“In July I experienced the pinnacle of my career, but this was my biggest disappointment,” said Mancini, who led Italy to the European title last year. Although several Italian newspapers have already announced that Mancini does not have to leave despite this drama, they have still been asked about his stay. “My future? We will see. The disappointment is too great to talk about it now. I don’t want to think about that now. We’re going to have rough days. When things go wrong in football, it’s the coach’s fault. So I am responsible for this.”
The Azzurri Although they remained unbeaten in qualifying for the World Cup, they finished second in the group behind Switzerland and therefore had to enter the play-offs. The game in Palermo with North Macedonia was heading for an extension, until Aleksandar Trajkovski scored in injury time: 0-1. The champion of Europe is therefore missing in Qatar.
Mancini does not have to fear being fired. The Italian president Gabriele Gravina said immediately after the defeat against North Macedonia that he already wanted to continue with the 57-year-old trainer, who has been the national coach since 2018. “I hope Mancini stays. We are working on a project together.”
Tears rolled down his cheeks at European Championship hero Jorginho. The Chelsea player missed a penalty in both undecided duels with Switzerland (0-0 and 1-1). “It hurts to think about that, it will haunt me for the rest of my life,” Jorginho said.