Barney Ronay was at Wembley to watch Italy scrape - albeit with some style - into the quarters. His report has landed, so off you click and enjoy that. Congratulations to Italy, commiserations to Austria, and thank you for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
That was a superb evening’s entertainment. Austria gave it everything, and were a couple of inches away from knocking out one of the tournament favourites. Sadly for them, Marko Arnautovic was just offside as he headed past Gianluigi Donnarumma. Italy put the pedal down in extra-time, Federico Chiesa opening the scoring with a wonderful finish, Matteo Pessina adding a second. Marcel Sabitzer should have pulled one back for Austria; Sasa Kalajdzic then did, but it was too little, too late. Austria go home with pride intact, having made a fine fist of their first knockout game in tournament football since 1954. Italy meanwhile weren’t at their best, but got the job done. They go to Munich to face either Belgium or Portugal, perhaps having come to the conclusion that this is their time!
EXTRA TIME, FULL TIME: Italy 2-1 Austria
The whistle goes, and Italy will play either Belgium or Portugal in the quarter-finals!
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ET 30 min +1: Dragovic is booked for one final foul.
ET 30 min: A long ball down the inside-left channel. Chiesa lifts over the out-rushing Bachmann, but Trimmel covers and gets to the dropping ball before the striker can round the keeper and walk the ball home.
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ET 29 min: Gregoritsch has been magnificent since coming on. From 25 yards, he drives through a thicket of players, but the ball sails harmlessly wide right. That could be Austria’s last chance.
ET 28 min: Belotti takes the ball to the corner. That it’s suddenly come to this. He tries to purchase a cheap foul that’ll run the clock down further, but the touchline official isn’t impressed. Plenty of nerves jangling around Wembley right now.
ET 26 min: That’s the end of Italy’s long defensive shutout. And it’s sent shockwaves through the Italian team. Donnarumma, the ball at his feet, nervously prods the ball forward and is nearly stripped of possession by Gregoritsch. He flops on the ball just in time.
GOAL! Italy 2-1 Austria (Kalajdzic 114)
The corner’s whipped low from the right by Gregoritsch to the near post. Kalajdzic stoops and steers into the bottom right from a couple of yards and a tight angle. What a header! Austria aren’t done yet!
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ET 23 min: Gregoritsch causes more bother in the Italian box, winning a header that drops to Schaub, who aims for the top left. His volley is deflected over the bar. And from the corner ...
ET 22 min: Belotti is bundled over by Laimer, just to the right of the D. He takes the free kick himself, blootering it hopelessly into the wall.
ET 21 min: Austria should be back in this. Gregoritsch sashays down the right and scoops to Sabitzer at the far post. He’s six yards out, and gets two goes at forcing home. His first effort clanks off Di Lorenzo. His second - which should be nestling in the net - sails over the bar. Oh dear.
ET 19 min: Di Lorenzo embarks on a run from a deep position on the right. He makes it all the way to the edge of the Austria box, with Wembley simmering in anticipation of seeing something special. He sends an excitable drive miles over the bar. A disappointing end to a sensational run.
ET 18 min: Insigne makes way for Cristante.
ET 17 min: Belotti fluffs a chance when in space on the edge of the Austria box. He should have worked Bachmann at the very least; he probably should have scored a goal that would put this beyond all doubt.
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ET 16 min: Schaub’s first act is to juggle the ball down the inside-right channel and send a dipping shot towards the bottom right! What an effort, and what a save by Donnarumma, who palms clear.
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Austria start the second period of extra time. They’ve made two changes, sending on Gregoritsch and Schaub in place of Grillitsch and Schlager.
EXTRA TIME, HALF TIME: Italy 2-0 Austria
Italy have one foot and four toes in the quarter finals, after scoring their first-ever extra-time goals at a European Championship finals.
GOAL! Italy 2-0 Austria (Pessina 105)
The corner’s a non-event, and half cleared. But the ball’s worked back into the box from the left by Insigne. Acerbi makes a nuisance of himself and Austria can’t clear. The ball breaks left to Pessina, who takes a touch and lashes it across Bachmann and into the bottom right!
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ET 14 min: Insigne to take. He whips a vicious free kick towards the top left. It’s going in. Bachmann does well to get across and turn the ball out for a corner.
ET 13 min: Bellotti races into acres down the left. He cuts inside and is cynically brought down by Hinteregger, who goes into the book. One taken for the team there, with Austria extremely light at the back.
ET 12 min: Grillitsch loops a high cross in from the left. Easy meat for Donnarumma.
ET 11 min: Austria hog possession, to pantomime whistles from the predominantly Italy-supporting crowd. They don’t do much with it. Italy are not half bad at holding their shape.
ET 9 min: Now Spinazzola gets on with the day job of defending, intercepting a ball intended to free Sabitzer down the middle and into the box.
ET 8 min: That’s changed the mood entirely. A moment of individual brilliance, though it was a fine cross by Spinazzola, too.
ET 6 min: Austria respond by replacing Arnautovic with Kalajdzic.
GOAL! Italy 1-0 Austria (Chiesa 95)
Here comes another! Spinazzola curls from the left towards Chiesa at the far post. He chests down, takes a touch to see off Lainer, then whips a hard shot across Bachmann and into the bottom left! That’s a sensational finish by the substitute!
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ET 4 min: Belotti holds the ball up on the edge of the Austria box, then feeds Chiesa to his right. Chiesa takes a step into the box and lashes low and hard from a tight angle. Easy for Bachmann, though that’s better from Italy, and their first shot in anger for quite a while.
ET 2 min: Alaba curls in dangerously towards the far post, but Hinteregger and Sabitzer are penalised for getting all over-excited in the middle of a melee.
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ET 1 min: Schopf hugs the right touchline and is brough down by Locatelli. Free kick. Austria load the box.
Italy get the first period of extra time underway. There have been no changes during the break.
The Italian players look a little anxious, so Roberto Mancini arranges them in a huddle and performs the internationally recognised mime for Calm Down. Austria take on liquids in a more relaxed style, then cheer wildly after a huddle of their own. They’ll be very pleased with their performance so far. They’ve been as excellent as Italy have been disappointing.
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FULL TIME: Italy 0-0 Austria
Extra time is no more than the Austrians deserve. They were inches away from ending Italy’s long unbeaten record, but Marko Arnautovic was a couple of inches offside as he steered a clever header past Gianluigi Donnarumma. Thirty extra minutes coming up!
90 min +5: Insigne clips the free kick to the far post, where Laimer heads clear. In short, the answer is no.
90 min +4: But could they snatch it? Jorginho tries to burst into space down the right, and is shoved in the back by Arnautovic. A free kick, near the right-hand corner of the box. Can Insigne conjure up something very special and very dramatic?
90 min +3: Italy still can’t get anything going in the final third. This second-half display has been dismal.
90 min +2: Di Lorenzo faffs about at the back, allowing Arnautovic to make off with the ball. Italy’s defence regroups just in time. Austria aren’t sitting back and waiting for extra time.
90 min +1: A long ball down the middle. Insigne dallies when he should have torn clear. Lainer puts a stop to his gallop, and turns out Insigne was offside anyway.
90 min: Baumgartner can’t continue. He’s replaced by Schopf. There will be five minutes of added time.
89 min: Baumgartner goes down with cramp. Austria want Italy to put the ball out. They don’t. Sabitzer takes matters into his own hands and bowls Jorginho to the floor. Free kick, and a chance for the physio to come on.
88 min: Insigne and Belotti combine down the inside-left channel. Belotti reaches the byline and pulls back to ... nobody. Just for a spilt second, it looked as though Italy were about to perform a late smash and grab. Extra time looms.
86 min: Di Lorenzo mistimes a clearance and gifts the ball to Alaba down the left. He’s very fortunate that Alaba uncharacteristically dithers, allowing his teammates to shepherd the Austrian away from the danger zone.
84 min: Italy make another double change. On come Chiesa and Belotti, for Immobile and Berardi.
83 min: Spinazzola has been Italy’s highlight. He makes good down the left and crosses deep. Berardi shapes to scissor kick home, but completely mistimes it. To be fair, had he succeeded, it would have been sensational.
82 min: Wembley, filled mainly with Italy fans, is quiet right now, the tension palpable.
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80 min: Italy are struggling to string passes together. Lainer and Arnautovic, out on the right, hassle their defence and force a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece, but right now, if anyone’s going to nick this late on, Austria look the more likely. Can Italy respond?
78 min: Italy have been poor, though Austria’s relentless press has made them that way. Will the underdogs flag as the clock ticks on? They’ve put in a lot of effort.
76 min: There’s a ludicrously long VAR check, but no, it’s not a penalty. “This match was supposed to be decided by now,” begins Mary Waltz. “The longer this goes on the greater the chance Austria nicks this contest and sends multiple pundits to the dog house.”
74 min: Free kick to Austria out on the left. Alaba swings it in. The ball’s helped on by Hinteregger towards Lainer at the far post. Lainer is bundled to the floor from behind by Pessina. Austria want a penalty, but it turns out Lainer was offside when Hinteregger flicked on. That would certainly have been a spot kick otherwise.
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72 min: Italy have finally woken up, after the shock of that disallowed goal. Locatelli and Insigne take turns to curl shots wide right from the edge of the box. Better, though the bar has been set low.
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71 min: Spinazzola drifts in from the left and sprays a delightful crossfield pass towards Berardi on the right wing. Berardi can’t sort his feet out to trap. Otherwise, he’d have been in acres of space.
69 min: Such a shame for Austria, because that was a fine cross by Lainer, and two stunning headers between Alaba and Arnautovic. Italy respond by replacing Verratti and Barella with Locatelli and Pessina.
68 min: Austria, perhaps piqued, come straight back at Italy, Sabitzer striding purposefully towards the box and dragging a low shot wide left. Italy are rocking a little, yet what relief they’ll feel.
NO GOAL! Italy 0-0 Austria
Yep, Arnautovic was just off, his knee poking past the last man. Italy’s long defensive stand remains!
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66 min: ... but there’s a VAR check for a possible offside. Arnautovic may be a couple of inches off as Alaba heads across, you know.
GOAL! Italy 0-1 Austria (Arnautovic 65)
Italy’s defence is finally breached! Lainer crosses deep from the right. Alaba rises high over Di Lorenzo, across the face of goal. Arnautovic rises at the right-hand post, and dinks a header over Donnarumma and into the top left!
63 min: The corner finds Arnautovic just inside the box on the right. Falling backwards, he steers a shot towards the bottom right, but it’s an easy claim for Donnarumma.
62 min: Austria’s press is forcing Italy to rush. They ship possession, allowing Sabitzer to steal away with the ball and take a whack from distance. His effort twangs off Bonucci and deflects wide left. Austria’s first corner of the game coming up.
60 min: Sabitzer lands on Di Lorenzo’s foot, and becomes the latest Austrian to escape a caution. Anthony Taylor is in a fairly mellow mood this evening.
58 min: Laimer turns on the jets and makes spectacular ground down the right touchline. For a second, Italy look a bit light at the back, with Austrian options in the middle. But the resulting cross is appalling, nowhere near anybody in red, allowing Acerbi to intercept and clear.
56 min: Space for Insigne down the left. He’s got Immobile free in the middle, but the low cross isn’t too great, allowing Alaba to hack out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece.
55 min: Acerbi passes back to Donnarumma from the halfway line. He nearly sends the ball whistling past the keeper, who is forced to turn and race back to trap on the edge of the six-yard box, then clear. He acts nonchalantly, as though there was never any worry, but there were a few hearts in mouths just then.
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53 min: Baumgartner slides in on Di Lorenzo, a little payback maybe. No booking, despite a lot of dramatic rolling around, the sort that often sways an official.
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52 min: Alaba goes for a curler over the wall and towards the top right. It was always going over, though had it been on target, it wasn’t certain that Donnarumma was getting there.
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51 min: Alaba looks like he fancies this. A long wait as the referee pushes the Italian wall back the full 10 yards. What a feat of engineering that requires.
50 min: Di Lorenzo is booked for a lunge on Baumgartner, just outside the Italian box. Barella is also booked for ludicrously protesting the decision. A free kick in a very dangerous position coming up.
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49 min: A mistake by Bonucci allows Arnautovic to twist and turn down the left. He can’t get a shot away, but for a second, a route to goal threatened to open up. A fine run.
48 min: Berardi drops a shoulder to get a yard on Alaba down the right. His low cross is hacked clear by Austria, but Immobile comes again, only for his shot to be easily blocked on the edge of the box. Italy look to have raised their tempo.
47 min: Italy have started the second half on the front foot, albeit without achieving anything of note.
Italy get the second half started. No half-time changes by either side. On the subject of subs, here’s Kári Tulinius: “Arnautovic seems very likely to get sent off. Were I Franco Foda, I would consider how quickly I could substitute him off the field without him doing an impression of Giorgio Chinaglia in 1974. His probable replacement, Sasa Kalajdzic, has had a brilliant season for Stuttgart, and should present the Italian defence with a new set of problems.”
Half-time entertainment. Here’s a clip of Italy at Wembley in 1977, Marco Tardelli giving Kevin Keegan some of the old-fashioned defensive treatment.
Meanwhile here’s some footage of the last game won by Austria in the knockout stage of a major finals. Safe to say today’s match hasn’t developed in similar fashion. Yet.
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HALF TIME: Italy 0-0 Austria
The free kick’s floated towards Acerbi, near the right-hand post. He forces a corner, but there’s no time to take it. The players troop off, Austria surely a little bit happier than Italy.
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45 min: Italy ping it around, 30 yards from goal, for what seems like an age. There’s no way through, despite probes launched down both flanks. Eventually Arnautovic, treading a fine line, gets fed up and bundles Spinazzola to the ground. Free kick, to the left of the D, 30 yards out.
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43 min: Spinazzola dances in from the left and dribbles a shot towards the bottom left. Bachmann gets down late and is forced to push the weak effort around the post. Acerbi meets the resulting corner, but not with any conviction.
42 min: Spinazzola makes his way into the Austrian box from the left, then falls over as he flings a wild boot at the ball. He claims a penalty, brazenly so, because there was no challenge made. The referee waves play on.
40 min: Austria are enjoying their best spell of the match, Arnautovic causing problems down the right. Alaba probing on the opposite flank. There’s no way through this seemingly impregnable Italian defence, though.
38 min: Upon claiming the cross, Donnarumma accidentally clattered into Baumgartner, who took one full in his startled coupon. The physio comes on and gives him a good going-over with the magic sponge. He’s good to continue.
36 min: Arnautovic busies himself down the right, then performs a cute dragback that sends Verrati and Acerbi off to the shops for the paper and a pint of milk. He lays off to Schlager, whose high cross is claimed by Donnarumma.
34 min: That was such a good effort from Immobile. A touch of the Le Tissiers about it, a heady mix of power, bend and precision. A few inches to the right and it was nestling in the corner.
32 min: Italy nearly take the lead with a gorgeous effort from Immobile. He turns, 30 yards out, and sends a floater towards the top-left corner. It curls to the left, a little bit too much, as it clips the outside of the post. Bachmann was utterly stranded, feet planted. So close to a stunning opener.
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31 min: So having said that, Austria spend the next couple of minutes camped in Italy’s half ... but nowhere near their box. All a bit sterile.
29 min: Spinazzola races down the left again, nearly opening up Austria with a quick combination with Insigne. Not quite. Italy come again down the same flank, Insigne finding a bit of space but overhitting his cross. Italy are beginning to push Austria back.
27 min: Austria have a three on two. Laimer has Baumgartner to his left, Arnautovic to his right. He clanks a hopeless ball straight through to Donnarumma. Both teams have had their opportunities to open the scoring.
26 min: Barella hoicks a long, high pass down the middle. Berardi can’t bring it down first time. He’d have been clear on goal had he managed to. Italy go on to win a corner that proves to be a non-event.
24 min: Berardi dribbles in from the right. For a second, the Austrian defence opens up and offers a route into the box, but he hesitates and the road is blocked. He drops a shoulder to move further infield and takes a shot despite no real opportunity presenting itself. Frustration at letting the first chance go, no doubt.
22 min: Spinazzola snakes his way down the left at speed before eventually running out of road. Goal kick this time, but Italy’s left back looks dangerous every single time he crosses the halfway line.
20 min: Hinteregger clatters into the back of Barella and is fortunate not to join Arnautovic in the book.
18 min: Schlager loops a ball down the middle. Arnautovic has a yard on Bonucci, but just as it looks like he’s going to tear clear into the box, a rush of blood to the noggin causes him to attempt the spectacular, lashing hysterically over the bar from distance. Full marks for ambition, if nothing else.
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17 min: The volume rises quickly as Spinazzola makes ground down the left and cuts back for Barella, whose low drive from just inside the box is hacked clear by Bachmann. A decent effort with a save to match.
16 min: Austria spend some more time pinging it around in an aesthetically pleasing style. No way through the stubborn Italian defence yet, but they quieten the crowd.
14 min: Verratti sends Insigne romping down the left. He enters the Austrian box and opens his body for the curler across Bachmann and towards the top right. He doesn’t catch it properly, and it’s an easy gather for the keeper.
12 min: Berardi advances towards the Austrian box. He’s got Immobile to his left, but his pass down the channel is too strong, and pushes his team-mate away from the danger zone. A chance to release Immobile into the box is spurned.
11 min: A lot of room for Lainer down the right flank. The eventual cross is no good, but Austria are getting a fair bit of joy on this side of the pitch. Italy go up the other end and take the evening’s first shot in anger, Spinazzola working a little space to the left of the D and lashing miles over the bar.
9 min: Austria play it around the back for a bit. They’re rewarded with the bird, performed with pantomime perfection by the Italian masses.
8 min: Lainer tries to release the overlapping Arnautovic down the right, but Acerbi is on hand to intercept with calm style. A good open feel to these early exchanges.
6 min: Barella slides a pass down the inside-right channel. Bachmann comes out to smother. Immobile slides in, clattering him, though he was entitled to go for the ball, and clearly tries to pull out just before contact. That doesn’t stop Bachmann springing up in a wild rage, but the referee soon calms him down. A free kick, nothing more.
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4 min: Austria have started confidently. They’re pressing hard, as is their wont, and Italy haven’t quite settled yet.
2 min: As Italy clear their lines, Arnautovic clips Barella. It’s late, and it’s a very early booking for the Austrian trouble-magnet.
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1 min: A fast start by Austria, with Baumgartner making good down the left and crossing low. Sabitzer attempts a backflick but misses. Italy clear their lines. Austria so close to ending Italy’s long clean-sheet run in short order!
Austria get their very first knockout game at a Euros final underway. The tension and excitement at Wembley is palpable. Italy’s fans vastly outnumber their Austrian counterparts.
Here come the teams! Italy in azzurri blue, Austria wearing first-choice red. The Bundeshymne der Republik Österreich is played first. Altogether now: “Land of peaks, land of rivers / Land of fields, land of steeples / Land of labours, future-bound!” Then it’s Il Canto degli Italiani, with its cheery refrain: “Let us unite! We are ready to die! Italy called!” One of the classic anthems, catchy as hell. Tune, as the kids used to say about 25 years ago. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes.
A first dip into the electronic mailbag, and we pull out this letter from Justin Horton. “Am I right to recall that Italy had a similar clean-sheet record prior to the 1974 World Cup, shattered after 1,142 minutes - longer than the current run - by Haiti’s Emmanuel Sanon?” Time for me to yield the floor to our very own Simon Burnton ...
Much has been made of Italy coach Roberto Mancini’s effortless style. The other night, he performed his post-match interviews with his jacket draped insouciantly over one shoulder, like Frank Sinatra sauntering down the boulevard after a few ring-a-ding-drinks. This evening at Wembley, evidence of Mancini’s unparalleled panache continues to flood in.
While we’re on the subject, here’s a reminder that the Italian job has been synonymous with grace, sophistication and good taste since the year dot. God but Enzo Bearzot had the look.
Austria’s attacking quartet - Marko Arnautović, Marcel Sabitzer, Christoph Baumgartner and Konrad Laimer - certainly have quite the task ahead of them this evening. Italy haven’t conceded a goal for 17 hours and 35 minutes.
17 hours and 35 minutes!
Donny van de Beek was the last man to breach their defence, scoring for the Netherlands in a 1-1 Nations League draw last October. Gianluigi Donnarumma has been in between the sticks for 874 minutes of this other-worldly run; here’s Nicky Bandini on a player whose importance to the team is second to none.
Having rested their big names for the final group game against Wales, Italy name their strongest available line-up. Giorgino Chiellini is hamstrung, while Marco Varratti is selected ahead of Manuel Locatelli in the middle of the park. Austria named the same XI as the one sent out to beat Ukraine in their final group game.
The teams
Italy: Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Acerbi, Spinazzola, Barella, Jorginho, Verratti, Berardi, Immobile, Insigne.
Subs: Sirigu, Locatelli, Belotti, Pessina, Emerson Palmieri, Chiesa, Cristante, Bernardeschi, Raspadori, Bastoni, Toloi, Meret.
Austria: Bachmann, Lainer, Dragovic, Hinteregger, Alaba, Xaver Schlager, Grillitsch, Laimer, Sabitzer, Baumgartner, Arnautovic.
Subs: Alexander Schlager, Ulmer, Posch, Ilsanker, Gregoritsch, Pervan, Baumgartlinger, Lienhart, Trimmel, Schaub, Schopf, Kalajdzic.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (England).
Preamble
Great news for Austria! When Das Team play knockout football at a major tournament, they do pretty darn well. They reached the semi-finals of the 1934 World Cup, got to the semis again in 1954, and, well, that’s it. But a trend’s a trend’s a trend, and you’ve got to take the positives when you can.
Until last Monday, Austria hadn’t reached any knockout stage since. (They did get through the group stage at España 82, but that only qualified them for another group, with predictable consequences.) This, their first-ever appearance in the Euro knockouts, is uncharted territory for quite a few generations. A cause for celebration, were it not for the fact they’re facing Italy, who they haven’t beaten since 1960, losing ten of their subsequent 13 meetings with the Azzurri. Another trend, right there, and you can see why they might prefer to concentrate on the first one we mentioned.
Here’s the most important trend of all: Italy are on a 30-match unbeaten run, and have won their last 11 on the bounce, scoring 32 goals and conceding a magnificently stereotypical zero. Also, they’ve just won all three of their group games, and the last time they did that, at Euro 2000, they ended up 60 seconds from winning the whole thing, a story retold here. Italy know how to keep moving forward when the wind’s behind.
Italy are big favourites, then, though nothing’s ever certain in tournament football. Will the Azzurri advance to the quarter finals as expected, or can Austria spring a surprise and avenge Italy’s 1-0 defeat of Das Wunderteam in the 1934 World Cup semi? We’ll find out at Wembley tonight, after extra time and penalties if required. Kick off is at 8pm BST. It’s on!
