At 9 pm the final, with the favorite hosts. But the blues …
SASSARI. God save the queen. God save the Queen, the Azzurri will take care of the English national team. Here we go. Do you hear background noises? They come from Wembley, the temple of football, where Italy is ready to face England with the proud gaze and serenity of those who have so far done everything they should. You fell in love with this team, you were won over by the lightness of its performances, the boldness of its emerging talents, the competence of its leader.
You have suffered with her in the most complicated moments and now you are there, in front of the television, like the protagonists of the final battle of the Iron Throne, ready to enjoy this night of intense emotions. Italy-England is the most predicted final, the right one for what has been seen in this month of traveling competitions. They have been the most continuous, most balanced teams, the most casual in imposing their game and the most capable of managing difficult times.
For the British it is the first European final. On their showcase there is only the 1966 world title played at home and won with a nonexistent goal in the final against Germany. You know, the British invented football but often strut in front of the mirror: how beautiful we are, how cool we are. And this explains the many blows taken. This time, however, they have a much more pragmatic team: strong and tough defense, one of the best strikers in the world and a host of thrilling offensive talents. It will be very hard.
For Italy it is the fourth final. In 2012 the most beautiful Spain of the century scrambled us, in 2000 the golden goal of the Frenchman Trezeguet mocked us. The only victory dates back to 1968, memories in black and white with the feats of Gigi Riva and Anastasi. There is an intriguing similarity between that team and the current one, they were both born from the ashes of failure. Then Valcareggi managed to make us forget the blow he suffered against Korea in ’66, Mancini in these three years has canceled the disappointment for the exclusion from the world championship in Russia in 2018. And he did it so well that it seems an event far in time, another was.
Today the whole world of football has been struck by the Italian rebirth, by the growth of talents such as Barella, Chiesa and Donnarumma, by having shown a modern game identity, a rediscovered unity of purpose and a great sense of belonging. This is why we are all allowed to believe in it without being braggart. We know, they are favorites, there is no doubt about that. They have a super team and a whole country that pushes them. They know they can make history.
And now, as millions of blue hearts beat to a thousand, those background noises we heard before have become booms. Wembley has become a bedlam. But the blue eyes are always proud. And as a splendid song by Ivano Fossati says “we are lucky enough to live now this disbanded time, this passing night and the future that comes to give us breath”. After all we are a people of navigators to float in the treacherous waters of challenges like this.
Italy has played ten finals between Europeans and World Cups, it must mean something. After all we are a people of poets, we know how to use the imagination and we can find the inspiration of a winning game as the Azzurri have shown in this month of growing excitement. And we are also a people of saints: a miracle could always happen. The Italy of 11 July is that of Dino Zoff who raises the world cup under the blue sky of Madrid in front of a very happy president Pertini. It would not be bad to repeat at Wembley, there is also Mattarella. Why not. Why would the British say. Francesco Pinna
.