Italy secured a big 2-1 win over Belgium in the quarter-finals, with Gianluigi Donnarumma starring at the back and the midfield being decisive once again. Check out Football Italia’s player ratings.
After having been praised for their attacking football so far in EURO 2020, Italy showed the Belgians they haven’t forgotten how to defend and give away close to nothing.
Gianluigi Donnarumma 8 – A great performance from the Paris Saint-Germain bound goalkeeper. Donnarumma did well to keep Belgium out, with one-handed saves from start to finish. The 22-year-old seems like a veteran when Italy need him the most towards the end. Calm, collected but still passionate and fearless.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo 6 – Didn’t make too many mistakes, but didn’t particularly convince either. Gave away the penalty with an unnecessary nudge on Doku in the area and at times he really struggled with the quick Belgium winger. A lot of space behind him.
Leonardo Bonucci 7 – The Juventus defender thought he had given Italy the lead in the first half, but was ruled out for offside. Continued to direct the team from the heart of the defence together with Chiellini
Giorgio Chiellini 7 – Italy were solid at the back for most of the game, Belgium gave them a big test, but the veteran captain did well to keep Lukaku and the others at bay. His enthusiasm is infectious and he really enjoyed every moment of the big game.
Leonardo Spinazzola 7.5 – A heart breaking ending for the full-back, who continued to contribute going forward for Italy. His match-winning intervention at the back stopped Lukaku from equalising and helped secure a win for Italy. (Emerson Palmieri 6.5 – The Chelsea left-back came on for the last 15 minutes of the match and kept the stability in the back four.)
Nicolò Barella 7.5 – The hard-working running machine can do so much more than just fight, and showed his brilliant skills when he scored the opener. His contributions confirmed his place in this side.
Jorginho 7.5 – The Brazilian-born playmaker continues to control the pace of this Azzurri side and links up very well with both Verratti and Barella in the middle.
Marco Verratti 7.5 – An early yellow card could have limited the midfielder, but he continued to battle with the same intensity and conviction. Showed his worth and leadership with a great performance in the middle. It was his interception that assisted Barella at 1-0. (Bryan Cristante 6 – Did well to help Italy protect the lead as he replaced Verratti, who was on a yellow for most of the game)
Federico Chiesa 6.5 – Wanted to continue to give Italy a boost going forward but was not as efficient as he has been off the bench. (Rafael Toloi N/A – The Atalanta defender came on in the last minutes to help the Azzurri close down)
Ciro Immobile 5 – Started fresh but struggled to make an impact and as the game went on his confidence seemed to fade. It was completely gone in the second half, giving the ball away with sloppy passing and poor first touches. Never a threat, showed the centre-forward position is the weakest link in this Italy team. (Andrea Belotti 6 – The Torino striker played the last 16 minutes and helped the Azzurri in the battle to keep the lead)
Lorenzo Insigne 7.5 – Makes up for his lack of pace with brilliant skills and hard work. Trademark Insigne goal right before half-time to give Italy a two-goal cushion. The Partenopei forward was surprisingly given a lot of space by the Belgian defenders. (Berardi 6.5 – Berardi was dropped for Chiesa but entered to give consistency to the team effort shown by Roberto Mancini’s men. He gave his all and got a yellow card for being overly eager to help out, rushing to block a free kick)