Euro 2020 takeaways: Italy needs extra time to keep its unbeaten streak alive

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This article was published 26/06/2021 (1913 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It shouldn’t have been so hard, but the Italians pulled it off in the end.

Italy, with its 30-game unbeaten run and 11-game streak of wins and clean sheets going into the round of 16, went into its first elimination game of Euro 2020 as the clear favourite to win the match,and a front-runner to win it all. A victory against Austria, which finished second in its round-robin group with two wins but had yet to give a convincing performance, seemed a foregone conclusion before the whistle blew. On paper, this wasn’t one of the can’t-miss matches of the round.

But Austria drummed up some of the magic that comes in major tournaments and pushed Italy to the brink, requiring the Azzurri to come up with a pair of goals in extra time to advance. Even then the Austrians fought back, with Saša Kalajdžić defying angles to squeeze a glancing header inside Italy’s front post in the 114th minute, making the 2-1 final nervy until the end.

It was a performance the Austrians, playing in a European championship knockout round game for the first time, can be proud of, even if it led to their exit. Marko Arnautović made a pest of himself up front, even scoring a goal that briefly seemed to put his country in the lead in the second half, only for a video review to call it back for offside. Captain David Alaba has long been the driving force of this cohesive underdog, and that was no different Saturday. And winger Konrad Laimer logged as many miles as any player in the tournament to date.

“We earned their respect and deserve it, too,” Alaba told BeIN Sports.

Austria became the first team to score against Italy in 12 games, and though the Italians extended their win streak to a team-record 31 games there will be questions to answer before the quarterfinals, in which they will face the winner of Sunday’s match between top-ranked Belgium and defending champion Portugal. Depth will continue to be a strength for the Italians, who got goals from substitutes Federico Chiesa and Matteo Pessina, but some work on finessing the final pass will be necessary over the next week, though a more free-flowing game can be expected against either Portugal or Belgium.

The rout is on: The rout some expected Italy to inflict on Austria happened earlier in the day when Denmark thumped Wales 4-0.

The Welsh started the match well, as Denmark’s defence allowed Wales midfielder Gareth Bale to dribble straight through them and unleash efforts from the top of the box on multiple occasions. But the Danes settled within the first 20 minutes and were ahead by the 27th, when Kasper Dolberg, who came in for the injured Yussuf Poulsen, curled a low shot into the bottom corner of Wales’ net. Dolberg doubled Denmark’s tally in the 48th minute. Joakim Maehle and Martin Braithwaite added goals in the 88th and 94th minutes, by which time the Welsh press, driven by Bale and without much influence from important cog Aaron Ramsey, was already defeated.

The match made Denmark the first team in Euro history to advance to the quarterfinals after losing its first two games, and the win felt as though it restored the Danes’ reputation as tournament dark horses, after Christian Eriksen’s terrifying cardiac arrest threw the team and its chances for a loop. Eriksen’s absence remains obvious but the likes of Dolberg and midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard are stepping up as the country’s star recovers.

And their fans made Saturday’s game in Amsterdam feel like a home match, an atmosphere which Welsh players like Bale later suggested may have influenced the referee’s decision making.

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The Danes, like Italy, will learn their next opponent Sunday, either Netherlands or the Czech Republic.

Bale bails: There were always going to be questions about whether or not Bale was going to retire after Euro 2020, but the Welsh midfielder did not appreciate being asked about his future minutes after his country was eliminated. He walked away from a television interview.

Bale has struggled in his club career in recent seasons, and a loan to Tottenham Hotspur this past year did little to reinvigorate his career. He has been vocal about his love of playing for his country but keeping up with the national team will require a commitment at the club level, which Bale has yet to give. The rumour mill has gone so far to as suggest Bale will quit soccer in favourite of pursuing another professional sports career, in golf, and memes of that nature made the rounds Saturday.

On the docket: Wet your whistle with the Netherlands against the Czech Republic at 12 p.m., before the match of the day between Belgium and Portugal at 3 p.m.

Laura Armstrong is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy