Antonio Conte defined his farewell to the national team by stating that it’s not his final goodbye. After beating the reigning champions Spain, Italy matched World Champions Germany by giving their all and more. Italy’s eventual elimination only came via a penalty shootout.
“It was a fantastic experience,” commented Conte after the final whistle. “To coach Italy gives you a major thrill. We are disappointed now after being knocked out, I mostly feel sorry for the players. This is not my final farewell.”
The bitterness following elimination is matched by the pride in his team’s performance who were able to react after Özil gave Germany the lead and who went seriously close to qualifying for the semi-final: “It’s a shame because our players gave their all against a very strong side. We could have prevailed, they are an outstanding team but I’m proud of what the boys did. I’m proud of their hard work and the attachment they showed to the shirt. The way has been paved, I leave an important legacy and I am sure that things will carry on for the better.”
After scoring a penalty during the game, Leonardo Bonucci was denied by Neuer in the shootout, but that doesn’t spoil his great UEFA EURO 2016 showing: “We had said that from the very beginning: if we have to go out, we want to do it with our heads held high. And we did so. All the people that participated in our adventure, from our manager and our president to all of the players, proved to be real men and they gave their all. We want to thank all of our fans for providing us with so much enthusiasm. We took it to the pitch and I hope they are proud of us.”
Gigi Buffon played another fantastic game, unfortunately his saves couldn’t help the Azzurri the reach the semi-finals. The Italy ‘keeper left the pitch in tears: “A route has been set out. Now we have to carry on this way, because we did all that we could. After an evening like that, there’s nothing to blame yourself for. We’re just sorry to be going home.”
Andrea Barzagli was also clearly upset after the final whistle: “We are all very frustrated, because we have given our all.” Marco Parolo also agreed: “We have helped each other as much as possible, unfortunately that was just not enough. We made life very hard for the reigning World Champions.”
Photo: figc.it