2024-07-01 15:17:34
“Whole collapse”. Even a number of Italian newspapers wrote these phrases in large letters on the entrance web page on Sunday.
“One other black web page for our soccer,” added Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy’s largest sports activities day by day. “Poor Italy,” one other sports activities day by day, Quotidiano Sportivo, waved its hand.
“Italy is torn to items. Overwhelmed and humiliated – kicked out of the European Championship,” Milan-based Corriere della Sera reported in a short however eloquent headline on Saturday’s occasions.
The entrance pages of different newspapers that noticed the sunshine of day on Sunday have been additionally permeated with unhappiness and disappointment on the failed expectations: “Little Italy is residence. Even With out Phantasm To Survive” (La Repubblica), “Nationwide Catastrophe” (Il Gazzettino), “Euroheartache” (Il Resto del Carlino), “Darkish Blues” (La Stampa), “The Blue Catastrophe” (“Il Messaggero”).
That is how the Italians reacted to the defeat of their nationwide soccer workforce within the spherical of 16 of the European Championships towards the Swiss workforce. The Swiss celebrated a 2-0 victory, whereas the Italian footballers surrendered nearly unopposed.
Faux workforce
On Saturday, the Italians have been damage way more than the defeat by the helpless and spiritless play of the nationwide workforce. “Italy has misplaced face!” headlined the Gazzetta dello Sport web site instantly after the match.
It appears that evidently the determined defeat of the Italian footballers on Saturday was much more painful for the Italian sports activities media than the lack of the championship title.
“The workforce struggled, with the assistance of Fortuna within the play-offs, coach Luciano Spalletti hoped that the match towards the Swiss can be a place to begin. However the match was a whole catastrophe.
Bodily, tactically and psychologically. “Blues” could not do something. Lively soccer, which the coach considered, remained solely in his thoughts.
The primary half was depressing, the second half began even worse and the workforce was unable to reply with something.
Within the stadium the place we grew to become world champions in 2006 and to which we hoped to return on July 14 of this yr”, Gazzetta referred to as the nationwide workforce helpless.
“A workforce too ugly to be true succumbed to the Swiss workforce,” wrote one other sports activities publication, Tuttosport. – Italy, nearly the worst within the historical past of main tournaments, gradual and sluggish, within the literal sense of the phrase, succumbed to Switzerland from the primary kick of the ball.
The stadium of the German capital grew to become the scene of the farewell of one of many ugliest nationwide groups of our time. Having scored two targets, the Swiss couldn’t be afraid of not successful, as a result of the Italian nationwide workforce didn’t give the impression that it was there.”
The apology was not accepted
Blues and Luciano Spalletti, you’re a nationwide catastrophe. Disguise and keep out of sight for so long as doable,” Corriere dello Sport despatched the footballers and the coach as distant as doable.
“Neglect the Berlin impact, goals of glory and all the opposite well-intentioned junk that paved the best way to hell.”
All you former European champions humiliated by Switzerland, do not go residence shameless, honorless, prideless, weighed down by the obscene weight of disgrace.
The one exception was Gianluigi Donnarumma, the nice Donnarumma,” mentioned Corriere dello Sport, making one exception for the captain, who helped the Italians keep away from additional humiliation, if they may have been humiliated in any respect.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was like a white crow on this workforce. “He was all the time the very best. If it wasn’t for him, we might have been despatched residence a lot earlier”, – Quotidiano Sportivo had no complaints in regards to the goalkeeper of the nationwide workforce both.
The Italian footballers felt the anger of the followers instantly after the match. “After the match, Gianluigi Donnarumma invited his teammates to go to the stands of the Italian followers.
“Gazzetta dello Sport” described the occasions. – However there was no extra applause within the second half both.
Defeat, or maybe extra exactly, razing to the bottom. For that reason, the followers didn’t settle for the apology from the gamers after the match. They whistled loudly.
Faces have been already stretched firstly of the second half and utterly sullen when the defeat grew to become official. There was no justification for this degree of play – the followers paid a spherical sum to journey to Berlin and anticipated at the very least a very good efficiency, whatever the consequence. As an alternative, they noticed complete collapse. Humiliation, the likes of which have been few in our historical past.
The blue part of the stands fell silent and passively waited for the top since Ruben Vargas scored the second aim.
The followers did not even chant. They realized that every thing was pointless, they usually noticed a soulless workforce. An Italy that… wasn’t Italy. That is why they did not settle for Gianluigi Donnarumma’s repentance after the match.”
Second humiliation
If Italian soccer has ever suffered a larger disgrace, the present technology can’t keep in mind it. Nonetheless, “Corriere dello Sport” recalled one other embarrassing efficiency of the Italian nationwide workforce, which was additionally in Germany, as if on function.
Half a century in the past, throughout the 1974 World Cup, the Italians have been crushed by the Polish nationwide workforce within the decisive match of the group stage within the Stuttgart stadium.
Darkish Blue 2, fifty years after the primary. With out legs and with out spirit, Italy sadly withdrew from the European championships.
Dropping within the spherical of 16 to Switzerland, a mediocre workforce with just a few extra shiny personalities (Professor Granit Xhaka in the course of the sector), however above all, with ardour and braveness.
These qualities are basic in main worldwide tournaments, however the passive and sluggish Blues lacked them from begin to end.
Unhealthy begin, no response after Remo Freuler’s first aim and Ruben Vargas’ second aim, no revival after the substitutions. It is arduous to recollect such a humble nationwide workforce within the playoffs,” Corriere dello Sport wrote.
Laborious to consider
After defeats, many of the arrows of criticism all the time fall on the coach. Luciano Spalletti solely began teaching the Italian nationwide workforce final fall, however his days are in all probability already numbered.
Particularly for the reason that workforce led by L. Spalletti didn’t shine within the European Championship choice event both and narrowly gained the ticket to Germany.
“Luciano Spalletti’s workforce performed passively, they lacked combativeness. In latest months, the nationwide workforce nearly by no means dictated the rhythm, it lacked self-discipline, the workforce usually misplaced the ball – Quotidiano Sportivo analyzed the sport of the Italian nationwide workforce throughout L. Spalletti’s quick interval. – These Italian shortcomings within the spherical of 16 gave life to the Swiss, who, quite the opposite, performed with nice ferocity, depth and order, and first dominated the midfield and took benefit of the gaps within the Italian protection that appeared with out Riccardo Calafiori.
L. Spaletti’s workforce was so ugly that it’s arduous to consider. The Blues had solely two probabilities: when Fabian Schar nearly scored an personal aim and when Gianluca Scamacca hit the publish.
Throughout the remainder of the time, our nationwide workforce didn’t create something. There was no hazard in Yann Sommer’s penalty space, the opponent’s goalkeeper was virtually a spectator who didn’t pay for a ticket.”
2024-07-01 15:17:34