Doubters over Italy’s chances of going all the way at Euro 2020 have pointed to their comfortable path to the quarter-finals, but that will all change on Friday, up against a Belgium side whose leading marksman knows the Italians all too well.

Romelu Lukaku enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career in 2020-21, voted player of the year in Italy’s Serie A as the Belgium forward fired Inter Milan to their first top-flight title in 11 years.

Next in his sights are club team mates and players used to trying to stop him on a weekly basis in Serie A as Belgium and Italy, who have won four out of four games each at Euro 2020, go head to head in Munich in the last eight.

Italy are on a record unbeaten run of 31 matches, last losing back in September 2018 against Portugal. However, such a run has not convinced everyone, given Roberto Mancini’s side have beaten lower-ranked opposition in Switzerland, Turkey, Wales and Austria so far.

With Lukaku in town, spearheading the attack for the world’s top-ranked team according to FIFA, Italy will have no such easy ride.

“We know Lukaku well because we also face him in Serie A,” Italy and Napoli defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo told UEFA.com. “We know he is a great striker, he had a wonderful season with Inter.

“He is to be kept under observation, but Belgium have many strong players and it will be a great match.

“The further you go, the stronger teams you face, but the approach is always the same.”

Lukaku’s 24 league goals last season for Inter represents his second-best career return for a domestic campaign, but his chances of adding to his three Euro 2020 strikes so far could be affected by key injuries to two of his chief providers.

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who made the joint-second most assists in the English Premier League last season, suffered an ankle injury in Belgium’s 1-0 last-16 win over Portugal, while captain Eden Hazard limped off with a leg muscle problem.

Both could be fit for Friday’s clash, but should either not make it, facing a defence who conceded their first goal in 19 hours and 28 minutes against Austria last Saturday, Lukaku could be in for a tough afternoon.

But those resolute Azzurri defenders know from experience that he should be underestimated at their peril.

England manager Gareth Southgate prefers ‘managing expectations’ to euphoria but such an approach is hard to maintain when your team has just beaten their old rivals Germany and kicked off the biggest party since the pandemic hit the country.

The 40,000 crowd at Wembley had been particularly raucous, the 5pm local kick-off time leading many to take the day off work and fully make the most of re-opened pubs and bars.

Hours after the final whistle had blown on a 2-0 victory the once self-mocking but now aspirational refrain of “Football’s Coming Home” could still be heard in tube stations across the capital.

The morning’s newspapers captured the mood of confident hope for a team without a trophy since 1966.

“Time to Dream – Nation’s joy as Three Lions end Germany hoodoo and open up road to final” declared the front page of the Daily Mirror after what it called “England’s night of glory” while the Daily Telegraph’s reflected the post-lockdown vibe with “Finally something to cheer about”.

Even the Guardian, known for its more restrained relationship with national pride, headlined their report with “Like emerging from a dream into a strange new light”.

The bearded Southgate, who has the demeanour of a rather sensitive and supportive schoolteacher and chooses his words with the calculation of a career politician, was, however, very much ‘on-brand’ after the game.

He quickly turned talked to his team keeping “feet on the ground”, mentally being “in the right space”.

“It is a dangerous moment for us. We will have that warmth of success and the feeling around the country that we only have to turn up to win the thing, but we know it is going to be an immense challenge from here on in,” he said.

That is the right and prudent approach for a coach to take, of course, but it is not only those waking up with a hangover and St George’s flag on the kitchen floor that expect them to beat Ukraine in the quarter-final.

By any objective measure, England are clear favourites for Saturday’s game in Rome and would also be expected to beat Denmark or the Czech Republic in an eventual semi-final back on home turf.

Indeed, a look at the two squad lists before Tuesday’s game showed England had an array of talent — young, skilful players performing weekly in the Premier League and Champions League — that should have been expected to beat a German team that was mediocre by their often world-beating standards.

Quite a lot of that talent was left on the bench though by Southgate, who rather than trust the likes of Jack Grealish, Phil Foden or Marcus Rashford to dominate, opted to play five defenders and two defensive midfielders.

There is nothing like a victory to change a narrative and many observers felt that the result was vindication of that approach.

But it didn’t feel to be working when, ten minutes into the second half, that trio of players warmed-up on the touchline to cheers from the crowd, while their team mate’s laboured with little craft.

GREALISH IMPACT

Grealish eventually entered the field, to a loud roar and promptly changed the course of the game and possibly the tournament for England.

Was it tactical genius from Southgate to introduce the Aston Villa playmaker when the opposition were tiring or was it a belated recognition that has overly-cautious approach wasn’t working?

Either way, Grealish showed again he has the ability to make things happen, to open up space, to draw players to him, to go past people and to deliver the killer ball. Whatever Southgate’s intentions for the last eight clash, Ukraine coach Andriy Shevchenko will surely be hoping the player is again on the bench.

Of course, the style of England’s football will be of little concern to anyone in the country, should they end their 55 year wait for a trophy at Wembley on July 11.

No-one in Portugal cared that they won the tournament five years ago after failing to win a group stage game and only once winning a match inside 90 minutes.

Likewise, you will struggle to find a Greek whose memories of their unlikely 2004 triumph are focused not on the celebrations and glory but on the defensive tactics their coach employed — indeed, the German Otto Rehhagel was made an honorary citizen of Athens.

England could win this tournament playing enthralling and entertaining football built around an outstanding generation of attacking talent.

But that is not the Southgate way — and if his more cautious, careful, measured approach delivers a first ever European Championship — few of his compatriots will care.

Anything less and you can be sure the narrative will change again.

Germany return home on Wednesday following their Euro 2020 last 16 exit to England, with departing coach Joachim Loew at the heart of fierce criticism after yet another early tournament elimination.

Loew, who had a contract to 2022 but following several bad results decided in March to leave after the Euros, should have gone much earlier, many will argue.

Germany’s shock 2018 World Cup exit and their inaugural Nations League relegation that year had stunned fans who demanded change from the man who led them to the 2014 World Cup title.

But Loew’s overhaul was never completed, cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic and bad results, including a 6-0 loss to Spain and defeat at home against North Macedonia in a World Cup qualifier.

Despite many changes to his squad in the last three years, Loew opted for a playing style that players were not used to at their clubs, with a three-man defence.

“Sobering. Unconscious,” said former Germany captain Michael Ballack of the team’s 2-0 loss to England on Tuesday at Wembley stadium.

“It was clear from the first half that there were no solutions, that we pulled back for no reason. We did too little and made it easy for them. I don’t know why the coach waited so long to change systems.”

It is a questions that is on many a German fan’s mind: was it Loew’s stubbornness that has reduced the four-time world and three-time European champions to a tournament also-ran?

The same question concerns not deploying Joshua Kimmich in a central midfield role, the use of Thomas Mueller in an unusual attacking role for him and of course that three-man backline system.