Belgium spoiled Roberto Mancini’s return as Italy coach with a 2–0 victory in Rome on Friday, as goals from Mika Godts and Dodi Lukébakio brought boos from the home crowd.
Italy and Türkiye finished the opening round without a point in Group A1, while Belgium and France each collected three. Italy travels to Bursa to face Türkiye on Monday before hosting the same opponent in Bologna on October 5.
Godts put Belgium ahead after 20 minutes, finishing an attack created by Kevin De Bruyne after Italy lost possession. Gianluigi Donnarumma prevented further damage before halftime, making several important saves as the visitors produced 14 shots to Italy’s four.
Italy improved after the break and forced goalkeeper Senne Lammens into saves from Moise Kean and Pio Esposito. Mancini changed three players in the 65th minute, but Belgium scored again four minutes later through substitute Lukébakio’s left-footed shot from outside the area.
The defeat came in Italy’s 900th international and drew boos from a crowd of 47,155, according to the Italian federation. Mancini acknowledged Belgium’s first-half superiority while arguing that his team had played better after the interval without converting its opportunities.
“Nobody is happy when you lose, so the boos are understandable,” Mancini said in the federation’s match report.
The coach is returning to a job he held from 2018 to 2023, a period that included Italy’s European Championship triumph. AFP reported that he was also asked whether the country’s failure to qualify for the World Cup continued to affect the team.
Mancini said Italy needed to look forward rather than repeatedly revisit its World Cup failure. Belgium, meanwhile, began Mark van Bommel’s tenure with a win after reaching the quarterfinals of the summer tournament, where it lost to eventual champion Spain.
France joined Belgium at the top of the group by winning 1–0 in Türkiye, where Kylian Mbappé scored before leaving with a knee problem. France visits Belgium on Monday as Italy attempts to recover against a Türkiye side also beaten in its opening game.
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This page is an original Sporting Page summary. The reporting remains with FIGC: match report and lineup.
Read at FIGC: match report and lineup
