The surprising departure of Roberto Mancini, tempted by a multimillion-dollar offer from Saudi Arabia, left Italy orphaned by the coach with whom they managed to win the last European Championship. Fortunately, one of the best coaches in the country, Luciano Spalletti, had been free after his sudden departure from Naples after becoming champion of Serie A, and the Italian federation was able to quickly find a top replacement. However, their first match was a disappointment, as they failed to beat North Macedonia despite taking the lead thanks to a goal from Immobile. The Macedonians seem to have become the bête noire of the Azzurri, which they already left out of the last World Cup in the play-offs. Italy will play against Ukraine, which currently leads the transalpines by three points, but has one more game. In the other group match England tied 1-1 against Ukraine; Despite this, Gareth Southgate’s men continue to lead their group with authority and their classification seems secure.
Group A:
Spain achieved a resounding victory against Georgia (1-7) that allows it to regain second position in the group ahead of the Georgians themselves and Norway, who have four points each. Scotland also won, 3-0 against Cyprus, with a great performance from their two interiors, Scott McTominay and John McGinn. The Scots have achieved full victories in this qualifying phase, five out of five, and although it is true that they have played two more games than Spain, it seems difficult for Luis de La Fuente’s men to manage to take first place in the group.
Group B:
The French team received Ireland looking for full victories in the qualifying phase. The Irish could not count on their great star, Evan Ferguson, due to a knee problem, and they undoubtedly noticed the lack of a player in a state of grace. Mbapppé tried in every way, but it was Tchouaméni, after twenty minutes, and Marcus Thuram, as soon as the second half began, who scored the goals. In the other group match, the Netherlands faced Greece and achieved a fundamental victory (3-0), because the Hellenes are, a priori, the only ones who can challenge them for second place in the group. Denzel Dumfries, Inter’s winger, had a great performance; He distributed two assists and hit a ball off the woodwork that could have crowned his game. As things stand, Ronald Koeman’s men are tied on six points with the Greeks with one game less under their belt.
Group D:
Croatia had no mercy on Latvia, inflicting a tough rout (5-0) that could have been even greater. The Croatians, who had fewer games than their rivals due to the Nations League final four, needed the three points to get back into the qualifying positions. The leader of the group is still Turkey, although they suffered to draw (1-1) against Armenia. A goal by Yildirim in the 88th minute deprived the Armenians of two points that would have allowed them to stay ahead of Croatia and that could ultimately prove decisive in their fight to qualify for the first European Championship in their history.
Group E:
Robert Lewandowski had to come to the rescue of his team in the duel against the Faroe Islands (2-0). Poland, once again, showed a gray image and lack of ideas, and needed its great star to resolve a clash against an a priori much weaker team. Lewandowski’s double, the first of which was a penalty, should help the forward’s morale, so criticized in recent weeks for his performances with Barcelona. In the other group match the Czech Republic and Albania tied 1-1 and see how the Poles are getting dangerously close to the first two places they currently hold. Moldova, which did not play this day, also has a chance to qualify; only two points separate him from second place.
Group F:
Belgium gave a gray image against Azerbaijan, although they managed to win with a goal from Carrasco (0-1) before the break. With their victory, Domenico Tedesco’s men take first place in the group from Austria, which was resting this day. Sweden beat Estonia (XX) with XX and is placed with six points, four behind the Belgians and Austrians, so they will have to beat one of the two teams in the remaining direct confrontations if they want to be in the Eurocup this summer.
Group G:
Montenegro missed a golden opportunity to tie on points with its Serbian neighbors for second place in the group. They managed to overcome Lithuania’s initial goal with a goal from Savic in the 89th minute, but when they were happy the Lithuanians tied in stoppage time. Serbia lost against Hungary (1-2) despite taking the lead after ten minutes. The Hungarians came back in the first half and were able to protect their lead in the second. The feeling is that the Serbian team has many high-level players, but they never manage to make the leap to be on par with the best teams on the continent. In fact, it has never qualified for a European Championship since it was an independent country. This time, despite the setback, he has everything in hand to achieve it.
Group H:
Finland achieved a narrow victory against Kazakhstan that allows it to continue leading its group ahead of its Danish neighbors. Kasper Hjulmand’s men beat San Marino (4-0), which has an incredible streak of 132 games without winning. In the last group match, Slovenia beat Northern Ireland 4-2 with a goal and two assists from young forward Benjamin Sesko, who aims to be one of the revelations of the season in the Bundesliga after his signing for the Leipizg. Group H is one of the most entertaining of the entire qualifying phase; Up to four teams still have options to make it through. Finland leads with 12 points, followed by Denmark with 10, but the Danes’ stumbles have opened the options for Slovenia (10 points) and Kazakhstan (9).
Group I:
Full of draws in group I. A goal in the last minute by Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi gave his team, Kosovo, a point against Switzerland (2-2). Victory would have allowed the Swiss to get their qualification back on track, while now they will still have to fight with Romania and Israel for passage. In any case, Switzerland can breathe a sigh of relief as their two rivals tied each other. Finally, Andorra and Belarus tied 0-0 in an inconsequential duel, since both teams have minimal chances of progressing.
Group J:
A solitary goal from Bruno Fernandes gave Portugal the victory against a combative Slovakia. Roberto Martínez’s men have won all five games played to date and their presence in the Eurocup seems a certainty. Second place in the group, on the other hand, does not have a clear owner and the fight for that position seems exciting. Luxembourg, one of the revelations of this phase, beat Iceland 3-1 and managed to tie with Slovakia on ten points. Bosnia has a more difficult time, although with its victory against Liechtenstein (2-1), with a goal from the incombustible Edin Dzeko, it is placed with six points and is still pushing its chances of achieving the pass.
2023-09-09 22:00:42
#Spallettis #Italy #disappoints #premiere
