After a streak of 37 consecutive useful results, which earned the world record in the history of football, Roberto Mancini's Italy loses its unbeaten run in the semifinal of the second edition of the Nations League, but still manages to grab third place in the new competition by beating Belgium 2-1 in the consolation final.
Spain had made us suffer at the European Championships by forcing us to penalty kicks after so many thrills in regulation time, Spain interrupted the blue unbeaten streak and earned the world record: no team had never managed to not lose for 37 matches in a row, there are our boys succeeded from 2018 (after the fool of the playoffs against Sweden, with Mr. Ventura on the bench) to 2021, the year of the European triumph.
But you know, sooner or later things have to change and so, at the San Siro Stadium, Luis Enrique's national team manages to mock us by winning and convincing against the tricolor selection not to the best of its possibilities. It is the Iberians who are fighting for the final of the competition against world champion France, while the Azzurri have only the final match against Belgium, number one in the FIFA ranking.
Another cross against a defeated opponent at the European Championships, but this time we are still smiling, winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Barella and Berardi on penalties.
It is clear that the thought is turned to the match against Switzerland on 12 November (at the Olympic Stadium in Rome), which will be decisive for next year's qualification for the World Cup in Qatar, but the important thing is to have tasted the taste of victory again.
Roberto Mancini knows it well, who smiles despite having made many changes in the formation: “After the European Championship it will be the game of the year, we must win”, the words of the technical commissioner from the Marches, who compliments his team. The author of the second goal, Berardi, says: “A precious success for the ranking”.
Article Nations League, Italy loses unbeaten: third place was first published on Sports Blog.