Leonardo Bonucci celebrated his 100th Italy cap and another clean sheet, but admits they ‘made a lot of mistakes’ in the 2-0 win over Northern Ireland.

Domenico Berardi and Ciro Immobile got the goals in the first half of this opening 2022 World Cup qualifier.

Leonardo Bonucci celebrated his 100th Italy cap and another clean sheet, but admits they ‘made a lot of mistakes’ in the 2-0 win over Northern Ireland.

Domenico Berardi and Ciro Immobile got the goals in the first half of this opening 2022 World Cup qualifier.

“It’s important that we kept a clean sheet, even if we made a lot of mistakes in the second half and need to improve, especially when we’re in possession,” Bonucci told RAI Sport.

“What I’ve always liked since Mancini took over was the attitude. We face everyone without fear, we keep our nerve and go out there to win every game.

“It means there’s a lot of hard work behind it, from the players and the staff, because the ideas are clear and we drill them in very quickly.

“The young players here have a lot of talent, along with the spirit of sacrifice and hard work, so these are the results.”

Bonucci is one of the players remaining who experienced Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

“It still hurts, that wound will never heal, but we have to take the anger and hunger from that incident and transform it into positive energy going forward.

“We really miss the fans and hope that we can have a crowd in the stands during the Euros. We dedicate this first victory in the qualifying campaign to our fans and all those who had difficult moments during this period.”

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