Roberto Mancini, Italy coach, acknowledged on Wednesday his disappointment at losing to Spain in the semi-finals of the Nations League and cutting his streak of 37 games without defeats, but considered that it is better to fall now than “in the final of the Eurocup or of a World Cup “.
“We knew that sooner or later defeat would come, better tonight than in the final of the Eurocup or a World Cup“Mancini said at the press conference after the San Siro match, finishing 2-1 for Spain with a double from Ferran Torres.
This statement caused particular outrage in Spanish territory because the memory of the Italian victory over La Roja in the semifinals of the last Euro 2020 is still fresh. Thus, it was taken as a phrase of “bad loser” according to some users on social networks.
Italy, reigning European champions and four World Cup winners, saw their game go downhill for good when Leonardo Bonucci was sent off with a double warning on the brink of halftime.
“Leo was naïve and in these games you cannot commit them. Despite the fact that Spain is a great team and plays very well, we had our chances. It’s a shame because we could fight until the end,” he said.
“I think the red one conditioned the game, because until then they had more possession, but we had chances to score and draw. Then we had to be more careful not to receive the second goal on the brink of halftime,” he added.
The Italian coach also congratulated Spanish Pablo Martín Páez “Gavi”, who at 17 became the youngest player in Spain to debut: “He is very good despite his age. I think that Spanish players have extraordinary talents They play football very well. “
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