Subs give Italy 2-1 win over Austria

London, Jun 27 (AP): With three exquisite touches of control, technique and finishing, Federico Chiesa ended 95 minutes of Italian frustration.
This record-breaking team is off to the quarterfinals of the European Championship with a defense that finally allowed a goal after more than 19 hours but with a national team-record 12th straight victory.
After breezing through the group stage at Euro 2020, Italy was made to fight for its 2-1 victory over Austria on Saturday in a last-16 game that came to life in extra time.
It was Roberto Mancini’s substitutes who made the difference with the goals from Chiesa and Matteo Pessina at Wembley Stadium.
“We needed some fresh energy,” Mancini said, “and the guys who came on were brilliant.”
An unmarked Chiesa brought down Leonardo Spinazzola’s high cross with his head, controlled the bouncing ball with his right boot and then used his other foot to shoot low into the net. “Usually when the ball arrives like this you try a first time on the volley,” Chiesa said.
“But I think the goal came because I was composed, I was relaxed and I was focused.”
The goal rolled the clock back 25 years to when European Championship games were last played in England and his father Enrico Chiesa scored for Italy. Euro ’96, however, ended in the group stage for Italy.
Now it’s onto a quarterfinal meeting in Munich on Friday against the winner of Sunday’s match between defending champion Portugal and top-ranked Belgium.
“Ideally we would like to avoid both,” Mancini said, “but it’s not possible.”
After scoring seven goals without reply in the group stage, Italy didn’t have it so easy against an Austrian team playing in the knockout stage at a European Championship for the first time.