By Anna Italia
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Italian Soccer Serie A
What a memorable match! Italy Head Coach Roberto Mancini excited after qualifying to the UEFA Euro Quarterfinals following the victory against Austria in extra time, 120 minutes!. “We wanted to win at all costs. We deserved it and this game will do us good for the future. We could’ve scored a couple in the first half and then dropped off a bit physically in the second, also because of the heavy pitch.”
Mancini returning to Wembley now as a Coach. In May 1992, Mancini was playing with Sampdoria playing the European Cup when a Ronald Koeman free kick ended Sampdoria’s dream in the European Cup final beaten by Barcelona. Some 30 years later, Mancini is coming away from that famous football ground with qualification to the quarter-finals with a suffering victory in extra time, but getting the victory for 2-1 against Austria.
Forza Italia! ❤️❤️❤️ Forza Azzurri 💙💙💙
✅ UEFA Euro 2020 Round of 16: Result ITALY 2 – 1 AUSTRIA, Saturday 26 June 2021
The objective now is to return to Wembley in ten days to win the Quarterfinals. Mancini “We won thanks to the players that were on the bench, who came on in the right frame of mind. We needed fresh players. I knew it would be the most difficult game, maybe even more difficult than the quarters. We were extraordinary.”
🎙️ Hear what Coach #Mancini had to say in the press conference after #ITAAUT 2⃣-1⃣#ITA @robymancio#Azzurri 🇮🇹 #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/uU2uSj3Sma
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@azzurri) June 27, 2021
A historical “Chiesa moment,” 25 years on after the goal scored by his father Enrico against the Czech Republic at the 1996 European Championship, Federico Chiesa has now also managed to bag his first in the same competition. For the first time, a son and father can celebrate the achievement of both having netted at the Euros. “We should compliment Austria,” said the Azzurri No.14. “However, we deserved to go through and we’ll enjoy the fact we’ve made it to the quarter-finals. The Coach always tells us that there aren’t just eleven starters, but 26 instead. For the goal, I did well to stay calm, to control the ball and direct it downwards so I could shoot.”
After bagging against Wales to decide the match at the Olimpico, Matteo Pessina has clearly taken a liking to scoring. After coming off the bench this evening, he netted his second – and most important – goal of the tournament: “The fact I scored against Wales still hasn’t quite registered with me yet, let alone this one. It’s a memory that will remain with me for the rest of my career. There was an explosion of emotions. Anyone can score, and this is the great thing about this team. We’re a great group and showing the whole of Italy that this is the case.”