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice against Italian stallions Marco Verratti and Jorginho and while the English duo may lack the same quality on the ball as the Azzurri double act it has been their tenacity that is the driving force behind England's best performances.

Roberto Mancini is likely to persist with non-scoring Ciro Immobile and the lively Federico Chiesa in attack as Italy look to extend their unbeaten run to 34 matches while Gareth Southgate's toughest selection looks to be whether to stick with Bukayo Saka as part of a front three with Kane and Raheem Sterling or recall Jadon Sancho.

Jack Grealish is likely to have to be content with a place on the bench but the Aston Villa forward could yet play a key role if England can apply pressure on Gianluigi Donnarumma's goal in the closing stages.

Prediction: Italy to break England hearts

ITALY RATINGS: Gianluigi Donnarumma 7 - A big save in the first half kept the game even. The young goalkeeper had to deal with much more than usual on the night and dealt with the majority of questions asked. Saved Morata's penalty to put his side in position to win the shootout.

Emerson 7 - The Chelsea man had the difficult task of replacing Leonardo Spinazzola on Tuesday night and looked comfortable on the left flank. Surging runs up the park opened up the attack for Italy in some of their most dangerous moments.

Giorgio Chiellini 7 - No nonsense from Chiellini. The veteran defender may not have the passing range of some other players but his defensive work was as strong as ever at Wembley.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo 6 - Alert to the danger from a cross that was destined for Ferran Torres. Sometimes over-exuberant with a number of fouls.

Marco Verratti 6 - Had a difficult evening with Koke intent on reducing the playmaker’s time on the ball. Italy’s midfield couldn’t seem to control the game as well as usual at Wembley.

Nicolo Barella 5 - Tasked with nullifying Sergio Busquets who was having success transitioning the ball forwards. The Internazionale midfielder has been impressive throughout the tournament but he wasn’t at his best on Tuesday.

Lorenzo Insigne 5 - Not as effective as usual in a fairly quiet display from one of Italy’s best players at the tournament. Replaced by Belotti in the 85th minute.

Ciro Immobile 5 - Worked hard but not involved much overall. Replaced just after the hour.

SUB: Domenico Berardi (Immobile 62) 6 - An instant spark on the attack and forced Spain’s defence back. Should have done better with a couple of opportunities.

SUB: Matteo Pessina (Verratti 74) N/A - The Atalanta star has scored twice so far at Euro 2020 but couldn’t add to his tally on Tuesday night.

SUB: Rafael Toloi (Emerson 74) N/A - On for Emerson who had worked hard throughout the night.

SUB: Andrea Belotti (Insigne 85) N/A - Ran the channels well to provide an out-ball for teammates.

Unai Simon 7 - Sloppy start to second half and seemed reluctant to use his hands at times, but then made key saves, including in the penalty shoot out.

Cesar Azpilicueta 6 - Difficult to deal with Insigne on the left but good interception led to an attack where Busquets shot just over. His epic year so far ended here, but Spain’s issues were more up front than in defence.

Aymeric Laporte 8 - Spain’s best defender. He played a high line, a tactic vindicated as Spain had 70 per cent possession in the first half – an incredible stat. Made a key block just before Italy took the lead with a devastating counter. Touched the ball 160 times – more than any player in any game at the tournament.

Jordi Alba 7 - Set up Oyarzabal on 39 minutes in another rapid Spain move. Supported attacks, got wide and forward to give options. Carried the captain’s armband with pride at the end.

Pedri 9 - Key player as Spain totally outplayed Italy in the first half. Lovely first time passes as Spain dominated in midfield. The only player with 100 per cent passing accuracy in the first half – and he completed more than Verratti and Jorginho combined.

Sergio Busquets 8 - A master of the dark arts, he was eyeball to eyeball with Chiellini as the first half came to an end. He and Barça teammate Pedri were the main men. Badly missed when he went off.

Mikel Oyarzabal 6 - Started for first time in tournament. Played right and was one on one after 39 but ballooned the ball over the bar. Missed a header from six yards at the far most after 67 – another superb chance for Spain.

Ferran Torres 7 - Played left of Olmo in a surprise Spain starting XI. Shot wide after 14 minutes as Spain got over a pressured start to attack. Spain pressed hard and high and got their tactics right.

Daniel Olmo 7 - Surprise start ahead of Morata. Dropped into midfield when needed as Spain played a false nine. It confused and drew the Italians out in the first half. Shot wide after 67 minutes but set up Morata for the equaliser. Terrible penalty in the shoot out.

SUB: Morata 7 (On for Torres after 61). Couple of half chances but didn’t look confident – like when he had to strike for goal on 77 but was too hesitant. And then he scored, a clever, calm finish after 79. Poor, slow, penalty though.

SUB: Rodri 6 (On for Koke on 69). Played deep, too deep when Busquets went off.

SUB: Gerard Moreno 6 (On for Oyarzabal on 69). Couldn’t finish an epic season on a high. Scored his penalty, though.

SUB: Marcos Llorente 6 (On for Azpilicueta on 85). Made a difference on the right.

SUB: Thiago 5 (On for Busquets after 106). He was poor and gave the ball away too many times. Incredible confidence for his penalty though.

SUB: Pau Torres (On for Garcia on 109).