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Tournament football has always presented the perfect platform for teams and players to re-launch themselves. At Euro 2020, a similar trajectory has been on display. Italy, a team that has been on the peripheries of international football since 2012, is back among the elites.
The Azzurri have been on an amazing run in the tournament so far, dominating their group and showing no signs of slowing down in the knockout stage. Roberto Mancini and his side have forced fans and pundits alike to revise their picks, having made Belgium their latest victims.
Azzurri eliminate Belgium
Until now, despite Italy’s exploits in the tournament, there were some who still felt they hadn’t been really tested yet. However, their biggest test came on Friday when they faced pre-tournament favourites Belgium in the quarter-finals. Once the game started, though, the Azzurri proved their mettle.
They had Roberto Martinez’s side under control for large parts of the game. They earned a 2-0 lead, thanks to goals from Nicola Barella and Lorenzo Insigne.
There are two sides to this Italy team: they can be marvelous in attack and resolute in defence.
In the first half, they were the former. They then went on to produce a strong defensive performance in the second half to maintain their 2-1 lead after Romelu Lukaku reduced the deficit for the Red Devils.
Italy prove they mean business
It’s now been 32 matches without defeat for Italy. Mancini’s impact on the team has been felt in every department and they have become as solid as ever.
After eliminating Belgium, Italy have proven that no matter the opponent, they are up for the task. More importantly, they’ve also proved that their unbeaten record is no fluke.
“We deserved the victory. The lads were extraordinary, and clearly we suffered in the last 10 minutes as we were really tired, but we could’ve scored more goals earlier,” Mancini said after the game, as quoted by Football Italia.
“I didn’t see 25 minutes of struggle at the start. There were chances at both ends, it was an open game. We only struggled in the last 10 minutes when Belgium started playing a long ball game. We had no minimum target. We just wanted to do our best. There are still two games to go, we’ll see what happens. Let us enjoy this victory, then we can think about Spain," added Mancini.
Mancini and Italy mean business and their rivals will be better off taking them seriously.
