Euro 2020. But Italy’s attacking football stops a bit

Italy’s unusually impressive show of attacking football at this year’s European Championship lasted well until Austria got in the way.

That didn’t deter the Italians, but it did make them more beatable after three consecutive praiseworthy wins in the group stage at Euro 2020.

“We knew there would be some potential banana skins in this match and we thought it could be tougher than the quarter-finals,” said Italy coach Roberto Mancini. “Of course Austria is not as good as the teams we will face in the next round, but they really make life difficult for you.”

Italy managed to break through the stubborn Austrian defense in extra time at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, winning 2-1 with goals from Federico Chiesa and Matteo Pessina to earn a spot in the quarter-finals.

“We knew it would have been a different game if we had scored in the first half, but we could not manage and we had to dig deeper. But the players really wanted to win at all costs,” Mancini said. It can be good for us to play that kind of game.”

Italy has turned into an attacking juggernaut since Mancini took over following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, although defender Leonardo Bonucci was said to have forgotten the beautiful game to get the result. Were prepared.

All went well at the start against Austria, with Ciro Immobile hitting the post in the first half. But Italy was also lucky. The video assistant referee denied an Austrian goal for offside and another whistle stopped a play that could have resulted in a penalty for Austria after a possible foul by Pessina.

For Mancini, however, Italy’s attack was still working well, with his players not putting the ball into the net.

“I think we had 26 shots on goal, it’s not like we had two,” Mancini said. “Maybe we weren’t precise enough, but I think the players were exceptional when we had to fight.

“Despite the fact that Austria was considered by many to be simple adversaries, Austria does not lose easily and they cause problems because they do not allow you to play football. They suppress you, they are well defend.”

With the win, Italy set a team record of 12 consecutive victories, going unbeaten in 31 straight matches. Azzurri also set a world record of 1,168 minutes for not scoring a goal in international football. It ended late in extra time when Sasa Kalajadzik scored a consolation goal for Austria.

Italy will either face defending champions Portugal or top-ranked Belgium in Friday’s quarter-finals in Munich. That means trying to stop Cristiano Ronaldo or Romelu Lukaku.

“If it is possible,” said Mancini, smiling, “I would avoid both of them.”