July 13, 2021 08:17
Italians celebrated the European Championship soccer title as a new beginning not only for their youthful national team but for a country that's been yearning to return to normalcy after being hit hard and long by the coronavirus pandemic.
A cacophony of honking cars, fireworks and singing fans filled the night in Rome as thousands of people took to the streets after Italy beat England in a penalty shootout Sunday to win its first major soccer trophy since the 2006 World Cup.
"We are coming out of a difficult year and a half which has left us exhausted, like other countries in the world," said Fabrizio Galliano, a 29-year-old from Naples who watched the match on a big screen in downtown Rome. "This means so much. Sports is one of the things that unites us, among all the things that separate us. But to finally be able to feel that joy that we've been missing, it goes beyond sports."