The Italian media lauded their Euro 2020 heroes on Monday morning after a dramatic penalty shootout success over England at Wembley.
Roberto Mancini's Azzurri triumphed 3-2 on spot-kicks after a 1-1 draw to be crowned champions of Europe for the first time since 1968, and while Italian outlets savoured the moment, the jubilation was complemented by a generous helping of schadenfreude.
'Too good' (Troppo bello) was the headline on the front page of Gazzetta dello Sport. The paper hailed Italy’s victory as fully deserved, writing that "the Three Lions were tamed, we turned them into puppies" and that success had been gained "as protagonists, not opportunists". The presence of Hollywood star Tom Cruise at Wembley was also referenced by correspondent Marco Pasotto: "We were stronger than the wishes of Queen Elizabeth, the encouragement of Boris Johnson and the good luck over the phone by Tom Cruise, because this time the mission impossible was carried out by Italian actors."
There were joyous scenes in Rome today as the Italian team arrived home with the #Euro2020 trophy pic.twitter.com/urxu1E4Q32
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) July 12, 2021
Corriere dello Sport proclaimed: ‘It’s ours!’ (E Nostra!). Journalist Ivan Zazzaroni believed Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup had been "reduced to a forgettable accident", while also mocking English chants of ‘It’s coming home’. "Football came home! The football is back in the house . Ours, however," he wrote. "We deserved this triumph, we beat everything and everyone, 70,000 Brits, the royal family, UEFA, the sceptics, British optimism, Boris Johnson."
Continuing on that theme – and repeating a phrase chanted by Italy’s jubilant squad – La Repubblica led with ‘It’s coming Rome’ on their website, while ‘Europe is ours’ was their front page headline. The paper declared Italy had finally found heirs to their winning squad of 1968, while suggesting England’s lengthy wait for a trophy may not end anytime soon. "England, after having long dreamed of dispelling the taboo that has lasted for 55 years, is back in despair," wrote reporter Jacopo Manfredi. "It is difficult to imagine that such a tempting opportunity will come to them in a hurry."
As in many other papers, Corriere della Sera lavished manager Mancini with praise for an unexpected achievement. "The coach believed in it from day one, he said as soon as he arrived in the national team that the European Championship could be won. He succeeded," wrote Guido De Carolis, while referencing that Mancini and his colleague Gianluca Vialli had suffered European Cup final agony at Wembley as Sampdoria players in 1992. "The curse of Wembley is lifted."
Il Giorno’s Monday morning website coverage focused on Italy’s jubilant return to Rome. According to the outlet, the team landed at Fiumicino airport just after 6am local time, before coach Mancini and captain Giorgio Chiellini appeared at the top of the plane’s steps to be "greeted by the roar of airport operators gathered under the aircraft." The squad then transferred to a hotel in the centre of the capital for meetings with president Sergio Mattarella and prime minister Mario Draghi, with beaten Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini also in attendance. Around a hundred fans were reported to be outside the hotel, waving tricolour flags, and singing: "We are the European champions".
