Captain Chiellini missed a successful farewell from the national team in his 117th and last international match. The “Azzurri” lost 3-0 (2-0) to South American champions Argentina at Wembley Stadium in London.
The goals for the “Albiceleste” in front of 87,112 spectators were scored by Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan (28th), Angel di Maria (45th + 2), who was last under contract with the French series champion Paris St. Germain, and Paolo Dybala from Juventus Turin in stoppage time. Chiellini was substituted for Manuel Lazzari at the break.
First Europe-South America duel in 29 years
After a 29-year break, Europe and South America played out an intercontinental title holder for the first time. The Italians had won the European Championship title last year by beating England 3-2 on penalties at Wembley. The Argentines around superstar Lionel Messi had won the Copa America by beating Brazil 1-0.
In the first of the two previous intercontinental finals, France had beaten Uruguay 2-0 in Paris in 1985. In 1993, Argentina defeated Denmark 5-4 on penalties in their home Mar del Plata.
The Italians around the 37-year-old favorite Chiellini were clearly inferior. Argentina largely dominated the action, much to the delight of the numerous Argentinian fans. Messi in particular could have provided a higher result but was denied by his Parisian club-mate Gianluigi Donnarumma in the Italian goal.
Era shaped at Juve
The delightful encounter with Messi’s Argentina was Chiellini’s 117th cap, almost two decades after his debut. “As a child, I could never have thought or even hoped to get that far,” the defender had previously said. Born in Pisa, Chiellini came to record champions Juventus Turin via AS Livorno and AC Florence in 2005, where he shaped an era in 17 years with nine championship titles and five cup wins.
Source: dpa