London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 11, 2026

Italy records third victory of Euro 2020 as Wales also reaches knockout stages

Italy records third victory of Euro 2020 as Wales also reaches knockout stages

Italy defeated Wales 1-0 on Sunday as both sides progressed to the knockout stages of Euro 2020.

Topping Group A with nine points, Italy's victory in Rome through Matteo Pessina's first-half goal means the Azzurri are yet to concede a goal in the tournament and have been arguably the standout team from the group-stage games.

The winning goal came seven minutes from the end of the first half when Pessina flicked Marco Verratti's free kick into the bottom corner past an outstretched Danny Ward.

Wales, a surprise semifinalist at Euro 2016, also had to play most of the second half with 10 men after Ethan Ampadu was received a red card for a late challenge on Federico Bernardeschi.

Gareth Bale, right, consoles Ethan Ampadu after his teammate's red card.


However, the defeat didn't stop Wales placing second in the group to reach the knockout stages, once again punching above its weight in a major tournament.

Robert Page's side finish level on points with Switzerland, which defeated Turkey 3-1 in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Sunday, but placed second with a superior goal difference.

"We knew it was going to be a very difficult game from the start. There was a lot of defending, a lot of running. There's some very tired bodies out there," Wales captain Gareth Bale told ITV.

"I'm proud of the boys. We wanted to try and get a result but I guess it made no difference, we finished second anyway."

Switzerland will have to wait and see if its four points will be enough to qualify for the knockout stages as one of the tournament's best third-placed sides in the group stages.

Four third-placed teams will join the winners and runners up from each group in the round of 16.

It was Switzerland's best result of the tournament so far and came courtesy of a goal from Haris Seferovic and a brace from Xherdan Shaqiri.

Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice against Turkey.


Seferovic gave Switzerland an early lead with a low, left-footed strike, before Shaqiri doubled his side's advantage 20 minutes later with a superb shot from the edge of the box.

Turkey replied with a fine goal of its own in the second half when Irfan Can Kahveci netted a long-range shot just after the hour mark, but Switzerland restored its two-goal lead minutes later as Shaqiri latched on to Steven Zuber's excellent through ball.

The result means Turkey's disappointing Euro 2020 campaign ends with three defeats.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
English Councils to Gain Power to Introduce Tourist Taxes by 2028
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Shadow Cabinet
Firefighters Make Progress Containing Major Wildfires in South Wales
John Lewis Partnership Reports £124 Million Loss
Study Says UK AI Data Centres Will Create Only a Quarter of Forecast Jobs
UK Government Considers Higher Industrial Water Prices Amid Supply Pressures
Andy Burnham Holds First Call With Donald Trump as UK Prime Minister
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record as Heatwaves Drive Hospital Admissions
Home Secretary Orders Police Crackdown on Far-Right Anti-Migrant Vigilantes
UK Supreme Court Rules Northern Ireland Religious Education Curriculum Breaches Human Rights Standards
Markets Price in Four Bank of England Rate Rises by Next Summer
House of Commons Prepares Free Vote on Assisted Dying Bill
UK Government Bans Trade With Israeli Settlements in Occupied Territories
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Artificial Intelligence Investment Supports Expansion
Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Keir Starmer Resigns
John Lewis Partnership Loss Widens to £124 Million
UK Government to Put White Working-Class Social Mobility at Centre of Equality Policy
McLaren Plans £450 Million Technology Investment Creating 1,000 UK Jobs
UK Chancellor Faces Calls for Wealth Taxes and Public Ownership in Autumn Budget
English Mayors to Gain Powers to Impose Uncapped Overnight Tourist Taxes
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Government Against Bank Windfall Taxes
UK Air Traffic Control Outage Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
UK Imposes Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
UK Borrowing Costs Surge as Middle East Tensions Push Long-Term Gilt Yields to Highest Since 1998
Buckingham Palace Says Prince Harry and Meghan Will Not Resume Official Royal Duties
UK Treasury Faces Calls to Scrap £100,000 Childcare Support Threshold
Trades Union Congress Urges Labour Government to Rewrite Migration Policy
Riot Police Deployed After Anti-Migrant Protests Turn Violent in Portsmouth
UK Considers Replacing Some Disability Cash Payments With Direct Services
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Chancellor Against Higher Banking Taxes
UK Announces New Sanctions Targeting Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Metropolitan Police Investigate Alleged Illegal Donations to Reform UK
UK Charges Wiltshire Man With Assisting Russian Intelligence
UK Orders Urgent Review After Air Traffic Failure Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
Merz Rebukes AfD Expansion in Saxony-Anhalt
King Charles Confirms Prince Harry and Meghan Will Remain Private Citizens
Labour Selects Former Child Refugee for By-Election in Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Foreign Private Equity Accelerates Takeovers of London-Listed Industrial Companies
NHS Maternity Care Faces Scrutiny Over Support for Mothers After Caesarean Births
BBC Warns Staff Strikes Are Likely Amid Job Cuts and Programme Cancellations
English Housing Affordability Improves to Best Level in More Than a Decade
UK Health Commission Proposes Framework for Wider AI Adoption Across NHS
Labour Faces Pressure for Wealth Tax Ahead of Autumn Budget
Metropolitan Police Open Criminal Investigation Into Alleged Foreign Donations to Reform UK
UK Police Deploy Riot Officers After Anti-Immigration Unrest in Portsmouth and Dover
UK Defends Sanctions on Israeli Settlements Despite Diplomatic Retaliation
UK Air Traffic Control Failure Cancels More Than 1,000 Flights and Disrupts 65,000 Passengers
Compass Urges £10 Million Wealth Tax and Public Ownership Ahead of UK Autumn Budget
UK Government’s Devolution Plans Face House of Lords Scrutiny
Maldives Seeks New Chagos Sovereignty Talks With UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham
×