Euro 2020: "Flawless" Italy In Buoyant Mood Heading Into Semi-Final Against Spain

Italy's Leonardo Bonucci says the Azzurri are "thriving on the occasion" as they prepare to face Spain at Wembley on Tuesday in a blockbuster first semi-final of Euro 2020

Italy's Leonardo Bonucci says the Azzurri are "thriving on the occasion" as they prepare to face Spain at Wembley on Tuesday in a blockbuster first semi-final of Euro 2020, a tournament in which they have so far been the standout side. "We are thriving on this occasion, we have made it this far and we are going to give absolutely everything in our power to make the Italian people proud of this Azzurri side," the Juventus defensive stalwart said on the eve of the game. Bonucci added that Italy planned to dedicate reaching the final to their stricken team-mate Leonardo Spinazzola, who suffered a ruptured achilles tendon in the 2-1 quarter-final win over Belgium in Munich on Friday. That result saw Roberto Mancini's team stretch their remarkable unbeaten run to 32 matches after they previously saw off Turkey, Switzerland and Wales in Rome in the group stage before edging Austria 2-1 after extra time at Wembley in the last 16. That has inevitably led to a surge in confidence back home and Italy are now widely considered the favourites against Spain. "We have had a flawless run so far, but even if Spain have had some issues we need to put that to one side and really focus on what we need to do, where we need to improve," said the 34-year-old central defender.