ITALY got their hands on the Euro 2020 trophy with victory over England in the final to extend their outrageous unbeaten run.
Roberto Mancini’s side were considered dark horses for the tournament having failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
But Italy were always likely to go deep in the Euros – having not lost a game of football in THREE years.
Looking to bounce back from the disappointment of failing to qualify for Russia, Mancini began his rebuild in the Nations League.
But Italy lost their second game in Group C – slipping to a 1-0 defeat in Portugal thanks to Andre Silva’s second-half winner.
Incredibly, the Italians are unbeaten since then – currently on a 34-GAME unbeaten streak, including their Euro success.
The world was a very different place in 2018 – it’s actually incredible how much has changed in 36 short months.
We take a look at how the world looked the last time Italy lost…
CORONA-WHAT?
LET’S start with the biggest thing in the present – Covid-19.
In 2018, precious few had ever heard of coronavirus, with Ebola and Zika hitting the world earlier in the decade.
But nothing affected the planet quite like coronavirus, which initially struck in 2019, before quickly becoming a global pandemic in early 2020.
As Italy slipped to defeat against Portugal in their most-recent loss, the idea of a coronavirus outbreak would have felt like something out of a thriller movie.
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MAY IN CHARGE
HAVING taken over from David Cameron in 2016, May was two years into her role as Prime Minster when Italy lost to Portugal.
May would last just one more year, before resigning in the midst of the Brexit negotiations – replaced by Boris Johnson in July 2019.
ROYAL WEDDING
IN May of 2018, Prince Harry married Meghan Markle with 23.7million households tuning in to watch.
Long before ‘Megxit’, the nation swarmed to their TVs to tune in, as they had for Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge.
In other royal news, Prince Louis – the third and youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – was born.
ON OUR SCREENS
THE year saw two of the biggest films in recent memory hit the silver screen, as Avengers: Infinity War AND Black Panther were released.
The two Marvel films dominated the box office throughout the year, with Pixar’s Incredibles 2 coming third.
In the world of TV, we were treated to the first ever female Doctor Who after Jodie Whittaker was given the role – earning the highest-rated debut for a new Doctor in a decade.
TOP OF THE POPS
IN September, Calvin Harris and Sam Smith dominated the airwaves with their song ‘Promises’.
Kanye West & Lil Pump’s ‘I Love It’ and ‘Eastside’ by Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid also made the top three that month in the UK.
Also that month, Eminem broke a 36-year UK chart record for consecutive No1 albums with ‘Kamikaze’.
IN THE NEWS
AMONG the biggest stories in 2018, the #MeToo movement swept the globe in the fallout of sexual abuse allegations made against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
Elsewhere, Jamal Khashoggi died after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
Khashoggi, a journalist who was critical of the crown prince’s policies, was killed and dismembered by a team of operatives linked to the crown prince in October of 2018.
The Thai kids’ football team trapped in a cave in Chiang Rai were also rescued after nine days after British divers eventually found them.
The year also saw ‘The Beast from the East’ bring horrendous snowstorms to the UK, while Swedish DJ Avicii was found dead in a hotel in Oman, aged 28.
Professor Stephen Hawking also passed away in Cambridge aged 76.
And – a month on from Italy’s loss – a helicopter carrying five people, including Leicester’s billionaire owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, crashed outside the King Power Stadium, killing all on board.
WHAT ABOUT THE PREM?
ON September 10, 2018, Liverpool were top of the Premier League after winning all four of their opening matches of the new season.
Chelsea and Watford were behind the Reds only on goal difference.
Manchester City would go on to win the title – edging out Liverpool by a single point.
IT’S GONE VIRAL
Among many, many other clips, American youngster Mason Ramsey went viral in 2018 for his yodeling at Walmart.
Quickly dubbed ‘Yodeling Kid’, the 11-year-old would later appear on Ellen and even signed a record deal.
The year 2018 was also famous for the ‘Yanny or Laurel’ debate.
COST OF A PINT
IT may have only been three years ago, but the cost of a pint has shot up since Italy last lost a football match.
In September 2018, the average cost of a draught lager in the UK was £3.66.
Fast forward to July 2021 and it’s £3.87 – up 21p in just 34 months.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
