Bittersweet awakening for theItaly by Luciano Spalletti after the 2-2 draw against Belgium on Thursday evening. On the one hand the satisfaction for the confirmations from the point of view of play and solidity, on the other the disappointment for a result which, without Pellegrini’s expulsion, could certainly have been different.
The Roma captain, due to the red card, will not be available for the next match against Israel in the Nations League and for this reason he returned to Trigoria yesterday to immediately make himself available to Ivan Juric. Coach Spalletti called the team in his place Nicolò Zaniolo of Atalanta, probably also to test his physical condition after a difficult start to the season.
Yesterday, Spalletti himself commented on the 2-2 draw with Belgium as follows: “That episode happened (Pellegrini’s expulsion, ed.) which is total coincidence and bends you in two because you are left with ten men before the end of the match first half. Then you also score goals for that episode and in the locker room at half-time the players are no longer as calm as they were in the first half.”
Was Italy your best until 2-0?
“Yes, it’s true, it was a beautiful Italy. Perhaps better than the previous two.”
LEAGUE A, GROUP 2
Italy 7
France 6
Belgium 4
Israel 0