Jorginho dropped an absolute midfield masterclass for Italy as they beat Belgium 2-1 in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals.
Nico Barella and Lorenzo Insigne were both on target in the first half, with Romelu Lukaku’s penalty only reducing the deficit at the Allianz Arena.
There were a slew of stand-out performances from Roberto Mancini’s side, including outstanding defensive displays from the almost interminable pairing of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.
But don’t sleep on Jorginho and the part he played in a monumental Azzurri victory. The Chelsea midfielder has had to deal with a lot of criticism in recent years but he was sensational in Munich.
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| Image: PA |
Staggeringly, the 29-year-old only misplaced ONE pass during the course of the 90 minutes. He attempted 71 passes in total, with 70 completed – giving him an absurd 99% pass accuracy against the No.1 ranked team in the world.
In the first half, every single one of the 31 passes he played found a team – with the single stray one coming in the second half.
Jorginho misplayed just ONE pass during Italy’s 2-1 win vs. #BEL
◉ 71 passes attempted
◉ 70 passes completed◎ Most #ITA interceptions (3)
◎ Most #ITA possession won (9)Mancini’s Midfield Maestro. pic.twitter.com/FcsjYqiC9C
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) July 2, 2021
Sitting in midfield alongside Marco Verratti, the former Napoli man also won possession back nine times for his team.
Plenty have disrespected him but he’s been a vital component for this all-conquering Italy side and quite rightly received praise for another superb outing:
Jorginho at the heart of Italy’s great tournament run. Deserves nothing but respect.. pic.twitter.com/HZqVoGdIgl
— Conn (@ConnCFC) July 2, 2021
Jorginho is having an outstanding 2021. People need to admit they were wrong about this man. The character and quality on display to come back from all the scapegoating, I hope he wins the Euros and walks back into Cobham 10ft tall.
— MAH (@matissearmani) July 2, 2021
Jorginho casually dropping a masterclass against the ranked #1 team in the world…
— FutbolChelsea ⭐⭐ (@FutbolCheIsea) July 2, 2021
Italy’s unsung hero. Jorginho has been one of the best players in #EURO2020 he has been absolutely immense in the middle of the park, brilliant performances and very consistent. 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/rHLKoORKQA
— FutbolBible (@FutbolBible) July 2, 2021
Tipped to win the Ballon d’Or by teammate Insigne, Jorginho is now two wins away from adding a European Championship winners medal to the coveted Champions League souvenir he collected with Chelsea last month.
Italy play Spain next in a massive semi-final at Wembley on Tuesday, with Jorginho coming up against his club captain Cesar Azpilicueta.