He found it difficult to bear the defeat and finds it “repulsive” that Italy, as the winner of the European Championship, is not automatically qualified for the world championship. “It is a shame that Italy cannot go to the World Cup in Qatar after winning the European Championship,” said the Italian football legend this week after Italy’s defeat in the Finalissima to Argentina. “It’s really outrageous. I even find it repulsive. Didn’t those guys deserve a reward? I don’t know how I would have reacted if it had happened to me. I can hardly accept it. Because of one small mistake in such a match, in which anything can happen, you have to go home?”
Mentally not recovered
Italy won the European Championship in the summer of 2021. Since then it has only gone downhill for Mancini’s troops. On Wednesday, it also lost the Finalissima, a game between the European and Latin American champions, 0-3 to Argentina. “Argentina has great players, but the Azzurri have not yet recovered mentally from the World Cup elimination. The peace of mind between the two teams was simply incomparable,” the Italian concluded.
Italy will play against Germany in group 3 of the A-division of the Nations League on Friday. Then it will play against Hungary (June 7), England (June 11) and again Germany (June 14).
Source: Het Nieuwsblad.