After one of the best tournament matches seen in years, it was a shame that someone from either the Spanish or Italian teams had to be the penalty kick villain.
Such is the lottery of spot-kicks if a game can’t be decided in 120 minutes.
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The quality of the first Euro 2020 semi-final might well have given Denmark and England some food for thought, as both Italy and Spain were brilliant throughout the match.
Intensity, passion, drive, passing accuracy and goals, this match had it all and then some.
Spain’s Alvaro Morata, surprisingly left out of the squad by Luis Enrique, came on as a substitute and looked to be the hero for La Roja with the goal that equalised the opener from the Azzurri.
However, he quickly became the villain to the thousands of fans in the stadium and watching on at home, as his tame penalty was easily saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, leaving Jorginho to net the decisive penalty to send the Italians into Sunday’s final.
It didn’t take long for some to vent their ire on social media either.
Rip morata
— UTD_Troy (@mufctroyyy) July 6, 2021
Morata Praying for the fans to put away there pitchforks ?? pic.twitter.com/LSNDedJCu7
— Mark (@TheIrishRedman) July 6, 2021
AlVaRo MorATA~~ pic.twitter.com/kcJSneGzAh
— Pähim?? (@fahimmmm3) July 6, 2021
If Morata & Olmo was truck drivers pic.twitter.com/uq0BYDezuM
— ???? ?? ??????? ???????? (@bhavesh8847) July 6, 2021
That is the worst penalty shootout that I’ve ever seen. Morata takes the cake, telegraphed it so bad the keeper dived before he event hit the ball ?
— Tom Maynard (@MaynardMK4) July 6, 2021