Italy lose to Belgium in Rome; Nuremberg’s Zoma makes his debut. The fans boo the team after the match.
A home defeat for Italy’s returning manager Roberto Mancini. Italy lost 0–2 (0–1) to Belgium, managed by another new coach, Mark van Bommel, and currently sit behind France in Group A1 of the Nations League.
For Italy, the planned rebuilding process following their third consecutive World Cup miss began with a setback. At Rome’s Olympic Stadium, Mika Godts of Paris Saint-Germain quickly put a damper on things by putting Belgium ahead in the 20th minute.
Mancini, who had answered the call of Saudi Arabian money in 2023 and was now beginning his second spell in charge, was fed up: “Belgium played better in the first half, but in the second half we were the better side. We could have equalised from the chances we had”
It wasn’t until the second half that Italy stepped up a gear – until Dodi Lukebakio finished off a counter-attack to make it 0–2 (69th minute). Rising star Mohamed Ali Zoma of 1. FC Nürnberg made his debut in the 80th minute, whilst Samuele Inácio (Borussia Dortmund) remained on the sidelines.
Players booed after the final whistle
Even with Zoma on the pitch, Italy simply failed to create enough in the closing stages. This also annoyed the fans in Rome, who responded to the Squadra Azzurra’s performance with loud boos after the final whistle. Addressing the fans’ dissatisfaction, Mancini said: “We’re not happy when we lose.”
The domestic press were also dissatisfied with the Italians’ performance. “Was that all Mancini had to offer?” asked *La Gazzetta dello Sport*. “The first half-hour was torture; the Olimpico fell silent. Belgium dominated Italy; one would have expected more from them,” the newspaper concluded.
Mancini’s game plan and tactics had been “thwarted by Belgium”. The newspaper concluded: “No mercy and no excuses. The road to a revival is still a long one.” The Corriere dello Sport described the Nations League opener as “a bitter defeat: the Azzurri failed to impress and left the pitch to the boos of the fans”.
Mancini himself responded shortly afterwards. “The boos are understandable,” he admitted to Rai. Overall, however, the manager – who had answered the call of Saudi Arabian money in 2023 and was now beginning his second spell in charge – was reasonably satisfied. “The first half fell short of our expectations, but after the break we played very well – until their counter-attack led to the 2–0,” he said.
Zidane secures opening victory
Zidane fared considerably better than Mancini. The successor to World Cup-winning manager Didier Deschamps, who had managed Les Bleus for an impressive 14 years, was involved in a heated clash in Kocaeli. Captain Mbappé was booed every time he touched the ball, and referee Felix Zwayer had his hands full.
With the Bayern duo Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano in the starting line-up, France had the better of the game. However, it wasn’t until the 54th minute that Mbappé scored the deserved opener. The 27-year-old did not celebrate, however; he began to limp, collapsed onto the pitch and clutched the back of his left knee. Mbappé played for a further five minutes before being substituted. Shortly before the end, goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir was shown a red card by Zwayer for a handball outside the penalty area (87th minute).
France face Belgium on Monday, whilst Italy take on Turkey. Four days later, the two footballing heavyweights will face off in a direct clash in Saint-Denis.
