There are data that explain Italy’s flop in this European Championship better than any words: Spalletti’s national team, out after four matches, has never managed to finish a match without conceding a goal. It always went behind and only once – in the debut match – did it overturn the initial disadvantage. Against Croatia they equalized it with a goal from Zaccagni in the 98th minute, while they were defeated twice more. In the scoring but also, above all, in the expressed game.
Luciano Spalletti’s national team concluded the European Championship without ever scoring a centre-forward, they went out after conceding five goals in four games and despite a 2021 version of Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Captain of Italy was by far the best of our expedition: in Dortmund in the debut match he prevented Manaj from scoring the mocking equaliser, in Gelsenkirchen against Spain he was literally monstrous preventing Italy from taking the lead. In Leipzig he allowed himself the luxury of saving a penalty from Luka Modric and yesterday, against Switzerland, he made at least two great saves.
Donnarumma and Calafiori in Germany were the only bright notes to emerge from an out-of-tune orchestra. Above all, the Captain did everything he could to get us out of trouble: one miracle after another, great saves, even a 9 in the report card. But it wasn’t enough: in Germany we saw a tired, confused Italy. And Donnarumma with his saves only managed to postpone the elimination by a few days.