Italy hold the historical edge over England going into Sunday's Euro 2020 final and the Three Lions have never beaten the Azzurri at a major tournament.
Italy and England go head-to-head for the Euro 2020 title at Wembley on Sunday night, where Gareth Southgate’s side will aim to secure a first major international trophy since the nation’s World Cup victory in 1966. In order to do so, England will need to do something they have never managed before: beat the Azzurri at a major tournament.
England and Italy have met four times before at the Euros and World Cup, with the Azzurri victorious on all four occasions – a 1-0 win at Euro 1980, a 2-1 victory in third place play-off at the 1990 World Cup, a penalty shoot-out success in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 and a 2-1 group stage victory at the World Cup in Brazil two years later.
Sandwiched between those two major tournament defeats came England’s last win over Italy, a 2-1 victory in a friendly staged in Switzerland in August 2012. That was also England’s only win over Italy in the last eight meetings between the sides.
Italy on a 33-match unbeaten run
In total, England and Italy have played each other 27 times since the first match between the nations in 1933, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Italy hold the historical edge with a record of 11 wins to England’s eight, with eight draws.
In recent years the Azzurri have been firmly on top of the match-up, with England’s only real consolation a 2-0 win at Le Tournoi in France in 1997. Since then, there have been four Italy wins (including the Euro 2012 shoot-out capped by Andrea Pirlo’s Panenka) and three draws punctuated by a single Three Lions victory in the above-mentioned friendly in Berne.
Roberto Mancini's side will go into the final as favourites after a run of 33 matches without defeat.