Europe’s soccer champions returned home at dawn on Monday with quite the warm welcome. They ended up defeating England in a 3-2 penalty shootout to make history as this is their first Euro championship win since 1968. Here are the highlights:

• From the fireworks to fist-pumping, it was a true “Welcome Home” party as they stepped off their Alitalia charter flight at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport.
• The sentiment was heartfelt even more when the team saw the banner saying, “Grazie Azzurri.” The last time they saw this was after winning the World Cup 2006.
• Italy has been showing lots of dominance in sports lately. Tennis player Matteo Berrettini also joined in on the celebration. He reached the singles final in Wimbledon but ultimately lost to Novak Djokovic. However, it didn’t stop that great energy from transferring to the success of Italy’s sports teams.
• Even Pope Francis felt this vibration. He said that he attributed to these triumphs in sports like taking on life’s difficulties. 
• For Italians, this championship feels like a new beginning for the young national team. Of course, this is a nice treat especially after dealing with the hard-hitting pandemic. 
• Daniela Righino, an Italian living in Uruguay, who came back to Rome for the final talked about the explosion of joy it brought to the region after the rough patch the city felt for over a year.
• Even though they’re required to wear masks in crowded situations, the police didn’t stop the excited fans from singing and lighting flares to celebrate their team winning a major accomplishment.