“Qualifying like this is a great emotion, in football you always have to believe in yourself until the last second.” Luciano Spalletti does not hide his satisfaction at having crossed the finishing line of the round of 16 in the 98th minute, on the last playable ball against Croatia. “It seemed like it was all over now and we did a good job of keeping our minds clear. They were behind us and then a well-executed exchange was enough. And so something happened. We did well because at a certain point it got difficult, we had an offensive formation on the pitch but we were still good at covering the pitch well and risking little.”
Spalletti: “First half below our standard, too timid”
Having said that, the Italian coach has something to say about the team’s attitude in the first half. “We couldn’t play clean outbound balls. We fell short of our standard level. We were too shy. We were unconsciously satisfied with the result. The fact that the draw went well influenced us. I always say that if we produce little we accomplish little. There was a way to hurt him by going wide and we did it too little.” This is also why he decided to replace Pellegrini with Frattesi at half-time: “It was a substitution to try to be a little more daring” , he explains. In conclusion, Spalletti does not believe that this Italy lacks quality: “No, I don’t think so. I think, for example, of Jorginho, Barella and Fagioli who played a good match. Calafiori, then, is the prototype of a player who can do everything. We have the men to be able to play on equal terms at this level.”
Zaccagni: “An emotion that I will never forget”
So Mattia Zaccagni, scorer of the decisive goal, can’t stand it: “It’s an indescribable emotion, an evening that I will never forget. We always suffer, both on the bench and on the pitch. We were good at staying in the game, we did a great second half and we deserve this draw. I think the coach was good at creating this group, he took everything he needed and we will try to repay him on the pitch.”
Calafiori: “We must not settle for the round of 16”
The assist to Zaccagni was provided by Riccardo Calafiori, certainly among the best on the pitch. It’s a shame that the yellow card suffered at the end will mean he misses the round of 16 against Switzerland: “Never mind, I’ll be rooting for my teammates. The satisfaction is enormous in any case, I’m happy with the qualification for the next round. We didn’t do badly, in some places we played well. We have a goal in mind and we can’t be satisfied with just having passed the round.”
Di Lorenzo: “I thank Spalletti for his trust, we will get further satisfaction”
Giovanni Di Lorenzo enjoys redemption after the bad performance against Spain: “I was rightly criticized on a bad evening against strong opponents. I’m not the player seen against Spain, I move forward with balance and continue to work. Tonight I’m happy with the qualification and for the coach because I have a wonderful relationship with him. I probably wouldn’t have played with another coach, but for a player to feel trust is very important.” The Napoli winger says about the match: “The match was tough, but the important thing was to get through a group that was tough and difficult. Drawing it at the last minute is a great feeling and we’re happy. We obviously have to grow, time is short and we can take this qualification home. In terms of play, we can do better but in terms of character, the team has given everything. We have to start from this point. This is a group made up of great players but also of great people. We deserve to move forward , now begins the beauty and the challenges from inside and outside. Italy will be tough for anyone to face. I’m sure we will get great satisfaction from it,” he explained.
Jorginho: “The first half? We made a technical mistake”
Jorginho returns to the bad first half highlighted by Spalletti: “It’s true, we made some wrong choices and exits. We have to work on this. Did we seem to be satisfied? When we play like this we do it for a reason, to attract them and play behind their backs. Technically we made a mistake and so it becomes difficult. Then in the second half we conceded a goal that could have been avoided. Then we continued to push with pride and the result arrived.”
