Welcome to Sportstar's coverage of the EURO 2020 Round of 16 game between Italy and Austria at the Wembley Stadium in London.
MATCH REPORT: Euro 2020: Italy beats Austria 2-1 with extra time goals to reach last eight
What a match ladies and gentleman. Italy has done it but the hard way.
After a goalless 90 minutes, Italy's substitutes Chiesa and Pessina shined in extra time to give the Italians a healthy lead, which seemed enough.
However, Kalajdzic had other ideas as he scored in the 114th minute from a corner. Austria gave its all but the Azzuri hung on till the end to progress.
Stay tuned for the match report.
FULL TIME- ITALY 2 AUSTRIA 1
118' Its now or never for Austria. It has shown unreal determination to keep itself in the game. Does it have a final card up its sleeve? Nervy moments for Italy.
114' GOAAALLLL!!! AUSTRIA HAS PULLED ONE BACK!! ITS KALAJDZIC FROM SCHAUB'S CORNER!! GAME ON!!
113' CHANGES- Trimmer and IIsanker replace Lainer and Laimer.
110' SHOT- Sabitzer with two chances to pull one back for his team. He scuffed both chances.
108' CHANGE- Cristante replaces Insigne for Italy.
106' SHOT- Austria throwing the kitchen sink at Italy. Schopf with a powerful left-footed shot, which Donnarumma saves brilliantly.
105' CHANGES- Gregoritsch and Schaub replaced Schlager and Grillitsch.
SECOND HALF OF EXTRA TIME UNDERWAY!! SHOULD BE GAME SET AND MATCH FOR ITALY!!
FIRST HALF OF EXTRA TIME ENDS!!! Italy's substitutes, Chiesa and Pessina have won the game for their team.
105' GOOOOAAAALLLL!! ITS PESSINA WHO DOUBLES ITALY'S LEAD. The ball fell kindly for the Italian who found the far corner of Bachmann's goal.
105' GREAT SAVE BY BACHMANN- Insigne curled the ball above the wall and the ball was going in, if not for Bachmann's save.
103' BOOKING- Hinteregger fouls Belotti to prevent further threat from an Italian counter attack.
99' A speculative effort by Lainer who shot from distance. It is high above Donnarumma's crossbar.
94' It was a great goal but neutrals can't help but feel for Austria. What a defensive effort it has been by Foda's men till the point of Chiesa's goal.
94' GOOOAAALLLLL!!!!! ITS CHIESA!! ITALY FINALLY SCORES!! A great finish by the Italian as he found himself with space and time after receiving the ball from Spinazzola. He showed great control to bring it down and volley it past the helpless Bachmann.
92' Early chance for Austria to get the ball into Italy's box but play is stopped as Sabitzer drags Belotti to the ground.
FIRST-HALF OF EXTRA TIME UNDERWAY!!
FULL-TIME (ITALY 0 AUSTRIA 0)
90+5' Disappointing ball by Insigne. Austria clear the ball with ease.
90+4' FOUL- Arnautovic fouls Jorginho just outside the box. Italy's best chance to finish the match within regulation time.
90+2' Apart from the football, you can't help but admire the fitness displayed by the Austrians today. Going toe-to-toe with a team, which is unbeaten for 30 games and has dominated the group stage.
FIVE ADDED MINUTES!!
90' FINALLY A CHANGE FOR AUSTRIA- Schopf comes on for Baumgartner.
89' Baumgartner has a cramp. He is being tended to. Nothing serious.
87' The Italians would have liked to wrap this up by now. Austria has done an excellent job. A proper team effort. But it needs fresh legs surely. Four changes Italy and none for Austria yet.
84' CHANGES- Immobile and Berardi are replaced by Belotti and Chiesa.
83' BERARDI GOES FOR THE SPECTACULAR- A great cross by Spinazzola from the left. Berardi found himself with time and space but he went for the difficult route with an acrobatic effort. Balls goes out of play.
80' Ten minutes till the end of regulation time. Will the second round of 16 match of Euro 2020 stretch till extra-time and a possible penalty shootout? Both teams definitely want to get it done within the stipulated 90 minutes.
76' VAR CHECK COMPLETE!! LAINER WAS OFFISIDE. NO PENALTY!!
74' PENALTY CHECK going on as Pessina seemed to throw his arm across Lainer at the far post.
70' 20 minutes on the clock and the match has already seen a goal ruled out by VAR for offiside. Its going to be a tense end to the match.
67' CHANGES- Pessina and Locatelli replace Barella and Verratti.
67' GOAL DISALLOWED!! ARNAUTOVIC WAS OFFSIDE!! Let off for the Italians and a huge disappointment for the Austrians.
65' Wait the goal may not stand. Possible offiside. VAR check going on.
65' GOOOAAAALLLL!!! ARNAUTOVIC SCORES!! ITALY FINALLY CONCEDE!!
62' SHOT- Sabitzer shoots from distance. The ball takes a deflection and goes out for a corner. The corner is initially cleared by Italy but Arnautovic has a sight of goal from the right side of the box. His shot is gathered by Donnarumma.
59' Match is very much open as Mancini's men are trying their best to break the deadlock. They haven't enjoyed their usual scoring freedom against the Austrians.
55' Austria exhibiting sharp defending yet again. Insigne, after being played a lovely ball through the channel by Verratti, surged forward. He decided to square it to Berardi but the ball was intercepted by Alaba who sent it out for a corner.
52' CLOSE- Alaba's freekick from the edge of Italy's penalty area whistles over the post. It wasn't the ideal range as it was too close to goal.
50' BOOKING- Di Lorenzo sees a yellow for his lunging challenge on Baumgartner.
49' Nice work by Arnautovic as he capitalises on Bonucci's error. He gets into the penalty area and takes a shot after shaking off Italian defenders but he slips and the shot is wide.
48' Positive play for Berardi from the right flank as he looks for Immobile at the near post. His low cross is cleared by Austria's Dragovic.
SECOND HALF UNDERWAY!!!
An exciting half of football, despite the match not seeing a goal at the half-time interval.
Italy came closest to scoring with Immobile's 25-yard shot hitting the crossbar. It has been the better team in the first 45 minutes.
Austria has not been complete pushovers but it has not done anything substantial to unlock the compact Italian defence.
With quarter-final qualification on the line, it should be an exciting second half.
HALF TIME!! (Italy 0 Austria 0)
45+1' Italy gets a free-kick around 35 yards from goal. Last chance to score in the half. Nothing comes off it.
ONE ADDED MINUTE!!
43' SHOT- Audacious effort by Spinazzola from distance as he drives a low shot towards Bachmann. It was trickling out most probably but the Austrian keeper didn't take any chances and pushed it out for a corner.
42' Half-time on the horizon as Italy is toying with the Austrians in the visitor's penalty area. Mancini's men looking to create space.
38' Slight shift in momentum. Italy still looking like the team most likely to score but Austria asking a few questions of its own. The Italian defence, as usual, has been rock-solid.
35' FOUL- Slick play by Austria, which passes the ball well and makes Italy chase the ball. But play is broken as Baumgartner is fouled by Verratti.
33' WHAT AN EFFORT- Ciro Immobile inches away from scoring a 'goal of the tournament' contender. He sized up a shot from 25 yards, which dipped well but hit the post. Bachmann was nowhere close to saving it.
30' Italy trying to break down Austria from the flanks- especially the left. Austria has done enough till now, but Italy asking all the questions for now.
26' Austria with a rare counter as Laimer burst forward through Italy's half but its a wasted chance in the end as he scuffs his pass. The Italians regain possession. Not clinical enough.
24' Austria under pressure by Italy. It has committed all his players at the back with the exception of Arnautovic.
21' It is like most predicted. Italy enjoying most of the possession right now and controlling the tempo of the game.
18' SHOT- An early ball by Sabitzer sent Arnautovic on the run, who takes an early shot hoping to catch Donnarumma off his line. His shot is fairly off-target.
17' SAVE- Italy getting on to its groove. Its Barella this time with a low shot but Bachmann has the answer as he makes the save.
14' SHOT- Immobile shoots at Bachmann from a tight angle but the Austrian keeper gathers the ball easily and sets it rolling.
13' It is end-to-end play with neither team sitting back to soak the pressure. This is exactly what you'd want from a knockout match.
11' SHOT- First meaningful attack by Italy. Mancini's men carried the ball with efficiency into Austria's penalty area, posing a significant threat. However, the attack ended with Spinazzola shooting the ball wide past Bachmann.
7' Austria making its intent very clear. Italy might have dominated the group stages with three wins out of three but the visitor taking the game to the Azzuri.
5' Austria has done a good job in the opening minutes to not let Italy settle into its rhythm.
2' BOOKING- Early booking for Marco Arnautovic for his challenge on Barella. He sees a yellow.
2' Austria with an early attacking threat as Baumgartner surged forward from the left and drove a low cross in Italy's box but its cleared.
1'KICKOFF!!!
00:30- AND WE ARE UNDERWAY!!
00:15- Stat attack with 15 minutes to kickoff!!
00:00- Form guide for Italy and Austria
22:45- Injury and suspension news
23:33- Wembley looks ready!!
23:16- LINEUPS ARE OUT!!!
Italy: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Francesco Acerbi, Leonardo Bonucci (captain), Leonardo Spinazzola; Jorginho, Nicolo Barella, Marco Verratti; Domenico Berardi, Lorenzo Insigne, Ciro Immobile
Austria: Daniel Bachmann; Stefan Lainer, Aleksandar Dragovic, Martin Hinteregger, David Alaba (captain); Xaver Schlager, Konrad Laimer, Florian Grillitsch; Christoph Baumgartner, Marcel Sabitzer, Marko Arnautovic
23:00- Have a look at the predicted lineups
Italy XI: Donnarumma (GK); Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Acerbi, Spinazzola; Barella, Jorginho, Verratti; Berardi, Immobile, Insigne
Austria XI: Bachmann (GK); Lainer, Dragović, Hinteregger, Alaba; Laimer, Grillitsch, X. Schlager; Sabitzer, Baumgartner; Arnautović
22:45- What are the two camps saying?
Match Preview
Italy’s unbeaten streak won’t last forever, and Austria coach Franco Foda is plotting to be the one to stop it.
The Italians have become one of the favorites at the European Championship after winning all three of their games in the group stage, scoring seven goals and conceding none. Those three victories at Euro 2020 extended the team’s unbeaten streak under coach Roberto Mancini to 30 games — matching the previous record set in the 1930s.
“Initially it seemed to be an insurmountable and impossible challenge for us, because they haven’t lost for an eternity,” Foda said. “But sooner or later even Mancini’s team will lose.”
READ: Euro 2020: Mancini urges Italy to put on a show worthy of wonderful Wembley
Austria, which has reached the round of 16 at the tournament for the first time, will get its chance on Saturday at Wembley Stadium.
Besides the unbeaten streak, Italy will also be trying to set another record. The team has not conceded a goal in 11 matches, a total of 1,055 minutes. If Austria fails to score, Italy will surpass the record of 1,143 minutes set between 1972 and 1974.
For a team that failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Italy’s recent results are quite remarkable.
“It’s something that makes us proud, especially considering what they thought of us before the tournament started,” Italy forward Lorenzo Insigne said. “But we have to stay focused, calm and think about ourselves. We haven’t done anything yet. Our objective is to go all the way, it wasn’t just to get through the group stage.”
The 30-year-old Insigne embodies Italy’s transformation under Mancini.
The previous coach, Gian Piero Ventura, lost the squad’s support during a World Cup playoff loss to Sweden when he left Insigne — considered the team’s most talented player — on the bench.
Insigne has formed a strong partnership with Ciro Immobile, who has finally been able to translate his scoring success in Serie A to the international stage.
“It’s the first time that I’ve played in such an important event at this level, in such an important role,” Insigne said. “In the past other coaches have used formations that were less compatible with my style of play, although I have always made myself available.
“Now Mancini is using a system of play that is more suited to me and to other players’ characteristics.”
Insigne already has experience scoring at Wembley, in a 1-1 draw against England in a friendly in 2018.
“It was only a friendly but it was incredible,” Insigne said. “I think it’s everyone’s dream to score in such a stadium. We will try to go to London and give a great performance, as we have always done until now.
“Our strength is that we don’t change our nature ever. Austria runs a lot and creates pressure, we’ll study our opponents but we will prepare for the match thinking about what we have to do.”
Italy is playing with such spirit that the buzzword among the Azzurri players is “fairytale.”
No one embodies that more than Giacomo Raspadori, a 21-year-old Sassuolo forward who hadn’t even played a game for Italy when he was named in the 26-man squad for the tournament.
Raspadori was brought on as a substitute in Italy’s final group match against Wales, making only his second appearance for his country.
“This is all a fairytale, for the team and for me,” Raspadori said. “In four months so many things have changed.
“Those who are now my Italy teammates were who I saw as sporting idols a short while ago.”
Italy and Austria's - Complete Euro 2020 squads
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