The sporting world had their eyes glued to an intense finish between Italy and Spain in the semi-final of the ongoing UEFA European Championships. With the normal times score reading 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes, two of the bigger names in world football took on each other in a clash which was decided via penalties after two halves of extra-times also failed to produce a clear winner. As Roberto Mancini-managed side edged past Spain 4-2 in penalties, current and former sports stars took to social media to react to the enthralling tie.
Former Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos took to Twitter to send his best wishes to his national team after a splendid show in the tournament. He wrote, "Sad and unfair. It could not have been, but you have made an entire country vibrate and get excited. Proud of our Selection. #VamosEspana."
FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique also took to twitter to congratulate his national team for their performances in the Euros. He wrote, "Huge tournament of the @SeFutbol! It's to be very proud. Reaching the semi-finals of the has a lot of @EURO2020 merit. I don't think there is a better selection in the competition, but penalty shootouts are sometimes very cruel. Much encouragement to the team!"
Former Spanish mid-fielders Andres Iniesta and David Silva also posted on Twitter, wishing their team for their gritty performances.
Away from football, Indian cricket stars also couldn't stop themselves from the magnificence of the quality on display in the Euros, as they gave their views on the penalty shootout.
Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin acknowledged Spain's strong play but congratulated the Italian side for edging past. He wrote, "After the wonderful 120 minutes that Spain had, Italy go through. #SpainVsItaly."
Pacer Mohammed Shami even ended up posting a penalty shootout video of the match.
The other semi-final between England and Denmark is scheduled for Thursday July 8, 12:30 AM IST.