Belgium vs Italy result: Player ratings from epic encounter as Azzurri reach Euro 2020 semi-finals

Belgium 1-2 Italy: Barella and Insigne give the Azzurri an ultimately insurmountable lead, with a penalty from Lukaku the only reply

Belgium exited Euro 2020 after Italy won a pulsating quarter-final by a 2-1 scoreline on Friday night.

Leonardo Bonucci thought he had an early opener after chesting in a free-kick delivery, only to be denied by an offside call. The match continued to be hugely engaging and fast-paced, with Italy pressure and half-sights of goal countered by Belgium on the break with regularity.

Nicolo Barella eventually found the breakthrough on the half-hour mark with a rifled finish after some great footwork in the box. The first half was relentless, Lorenzo Insigne curling in a top-corner second, before Jeremy Doku won and Romelu Lukaku converted a penalty right before half-time.

Leonardo Spinazzola and Insigne went close at one end after the break, while Lukaku almost netted another at the other - Spinazzola blocking his effort on the line - and Doku smashed one over the bar after taking on three defenders, but Italy held on to progress.

Here are the player ratings from the game in Munich.

Belgium

Thibaut Courtois - 6. Strong aerially but no chance on Barella’s finish.

Toby Alderweireld - 6. Stood up well to the task of containing Insigne for a while, but nowhere near his man for the goal.

Thomas Vermaelen - 6. Along with Alderweireld, backed off too far for too long for Insigne’s goal. Passed out well but might have come off worse had Immobile not had an off-night.

Jan Vertonghen - 5. Poor in possession for the opener. Defended well at times but was the most susceptible of the three to being beaten one on one.

Thomas Meunier - 6. Most of the Italy attacks came down his side and he had a lot of ground to cover. Didn’t always fare too well against the speed of movement and passing.

Youri Tielemans - 6. Booked in the first half and was a little on the periphery at times, had to be hard-working to cover a lot of ground.

Axel Witsel - 7. Held fort in the middle as well as possible and came very deep to try and start passing moves for his team.

Thorgan Hazard - 6. Belgium couldn’t get him as involved as they would have liked on the counter-attack.

Kevin de Bruyne - 7. Irrepressible on the break and almost scored a worldie early on. Did seem to tire somewhat in the second half and a few passes went astray when the game looked to be opening up for him.

Jeremy Doku - 8. Quiet early on, then seemed to realise he was quicker than everyone else on the pitch. Won a penalty, left Verratti for dust on another occasion and took the game to the Italians down the left. Almost hit the goal of the tournament with a solo dribble late on.

Romelu Lukaku - 7. After a positive start he was marginalised for a while by Italy’s centre-backs and lack of Belgium build-up play. Netted the penalty and almost another in the second half, which was blocked on the line.

Subs: Nacer Chadli (5), Dries Mertens (6), Dennis Praet (6)

(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Italy

Gigi Donnarumma - 7. Massive save from De Bruyne, then clawed one away from Lukaku.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo - 7. Beaten by the Doku afterburners to concede the penalty. Some very good runs forward as always though.

Leonardo Bonucci - 8. Some fantastic passing to go alongside his great positional work.

Giorgio Chiellini - 7. Tremendous battle with Lukaku. Stood up to the task well.

Leonardo Spinazzola - 8. Didn’t get as high as often as previously in this game, but his few occasions in the final third did produce chances. Made a fantastic block on the line to deny Lukaku.

Jorginho - 8. Excellent as always with the Azzurri, controlling from deep and covering at the back when required.

Nicolo Barella - 8. After a below-par outing last time, he was excellent here. Scintillating footwork in the box for the goal.

Marco Verratti - 7. Quiet in spells but kept his team on the front foot with really quick, incisive passing to keep Belgium’s double-pivot twisted and on the run.

Federico Chiesa - 8. Aggressive and powerful, always looking for space to shoot in the box. Took on his man regularly and was a great outlet.

Ciro Immobile - 5. A poor first touch frequently cost his team attacking momentum early on. Then spurned a great chance to tee up a team-mate, instead blasting into a crowd himself.

Lorenzo Insigne - 8. Tried his luck with classic bending efforts toward the top corner - then nailed the second. Such quality with some clipped passes into the box - for Spinazzola in particular.

Subs: Bryan Cristante (6), Andre Belotti (6), Emerson Palmieri (6), Domenico Berardi (6), Rafael Toloi (6)