05.07.2021 20:40 h

Italy's Spinazzola undergoes surgery on torn Achilles

Italy left-back Leonardo Spinazzola underwent surgery on his ruptured Achilles Monday, after being ruled out of the rest of Euro 2020 following the injury in their quarter-final win over Belgium.

"Operation perfectly successful. I want to thank everyone for supporting me. The countdown has started," Spinazzola wrote on Instagram along with a picture of him in his hospital bed.

The 28-year-old had the surgery performed by a specialist doctor in Finland. He is expected to be sidelined for around six months.

New Roma boss Jose Mourinho on Sunday rued the "terrible loss" of Spinazzola.

Defender Leonardo Bonucci said Italy planned to dedicate reaching the European Championship final to their stricken team-mate. The Azzurri play Spain in the semi-finals at Wembley on Tuesday.