BERLIN (GERMANY) (ITALPRESS) – Auf Wiedersehen reigning champions. The farewell arrives at the Olympiastadion, where a completely different Italy climbed to the roof of the world, colouring the Berlin sky blue. This time, however, the stadium in the German capital is the theatre of the farewell to one of the ugliest national teams of recent times, even worse than the one that against the Swiss did not go beyond two draws that barred their way to Qatar2022. Switzerland wins 2-0, deservedly, without ever fearing that they will not be able to do it, precisely because Italy never gives the impression of being there. Who knows, perhaps too many changes are not helpful, the (Swiss) team identity evidently pays off. Yes, because Spalletti changes again: 4-2-3-1 in the first two games, 3-5-2 in the third, 4-3-3 in the round of 16. Mancini makes his debut alongside Bastoni and takes Calafiori’s place, while Darmian covers the left and not Dimarco. There is another debut from the first minute and that is El Shaarawy, an offensive left winger, but who when needed covers the entire flank when the ‘fluid’ game so loved by the coach, redraws Italy in a 3-5-2. On the other side there is Chiesa who, unlike the Pharaoh, only deals with the offensive phase to give a strong hand to Scamacca. Two new additions also in midfield with Cristante and Fagioli in the starting 11 and to create a new median triangle with Barella. Jorginho, Frattesi and Pellegrini are out. On the other side Yakin chooses the 3-4-2-1 and focuses on the ‘Italians’ Sommer, Rodriguez, Aebischer, Freuler and Ndoye. The Turk guesses right, Luciano from Certaldo doesn’t. The game says it and says it right away. Switzerland is the master of the pitch and of the ball possession, Spalletti on the eve of the match asked for a loose Italy with personality, he finds them soft and timid, so much so that they transform the Swiss into “red furies”. The holes in defence begin to be counted right away, on the centre-right there are chasms: Di Lorenzo and Mancini are at the mercy of their opponents, Xhaka and Freuler understand this and insist there. Cristante is also there, but if he was supposed to give solidity the plan has failed. Fagioli tries to reason, he is the only one who does it, but without inventing who knows what. Nati’s dominance is not demonstrated by the occasions: few and here is the difference with Spain who instead always went to the goal. In the 24th however, Mancini disappears and Donnarumma is miraculous on Embolo. The Azzurri response is in a serpentine by Chiesa, but Sommer can continue to snooze. The Azzurri captain, however, capitulates at the 37th: another hole, Bastoni out of position, Fagioli doesn’t close on Freuler who with his left foot seals the well-deserved 1-0. And if we go to the break down by just one goal it’s because the post helps Donnarumma on Rieder’s free kick.
First half to forget, there is still the second half, on paper we can hope. Spalletti brings on Zaccagni for El Shaarawy, but after 30 seconds the doubling arrives with a nice curling right-footer from Vargas: 2-0, fair enough. There is an own post by Schar on a cross from Fagioli with Sommer wrong-footed and immobile. It could be the fuse… no way, no fire is lit. Retegui comes on for Barella for a desperate 4-2-4 that gives birth to a shot (the first for the Italian-Argentine) in the 28th minute and, a minute later, Scamacca hits the post 4-5 meters from the goal and in a suspicious offside position on an assist from Zaccagni. It ends 2-0, Switzerland deservedly in the quarter-finals, European champions deservedly and badly go home.
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(ITALPRESS).
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