After Italy's second, there was time for Pellegrini to come on for Verre and Garritano to replace Di Francesco who received a standing ovation from the crowd at the Stadio Alberto Picco in La Spezia. There was also time for Rosseti to hit the bar twice but the most noteworthy moment in the closing stages was a third Azzurrini goal on 88 minutes courtesy of Pellegrini. Coach Di Biagio was satisfied at the end of the match saying, “Winning was imperative and we did it, even if we could have scored more goals which, you never know, might have come in useful. I'm happy because, after creating and wasting a lot in the first half, we managed to make it count after the interval.”
 
Federico Di Francesco, scorer of two goals, was even happier than his manager: “It was a difficult match. Three very important points were at stake and I'm happy to have contributed to this victory. The Italy shirt has been my dream since I was a kid, I can't ask for anything more.”
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