England and Italy are set to face off on Sunday to be crowned the best in European football at London's iconic Wembley Stadium. Italy are looking forward to win their first European title after 53 years when they beat Yugoslavia (1-1 and 2-0) in the EURO 1968 final, Anadolu Agency reported. They then lost two finals in European Championships, a 2-1 loss to France in EURO 2000 and a 4-0 defeat to Spain in EURO 2012. The Azzurri's defeat to Spain in EURO 2012 final is the biggest margin of defeat in a European Championship final. With four final matches at the European Championships, they are now tied with Spain and the Soviet Union for second place behind Germany, which appeared in six finals. Also read: Brazil and Argentina clash in a soccer final for 5th time Roberto Mancini's side topped Group A by beating Turkey and Switzerland 3-0, and sealing a 1-0 victory against Wales. Following the group stage, they beat Austria in the last 16 and Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinals, moving to the final after defeating Spain on penalties in the semifinals. They conceded three goals, while Ciro Immobile, Federico Chiesa, Manuel Locatelli, Lorenzo Insigne and Matteo Pessina scored two goals each. According to Anadolu Agency, the historic EURO 2020 game with 60,000 spectators will be the Three Lions' first-ever final in the European Championship, and their first final appearance in a major tournament since claiming the 1966 World Cup title. England won only two of their last 14 games against Italy in all competitions, 2-0 in June 1997 and 2-1 in August 2013 – both friendly matches. However, in the 1977 World Cup qualification, the English team won against Italy 2-0 – the only victory in eight competitive games during the tournament. Also read: Copa America 2021: Lionel Messi vs Neymar da Silva They are unbeaten in their last 12 matches in all competitions, keeping 10 clean sheets and conceding just two goals. Collecting seven points, England won Group D in the EURO 2020 ahead of Croatia, Czech Republic, and Scotland. The Three Lions reached the final, eliminating Germany, Ukraine, and Denmark, respectively, conceding just one goal following the conclusion of the group stage. Only three nations have ever lifted the Euros title on home ground – Spain (1964), Italy (1968), and France (1984). Portugal (2004) and France (2016) made it to the final, but lost. The match will be officiated by Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers. The 48-year-old was also the referee in the 2014 World Cup's group stage match when England suffered a 2-1 defeat to Italy.

Raheem Sterling grew up in the shadow of Wembley Stadium as it was being rebuilt, even getting a tattoo of its famous arch on his left forearm. Now playing for his country at the iconic venue, he used his right foot to give England the start it had been longing for at the European Championship. The winger’s goal — his first in a tournament in his 13th match through four competitions — gave England a 1-0 win over Croatia on Sunday in its opening Euro 2020 game. “I always said to myself if I come here, growing up two minutes down the road, I’ve got to score,” Sterling said. “It’s a great feeling doing it.” It ensured England overcome its opening-game stumbling block, finally making a winning start to the continental tournament in its 10th appearance. Far more comfortable than in the loss to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semifinals, this was an England side packed with youthful debutants. Seventeen-year-old midfielder Jude Bellingham, who plays in Germany with Borussia Dortmund, became the youngest-ever player to appear at a European Championship when he came on in the 82nd minute to replace captain Harry Kane. The previous record had been held by Jetro Willems, who was 18 when he played for the Netherlands at Euro 2012. Sterling, still only 26, is now England's most experienced tournament player and entrusted by coach Gareth Southgate despite struggling for game time at Manchester City in recent months. After only scoring once in his previous 13 appearances for City and England, he found the breakthrough against Croatia in the 57th minute. It was the vision of Kalvin Phillips, one of five England starters making their tournament debut, that created the opening. “He brings a lot of energy to the team,” Sterling said. “He’s always in the faces of the opposition and uses the ball well.” The Leeds midfielder shook of challenges before releasing Sterling, who slipped a shot into the net via a touch off Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livaković. The sparkling moment for Sterling came two days after he was named in the queen’s birthday honors list for his campaigning against racial injustice. But at the first England game at Wembley with fans since 2019, there was a sour start when players taking a knee were jeered by their own fans. That was despite pleas from the England team to respect the anti-racism gesture. There was a more unified atmosphere among the pandemic-restricted crowd of about 20,000 at the end when “Football's coming home” was sung from the team's “Three Lions” anthem while being applauded by the players. The England players, who next face Scotland on Friday in Group D at Wembley, couldn't wait to shield from the heat of around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) on a rare sweltering day in England. “It’s not conditions we’re used to and we dug in as a team," Sterling said. “It’s been a long season for me. I couldn’t wait to get started with England and I knew it would be a positive one.”

Manchester City won the League Cup for a third consecutive season by beating Aston Villa 2-1 on Sunday, providing the club with a moment of celebration as it fights to protect its reputation off the field.