By Anna Italia
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Here are the declarations of Italy Head Coach Antonio Conte after the UEFA Euro Qualifier game Croatia 1 – 1 Italy on Friday 12 June 2015.
Conte saying, “We played well and showed character. I am pleased, but we know there is still work to do. The youngsters are growing, gaining experience, and this is very important.” Those were Antonio Conte’s first comments after the final whistle. Italy’s head coach is pleased, but he has an issue with Croatia’s goal: “we were a little bit naïve,” explained Conte. “But we were sure that our disallowed goal was good. And as a matter of fact, it was good. So when Croatia took the lead immediately after, it was a big shock. It’s a shame, because the referee shouldn’t have allowed them to restart play whilst we were still celebrating.”
Referring to the new 4-3-3 formation, Conte commenting: “The 4-3-3 allows us to exploit the space out wide, with the best wingers that Serie A currently has to offer. Today we had a well defined style of play, but we can still revert to the old formation, especially when all Juventus players are available to us. I think, however, that this formation will be a success in the future.”
Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo saying: “it was a tough game, but we knew we could play well here. We put in a great performance, even though we conceded a controversial goal. As for my future, I like to do my talking on the pitch. There are too many rumors about me, but I still have fun playing, and I will keep playing until that mindset changes.”
Antonio Candreva author of the equalizer goal said. “We played well and showed character. Conte asked us for that just before kickoff. We deserved more from the game. My decision for how I took the penalty? Well, I thought about doing it, and I got lucky.” Candreva also talks about the lack of fair play that led to Croatia’s goal: “El Shaarawy had just scored, and we were ready to celebrate. The referee’s assistant then raised his flag, and Croatia restarted the play immediately, before scoring through Mandzukic. I don’t know if the rules allow the game to be restarted so quickly, but I think they showed a lack of fair play. We were celebrating taking the lead, but we ended up going behind a few seconds later, without even knowing why.”
According to the Italian Football Federation, a spokesperson for the Croatian FA, Tomislav Bacek, apologized to Italy, and morally condemned the drawing of a swastika on the pitch.
The Italy national team will hold a training session tomorrow afternoon behind closed doors. The schedule from Sunday to Tuesday, concerning the upcoming friendly with Portugal, will be announced tomorrow evening.