Italy to face Spain in Euro 2020 semi-finals after beating Belgium

Italy's Nicolo Barella, left, and Italy's Marco Verratti celebrate scoring the opening goal during the Euro 2020 soccer championship quarterfinal match between Belgium and Italy at the Allianz Arena stadium in Munich, Germany, Friday, July 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, Pool)

Italy beat Belgium 2-1 in a pulsating Euro 2020 quarter-final in Munich on Friday to set up a last-four clash with Spain, who needed penalties to get the better of 10-man Switzerland.

Lorenzo Insigne's brilliant strike proved to be the winner for Italy, who extended their national record unbeaten run to 32 matches. Roberto Mancini's men will face Spain in the first semi-final on Tuesday at Wembley.

While Italy face Spain at Wembley on Tuesday, defeat means more European Championship quarter-final heartbreak for Belgium, who exited at the same stage in 2016 after defeat by Wales. Belgium sorely missed their captain Eden Hazard, ruled out by a hamstring injury, even as Kevin De Bruyne won his race to shake off an ankle injury.

Belgium and Italy were the only sides to win all 10 games in qualifying and the only teams along with the Netherlands to win every match in the group stage.

The Azzurri, whose only European title came in 1968, started brightly and thought they had struck first when Leonardo Bonucci put the ball in the net, only for VAR to rule the goal out for offside.

Nicolo Barella did give Italy the lead in the 31st minute with a fine solo goal though, jinking between two defenders and hammering a shot into the far corner past Thibaut Courtois. The Italians were in dreamland when Insigne curled home a wonderful long-range strike into the top corner shortly before half-time.

But Belgium gave themselves hope in first-half stoppage time through a Romelu Lukaku penalty after Jeremy Doku was shoved over in the box by Giovanni Di Lorenzo. With an hour gone, Belgium had the best chance of the second half, coming agonisingly close to an equaliser, when De Bruyne's cross led to Lukaku having his shot blocked by the thigh of Leonardo Spinazzola.

Martinez brought on fresh legs up front with Dries Mertens and Nacer Chadli for the final 20 minutes. There was an almost instant impact when Mertens fed Chadli, whose cross-cum-shot was deflected by Di Lorenzo just out of the reach of Lukaku and Thorgan Hazard.  With time running out, Doku fired over after beating three defenders, while a last-gasp De Bruyne free-kick also failed to beat the Italy defence as the Azzurri clung on.