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Italy progressed to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 courtesy of their 2-1 triumph over top-ranked Belgium at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Roberto Mancini's men were determined to come away with the win and efficiently dealt with the threat on offer from Belgium to fully deserve it in the end.
Nicolo Barella opened the scoring for Italy in the 31st minute after Belgium fell prey to a high-press and gave the ball away cheaply. Marco Verratti slid the ball towards Barella, who manouevered space for himself inside a crowded penalty area before dispatching his effort into the far corner.
Just 13 minutes later, an outrageous solo effort from Lorenzo Insigne doubled Italy's advantage. The winger cut inside from the left flank in typical fashion and wrapped his foot around the ball to curl it into the top corner, leaving Thibaut Courtois with no chance.
However, shortly thereafter, Giovanni Di Lorenzo was punished by the referee for a push inside the penalty area and Romelu Lukaku stepped up to halve the deficit at the interval.
Despite pushing for an equalizer in the second half, Belgium were unable to get the better of the sturdy Italian rearguard. The Azzurri held on to their slender lead and will next face Spain in the first semi-final at Wembley.
Without further delay, let's take a closer look at some of the best and worst performers from the high-stakes quarter-final clash between Belgium and Italy in Munich.
#5 Hit: Jorginho (Italy)
The Chelsea midfielder is having the summer of his life. After winning the Champions League in May, Jorginho has now set his sights firmly on lifting the European Championship with Italy.
It is not hard to understand why the midfielder is such a vital cog in the system deployed by Mancini. Essentially, Jorginho is the engine that keeps Italy ticking during games.
The 29-year-old proved to be proactive and also remained open to receiving the ball at all times to recycle possession. In addition to his excellent passing, Jorginho was also alert to danger at all times and stepped in whenever it felt like Belgium could overpower the aging Italian centre-back duo.
#4 Flop: Jan Vertonghen (Belgium)
Given the captain's armband on the night, Vertonghen was largely uninspiring for Belgium. The 34-year-old was at fault for the opening goal as he gave the ball away straight to Verratti.
Italy duly punished Belgium for Vertonghen's mistake as his teammates found themselves in a difficult position to prevent Barella from tucking the ball away into the back of the net.
Considering his experience and the responsibility that comes with it, Vertonghen is expected to feel disappointed with his performance on the night. This could have been the ideal opportunity for him to guide Belgium to their first major silverware, but the wait goes on.
#3 Hit: Jeremy Doku (Belgium)
The 19-year-old showed why he was so widely regarded as a talent to watch out for at Euro 2020. Doku was menacing in wide areas for Belgium with his sudden bursts of pace and excellent close-control.
It was due to his sheer determination and directness that Belgium won the penalty to pull a goal back through Lukaku just before half-time.
The Rennes forward whizzed past Di Lorenzo, who then brought him down with a slight push inside the 18-yard area.
Even in the second half, Doku was constantly causing trouble for Di Lorenzo and was easily Belgium's best player on the night.
Irrespective of the result, Belgium can draw a lot of confidence from his display after being drafted into such a high-profile game in a major tournament. Certainly, the future looks bright for Doku.
#2 Flop: Ciro Immobile (Italy)
The striker struggled to make an impact for Italy throughout his involvement during the game. Immobile was sketchy with his hold-up play and his touch let him down on more than one occasion.
Despite their win and progression to the semi-finals, Italy will know they need more from Immobile. The Lazio striker started the tournament with two goals in two games, but has gone slightly off the boil recently.
On another night, Immobile would have faced further criticism if the result did not go Italy's way. Fortunately for him, at least they wrapped up the result.
#1 Hit: Lorenzo Insigne (Italy)
It is crazy to think Gian Piero Ventura did not even bring Insigne off the bench when Italy needed a goal to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The performance against Belgium has to be the perfect example of what he can offer in crunch games. There was relentless running, tracking back and that thing of beauty in the 44th minute.
It was entirely his work as well. Insigne dribbled from inside his own half before slaloming past Youri Tielemans and if that wasn't enough, the winger topped it off with an outrageous curling finish from outside the penalty area.
While it was as predictable as Insigne could get, there was no stopping it either. Courtois dived at full stretch, but to no avail. Insigne is not a round peg in a square hole anymore, he's just having fun under Mancini and that is all Italy need now.
