Mission accomplished for Italy, who beat Belgium 1-0 in Brussels and reached the Nations League quarter-finals. Coach Spalletti proposes the 3-5-1-1 with Retegui as first striker and above all with the debut of Rovella in the control room; The defensive line is Lorenzo-Buongiorno-Bastoni, with Cambiaso and Dimarco as wingers in midfield. An aggressive start for the Azzurri, with Frattesi finding the first shot after a few minutes which involves Casteels. The Inter midfielder is the protagonist in the 11th minute with a ball recovered in the opponent’s frontline which allows Di Lorenzo and Barella to complete the triangulation which then paves the way for the tap-in into an empty net from a few steps away by Tonali for the 0-1. Italy is compact at the back, leaving no space for Belgium, absolutely annihilated in the first half, and proactive up front, coming close to doubling their lead at the end of the half with an action similar to the one that led to the goal: this time, however, Tonali gets shut down by Debast. The home team returned to the pitch better in the second half, finding shots from mid-range several times with Engels, Debast and Trossard, but the clearest opportunity was at the feet of Retegui, who sprinted deep but was stopped by an excellent save of Casteels.
The moment was favorable to the Azzurri, who came close to doubling their lead once again, first with a melee on Buongiorno’s tower, and then with a close-range header from Di Lorenzo which ended high. In the last quarter of an hour, after an opportunity missed due to a misunderstanding between Cambiaso and Kean, Belgium came close to equalizing on three occasions: twice with Lukaku, first with a header from a Castagne cross slightly deflected by Bastoni , and then with a left-footed shot deflected by Buongiorno; Faes also comes close to scoring, hitting the post with a shot from a set piece, one of the few situations in which Italy continues to suffer a bit. But Spalletti’s men manage to manage the final excellently, preserving the precious result. The last match of this first phase will be played on Sunday at San Siro against France which puts first place in the group up for grabs.
BELGIUM-ITALY 0-1
MARKER: 11’pt Tonali.
BELGIUM (5-3-2): Casteels 7; Castagne 6 (42’st Bakayoko sv), Debast 6, Faes 6, Theate 5.5 (26’st Al-Dakhil 5), De Cuyper 5.5 (34’st Lukebakio sv); Engels 6 (26′ st Vermeeren 6), Onana 5.5, Trossard 6; Openda 6.5, Lukaku 6.5. On the bench: Vandevoordt, Sels, Mbangula, Sardella, Mangala, Lokonga, Smets. Coach: Tedesco 6.
ITALY (3-5-1-1): Donnarumma 6.5; Di Lorenzo 7, Buongiorno 7, Bastoni 6.5; Cambiaso 6.5 (37’st Gatti sv), Frattesi 7, Rovella 6 (34’st Locatelli sv), Tonali 7.5, Dimarco 6.5 (23’st Udogie 6); Barella 7 (34’st Raspadori sv); Retegui 6 (23’st Kean 6). On the bench: Meret, Vicario, Savona, Maldini, Okoli, Comuzzo, Pisilli. Coach: Spalletti 7.
REFEREE: Radu Petrescu (Romania) 6.5.
NOTES: cloudy sky, soil in excellent condition. Booked: Chestnuts, Sticks, Onana, Al-Dakhil. Corners: 7-1. Recovery time: 2′ st, 3′ st.