His goal against Croatia was decisive for Italy’s progress. Mattia Zaccagni is enjoying the moment, but is ready to look ahead: “They have been intense days. We have experienced very strong emotions. But now we are only thinking about Switzerland. Shaken by my goal? The national team has always suffered, but in the moments that matter it has always come out on top. We expect that from ourselves.” On the goal action: “I didn’t realize it was the last action. I remained in my position, wide to the left. When the ball arrived I didn’t think twice. The celebration was fantastic with the whole bench and staff. Some of us hurt our ribs because we were crushed…”
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“Del Piero is an idol, he complimented me”
Zaccagni then spoke of the parallels between his goal and that of Del Piero against Germany in 2006, a comparison that came to mind for all Italians: “Our goals are similar. Del Piero has been my idol since I was a child. I met him in Coverciano before the European Championships and he also called me after the match to congratulate me.”
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“Strong Switzerland, sorry for Calafiori’s absence”
The Lazio player analyzed the challenge that awaits the Azzurri in the round of 16: “A great match will be needed against Switzerland to beat them and go to the quarter-finals. They are strong and compact, we have already seen some videos. Calafiori will give us any advice. I’m sorry he’s disqualified but will the replacement be up to the task? I’m a natural left winger so 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 are my favourites, but whatever module Spalletti chooses will obviously be fine. Fairly favorable scoreboard, but everyone is playing with everyone else. The less famous teams are making things difficult for the big teams. Austria and Switzerland are the ones that impressed me the most. I thank the fans and I hope they support us as they have done so far.”
