Euro 2020 final referee previously officiated England’s World Cup loss to Italy
Bjorn Kuipers is set to referee England's Euro 2020 final clash with Italy on Sunday – the same official who took charge of their 2014 World Cup defeat against the Azzurri.
England secured their first ever European Championship final appearance by coming from behind to beat Denmark at Wembley on Wednesday night.
The Danes initially took the lead in London, with Mikkel Damsgaard powering home a sensational free-kick to break the deadlock after half-an-hour.
However, it only took Gareth Southgate's men nine minutes to draw level, cancelling out Damsgaard's opener when Simon Kjaer turned the ball into his own net.
The two sides could not be separated after 90 minutes of action, meaning their semi-final battle went into extra-time.
It was there where England prevailed, as referee Danny Makkelie pointed to the spot towards the end of the first half.
Captain Harry Kane stepped up and initially saw his spot-kick saved by Kasper Schmeichel, but he swept home the rebound to book the Three Lions' place in Sunday's final.
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They now have one more obstacle to overcome at Wembley to be crowned European champions for the first time in the country's history, and it's the biggest they have been faced with at the tournament.
Italy have enjoyed a breathtaking 33-match unbeaten run under Roberto Mancini, extending that impressive record in Tuesday's semi-final win over Spain.
And as if the match itself isn't daunting enough for England, the omens also aren't great when it comes to officials.
Kuipers has been chosen to referee Sunday's final in the English capital, seven years after he took charge of their 2-1 loss against Italy at the World Cup in Brazil.
The Dutch official didn't make any controversial calls when Roy Hodgson's side slumped to defeat seven years ago.
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But given Kuipers, who has been dubbed the world's richest referee, was running the rule over the last meeting between England and Italy at a major tournament, Three Lions fans will be hoping he doesn't prove a bad luck charm on Sunday.
Nevertheless, England fans can take comfort from the fact that he was also the man in the middle for their 2018 World Cup quarter-final win over Sweden.
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