Published: 08:14, 18 Nov 2023
Coach Luciano Spalletti of Italy counts his blessings after the victory over North Macedonia on Friday. As a result, the country is still very much in contention for qualification for the European Championship in Germany.
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Italy had to win and did so, allowing the Italians to enter the last group match against Ukraine as the second-placed team. 'In my opinion, we played well for ninety minutes,' said Spalletti after the 5-2 victory. 'Unfortunately, there are times when you may slack off when it seems the victory is already secured, but this is a confirmation that we must never let our guard down.'
Jorginho had a golden opportunity to make it 2-0 but took his penalty exceptionally poorly. However, it had no consequences. 'We have to give credit to the goalkeeper because he played very well. He made Jorginho feel like he could easily score, but Jorginho remains the penalty taker for Italy.'
Federico Chiesa also believes that Italy needs to be sharper after conceding goals. 'We conceded two unnecessary goals, but we won, and that's what matters. Now we'll battle it out with Ukraine. Under this coach, we have to attack a lot, and that means taking more risks. But the feeling is good, and we dominated this match.'
Updated: 08:14, 18 Nov 2023
