The Latest: Italians celebrate Euro 2020 victory in Rome

The Latest on soccer’s European Championship:

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Celebrations erupted in downtown Rome as thousands of people took to the streets after Italy beat England in a penalty shootout to win the European Championship at Wembley Stadium in London.

Fireworks lit the sky as cars honked non-stop and ecstatic fans waving Italian flags spilled out of the Piazza del Popolo where they had watched the match on big screens.

They chanted “we are champions of Europe,” danced in the streets and set off flares as police stood watch nearby.

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Riot police are trying to disperse crowds outside Wembley Stadium after England lost a penalty shootout to Italy in the European Championship final.

Beer bottles have been thrown and police are standing by. England fans are chanting songs against Italy.

London police say there had been 45 arrests by officers policing the final.

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This year’s European Championship has been the highest scoring edition in the tournament’s modern era.

Leonardo Bonucci’s 67th-minute goal for Italy in the final was the 142nd of the 51-game Euro 2020 tournament.

That’s an average of 2.79 goals per game.

It was only 2.12 per game at Euro 2016. The most goals in a modern edition was the average of 2.74 at Euro 2000. There were 31 games at that tournament.

There were higher goals per game averages when tournaments involved only four teams from 1960 to 1976.

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Prince William has congratulated Italy after the team won the European Championship and says England’s players should be “so proud” of themselves for their efforts.

Italy beat England 3-2 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw at Wembley Stadium.

William is the president of the English Football Association. He wrote on Twitter “Heartbreaking. Congratulations @Azzurri on a great victory.”

He says to England “sadly this time it wasn’t our day. You can all hold your heads high.”

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Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo has finished as the top scorer at the European Championship with five goals.

Ronaldo had the same number of goals as Czech Republic forward Patrik Schick but the Portuguese great will get the award because he had an assist.

Portugal was eliminated from the tournament after losing to Belgium 1-0 in the round of 16.

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Gianluigi Donnarumma became the first goalkeeper to win player of the tournament at the European Championship after Italy beat England in penalty shootout in the final at Wembley Stadium.

Donnarumma made two saves in the shootout and he has been outstanding for Italy throughout Euro 2020.

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Italy has earned 34 million euros ($40.4 million) in prize money from UEFA’s tournament record fund of 371 million euros ($440 million) for winning this year’s European Championship.

England will get 30.25 million euros ($36 million) after losing a penalty shootout to Italy following a 1-1 draw at Wembley Stadium.

Each of the 24 teams was guaranteed a basic 9.25 million euros ($11 million) with bonuses for wins and draws in the group stage and for advancing through each knockout round.

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Italy won the European Championship by beating England 3-2 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw.

Domenico Berardi, Leonardo Bonucci and Federico Bernardeschi scored for Italy in the shootout and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made two saves at the end of the shootout.

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The European Championship final will be decided on penalty kicks after the match finished with England and Italy tied at 1-1.

Italy had a chance for a winner in the 107th minute. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford bobbled a swerving free kick from substitute Federico Bernardeschi but he eventually gathered it.

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The European Championship final is going to extra time with Italy and England level at 1-1.

Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci equalized in the 67th minute with a tap-in. He celebrated in front of the Italian fans by standing on top of the advertising hoardings with both his arms raised and fists clenched.

England had been leading 1-0 for most of the match after Luke Shaw scored in the second minute.

The teams will play 30 minutes of extra time. It will be split into two 15-minute halves.

The match will then go to penalty kicks if the score is still tied.

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A fan ran onto the field at Wembley Stadium in the 87th minute. It took four stewards to remove him.

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Leonardo Bonucci has scored for Italy in the 67th minute in the European Championship final. Italy and England are tied 1-1.

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Fans without tickets have stormed past security and gained access to the European Championship final between England and Italy.

Wembley Stadium says “there was a breach of security and a small group of people got into the stadium.”

Fans could be seen standing in the stadium bowl unable to access their seats.

Wembley’s statement says officials “are now working closely with stadium stewards and security to remove these people. Anyone inside the stadium without a ticket will be instantly ejected.”

The 90,000-seat Wembley has a pandemic-restricted capacity of about 67,000.

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England is leading Italy 1-0 at halftime in the European Championship final after wingback Luke Shaw scored in the second minute.

A cross from Kieran Trippier found Shaw at the far post and he shot it in on the half-volley. Shaw’s goal was the quickest scored in a European Championship final.

Italy had a chance for an equalizer in the eighth minute but forward Lorenzo Insigne’s free kick sailed over the crossbar. Federico Chiesa came closer in the 35th when the winger made a forward run but his shot went just wide of the near post.

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Luke Shaw’s goal for England was the quickest scored in a European Championship final.

Shaw scored 1 minute, 57 seconds into the match against Italy at Wembley Stadium.

It was the fifth fastest ever scored in the history of the tournament and the third fastest at Euro 2020.

The previous fastest goal scored in a European Championship final was in 1964 when Chus Pereda scored for Spain 5:17 into the match against the Soviet Union. Spain won 2-1.

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Luke Shaw has scored for England in the second minute in the European Championship final. England leads Italy 1-0.

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The European Championship final between Italy and England has started at Wembley Stadium in London.

The England and Italy players took a knee before the starting whistle to bring attention to racial injustice. The England players have done that at all of their matches at Euro 2020.

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The European Championship closing ceremony is underway before England takes on Italy in the final at Wembley Stadium.

A huge inflatable trophy was brought onto the field as a light show and pyrotechnics got things going. Soldiers in bearskin hats played long trumpets. Dancers then got the crowd fired up.

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England players have taken the field for their warmup with about 35 minutes until kickoff in the European Championship final against Italy.

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford waved to the crowd as fans cheered before the rest of the players came out. England needs to beat Italy to win its first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.

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Italy’s players have started coming onto the field to warm up before the European Championship final against England.

A light drizzle is coming down with just over an hour before kickoff.

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England has changed its formation to a 3-4-3 and recalled Kieran Trippier for the European Championship final against Italy.

Winger Bukayo Saka dropped out of the team to accommodate the inclusion of Trippier at right wing back.

Mason Mount will move into the three-man forward line alongside Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane.

The change of system will be regarded as a defensive move by England coach Gareth Southgate. He did something similar for the 2-0 win over Germany in the round of 16.

Italy has selected the same team that started against Spain in the semifinals.

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Italy’s players walked onto the field at Wembley Stadium in street clothes soon after England ahead of the European Championship final.

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Fans outside Wembley Stadium have tried to get into the stadium through a low barrier for the European Championship final between England and Italy.

Stewards and police sought to hold the fans back back as they pushed through barriers.

A Wembley statement says officials “are dealing with an incident that occurred at the outer security perimeter area of the stadium.”

The statement adds that “safety measures were quickly activated in the relevant areas and there were no security breaches of people without tickets getting inside the stadium.”

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England players in sweatsuits have walked around the field at Wembley Stadium to the cheers of their fans before the European Championship final against Italy.

England captain Harry Kane walked out first with his hands in his sweatpants. He looked calm as he took it all in.

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Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic tried to give a diplomatic answer when asked which team he thinks will win the European Championship final.

Djokovic spoiled Italy’s hopes of a double triumph in London when he beat Matteo Berrettini in the Wimbledon final for his 20th Grand Slam title. He was then asked by BBC presenter Sue Barker about an “unbiased view” on how the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy at Wembley Stadium will go.

Djokovic says “you’re putting me in a very awkward position right now. I’m a huge football fan. So I will enjoy the football tonight.”

That answer was at least enough to draw a big ovation from the crowd at the All England Club.

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The England and Italy team buses have arrived at Wembley Stadium about 90 minutes before kickoff in the European Championship final against Italy.

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Thousands of England fans have descended on central London before the European Championship final against Italy.

Bottles and other objects are being thrown and Leicester Square is full of litter like beer cans, empty boxes and plastic bags. So far no violence has been reported but the scenes are chaotic. One man threw a large yellow cone high in the air and as it came down another man headed it like a soccer ball. Police with helmets were seen walking through Leicester Square.

The official fan zone is in nearby Trafalgar Square and thousands more are there. A large contingent of police are on standby.

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The leading contender to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor in Germany’s upcoming election says he is rooting for Italy to beat England in the European Championship final.

Armin Laschet tells public broadcaster ARD that he is “an Italy fan.”

The 60-year-old Laschet says the Italian team has “played great” at Euro 2020 and “they would deserve it” if they win.

England knocked Germany out of the tournament in the round of 16.

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England fans are starting to take their seats at Wembley Stadium ahead of the European Championship final against Italy.

They started coming in with about three hours to go before kickoff. Several dozen Italy fans were allowed in about a half-hour earlier and are sitting behind one of the goals.

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Thousands of fans have created a party atmosphere outside Wembley Stadium before the European Championship final between England and Italy.

A large group of fans set off red and yellow flares and some were banging drums. It started getting rowdy about four hours before kickoff with beer cans being thrown into the air.

Fans started hurling cans at one man who had climbed a tall light pole and he was trying to dodge them. He then slid down like a firefighter to the cheers of the crowd and the pole started to wobble.

Several dozen Italy fans were allowed into the stadium about three and half hours before the start. The normal entry time for supporters is three hours.

England is trying to win a major soccer tournament trophy for the first time in 55 years.

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One more match will decide if Italy or England will be European champion.

The two teams will meet at Wembley Stadium in the European Championship final.

England is trying to win its first title in the competition. It’s also trying to win its first major title since the 1966 World Cup.

Italy won the European Championship in 1968 but has also won four World Cup titles. The most recent was in 2006.

The Euro 2020 final will the last of 51 games in the competition after being delayed a year by the coronavirus pandemic.

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