Roberto Mancini, coach of the Italian national football team, called on his players to continue the awakening and good results achieved during the current international break, stressing that qualification to the quarter-finals of the European Nations League competition will be decided in the final round on Belgian soil.
The Italian national team finished the first batch of its matches in the Nations League with a convincing victory over its Turkish counterpart, 3-1, on Monday, at the “Dallara” Stadium in Bologna, keeping its hopes alive in reaching the quarter-finals.
Gianluca Scamaca gave the Azzurri the lead after 26 minutes, before Aral Cemser equalized shortly after an hour of play, but Italy quickly responded with goals from Riccardo Calafiore and Pio Esposito, decisive for the second victory in 4 matches.
Italy rose to second place in Group A of the first level, 3 points behind leaders France and one point in front of Belgium. As for Türkiye, it is at the bottom of the rankings without a score. The first and second-place finishers qualify for the quarter-finals.
Two matches remain for Italy, the first at home against France on November 12, and the second against host Belgium on November 15.
Mancini told Rai Ono channel after the victory over Türkiye: “We struggled a little at the beginning, but the match was good overall. With all these changes, it was natural for us to lose some harmony, but the team showed good cohesion and responded quickly after the Turkish equalizer.”
He added, warning: “We must continue on this path in November, as everything will be determined for us in our confrontation with Belgium.” He continued: “We are happy with the collective development achieved by the team, regardless of the results. “Just continuing to compete for qualification is a good goal.”
Mancini began his second term as head of the technical management of his country's national team with a loss to its host Belgium 0-2, but responded with a major victory over Turkey 4-1 in Bursa, then extracted a valuable draw from its host France 1-1, before renewing its victory over Türkiye led by his compatriot Vincenzo Montella 3-1.
Mancini said: “Although we made a lot of changes, everyone was clearly tired and we suffered a little.” The coach, who from the beginning included newcomers Alessandro Romano and Issa Doumbia in the midfield, along with Antonio Vergara, who played his first international match on the wing, added: “But we succeeded in scoring, and then in scoring again immediately after the equalizer.”
He continued: “We have to keep playing.” We are currently in second place, and we are likely to struggle to maintain this position in Belgium.” Italy is going through a rebuilding phase under the leadership of Mancini, who returned to coach a team that failed to qualify for the last three editions of the World Cup.
Mancini said that the Azzurri's victory over Türkiye reflects the development the team is going through despite the many changes and fatigue, stressing that qualification to the quarter-finals will most likely be decided in Belgium.
Mancini praised Inter striker Francesco Pio Esposito, believing that he has the qualities to become a prominent striker in the future. He said: “I think he is hungry for goals, competition and playing. He is an exceptional player, and I believe that within two years he may become a striker capable of giving the team calm and consistency in performance, as Christian Vieri and Luca Toni did.”
He added: “Based on his physical strength and technical abilities, I believe he is capable of becoming a great striker.” Esposito sealed the victory 3 minutes before the end by scoring his seventh goal in 13 matches, after he came on as a substitute for Scamaka, who scored the first goal. It was the Atalanta striker's second international goal after his goal against England 3 years ago.
"I'm very happy," Scamaka said after the match. “Not because of the goal itself, but because the victory was very important to us.” He added: “We knew that it would not be easy because Türkiye is an offensive and strong team, but we played an excellent match.”
Lee Ji-hyuk, the captain of the South Korean national football team, apologized for his boast about avoiding mandatory military service after his country won the gold medal in the Asian Games.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that the South Korean team defeated its Japanese counterpart, the host, 1-0 in the final match, after which Lee raised his gold medal and announced in his celebration that he “will not go to the army.”
The 26-year-old player said, in a post on social media, reported by local media, that he “deeply apologizes to the fans who are currently performing their military duty, as well as to all those who supported us sincerely.”
In most cases, men in South Korea are required to perform active military service for a period ranging between 18 and 21 months before reaching the age of 28. But the government grants Asian Games champions and Olympic medal winners, regardless of the color of the medal, an exemption from military service, with only basic training lasting less than a month.
Golfer Tom Kim also avoided military service after winning a gold medal at the Asian Games. Among the athletes who previously obtained this exemption is Son Heung-min, the former Tottenham player, who performed military service for only 3 weeks in 2020, after contributing to South Korea’s victory in the Asian Games gold two years earlier.
“As an adult, I should have thought carefully before I spoke,” said Lee, who was one of three players over the age of 23 in the South Korean U-23 national team and plays for Gangwon FC in the South Korean League.
He added: “I deeply regret speaking so rashly, and I will continue to reflect on my actions.” He continued: “I sincerely apologize to all the fans who supported us wholeheartedly and who are doing their utmost to perform their military duty.”
