LONDON - Spain coach Luis Enrique has coped with personal tragedy and the impact of negative public opinion to rally his young squad and lead them to the Euro 2020 semifinals.
Tuesday's game against Italy at Wembley is Spain's biggest match since they won the Euro 2012 final and victory would complete an eventful few weeks for the coach, who has been in the eye of the storm since before the tournament began.
Hasta ayer, Inglaterra había convertido cuatro goles en sus cuatro partidos en esta Euro 2020: uno a Croacia, cero a Escocia, uno a República Checa y dos a Alemania. Para muchos una cifra mezquina para un plantel lleno de talento ofensivo y candidato al título. Ante Ucrania, sin embargo, esa austeridad frente al arco rival se olvidó por completo. Inglaterra ganó 4-0 y terminó jugando con un estilo avasallador.
El jogo bonito o beautiful game de los ingleses se propició en gran parte por la tempranera apertura de la cuenta.
England is lucky there’s no selection committee for the Euro 2020 knockout rounds. If there were, the Three Lions would never make the final four based on strength of schedule. But England won’t mind after crushing Ukraine 4-0 to advance to the semifinals on Saturday in Rome.
Joakim Maehle ha estado fantástico durante la Euro 2020. El lateral izquierdo de Dinamarca lleva dos goles durante el torneo y hoy, en los cuartos de final ante República Checa, sacó una trivela que es imposible no considerar como la mejor asistencia de la competencia. Su aporte, de paso, sirvió para la victoria 2-1 de los daneses y para que la nación escandinava siga soñando con dar la sorpresa y repetir el título de la Euro 1992.
UEFA likes to claim it supports human rights — until there’s any sort of pushback. Europe’s football governing body once again showed how fucking feckless it is by banning rainbow ads at Euro 2020 quarterfinals in Saint Petersburg and Baku.
Given everything that has happened to Denmark during Euro 2020, only Czech Republic supporters will complain about a crucial call that went against them early in their quarterfinal match. Denmark was bafflingly awarded a corner in the opening minutes, setting up Thomas Delaney’s fifth-minute goal that sent the Danes on the way to a 2-1 win on Saturday in Baku, Azerbaijan.
MUNICH, Germany — Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said he had played in Friday's Euro 2020 quarterfinal defeat to Italy with a tear in his ankle ligaments.
Manchester City's De Bruyne was a doubt for the game after picking up the injury in the last-16 win over Portugal but said he had been determined to play.
"For me personally it has been four or five weird weeks. But I especially want to thank the medical staff," he said.
No hay dudas de que Leonardo Spinazzola ha sido una de las grandes revelaciones de Italia durante la Euro 2020. El lateral es una constante amenaza ofensiva por la banda izquierda y además hace la chamba en labores defensivas. Lo demostró en la fase de grupos y ahorita, en los cuartos de final del torneo, donde la Azzurra eliminó a Bélgica. Es más, su presencia fue salvadora y es una lástima que se pierda el resto del torneo por una rotura del talón de Aquiles.
Italy is back. The masters of the dark arts who won the 2006 World Cup with defense, grit and hand waving missed the 2018 World Cup, sparking a rethink of the national team. Now Roberto Mancini has Italy two wins away from another major title, with the Azzurri combining a ruthlessly efficient attacking style with Italy’s timeless defense and shithousery.
España tuvo que ir a los penales para deshacerse de Suiza y avanzar a las semifinales de la Euro 2020. Y para suerte de los hispanos, en la portería estuvo Unai Simón y no su arquero habitual, David de Gea.