Italians have conceded a goal after 1.168 minutes but still pulled through a die-hard 1/8 finals after 120 minutes of high-intense football against Austria (2-1).Unlike those three group games, Italy were not the dominant side at all, faced with meticulous, disciplined Austrian defensive block. Ciro Immobile’s perfect shot from the edge of the box ended in a crossbar, but it was almost the only Italian goal-scoring chance throughout the entire 90 minutes. It can’t get much more Italian than that… (©Getty images)On the other end, controversial Austria’s striker of Serbian descent Marko Arnautovic even pulled off an astonishing header in the middle of the second half that ended in the back of the net but was disallowed due to an offside. As the time was ticking away, both squads lost pace and tempo, with both tacticians choosing to freshen up the slots with players from the bench.The tie became more intense, but it lacked action that could prevent us from going to extra time. However, as soon as the game kicked off again, Mancini’s boys were tenacious, and it paid off for them very soon. Spinazzola’s long pass found unmarked Chiesa, who managed not only to get a hold of a ball but to dribble smoothly before placing it behind the keeper for 1-0. Jorginho’s stats for #ITA 120 minutes played101 passes completed (92% accuracy)6 duels won4 interceptions3/5 long passes completed3 fouls won2 tackles1 clearance#EURO2020 | #ItalyAustria pic.twitter.com/5LnmFCDzcB— ChelseaFCBlogs (@ChelseaFCBlogs_) June 26, 2021 That was Federico’s first goal at the tournament and a splendid accomplishment for the Chiesa family. Young Federico and his much famous father Enrico – who netted at the EURO 1996 – are the only son and father to nail at Euros. Despite almost 20 minutes left on the clock, the Austrians seemed like a surrendered army with a noticeable lack of spirit. At least until another outstanding young forward of Serbian origins, Sasa Kalajdzic stepped up with an incredible, daring header at the near post to make it 2-1.OUT of this world! Kalajdzic had 4 Italian players in front of him and Donnarumma in goal but still managed to score with a header from nowhere. This. Is. Football! #ITA #AUTITA #Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/7Yc3d6fYz5— OGCOM (@OGambling) June 26, 2021 Unfortunately for the underdogs, there was no time left on the clock to make a complete comeback. As a result, the Italians are in the 1/4 finals, where they’ll face the winner of that fascinating Belgium-Portugal tie in prospect.
