Antonio Conte says 'a bit of suffering was inevitable' against Belgium, but claims Italy's performances will have to 'extraordinary' from here on.
The Azzurri surprised and impressed the whole footballing world by beating one of the tournament's favourites by a convincing 2-0.
“I have to thank the lads, as we prepared the game in the best way against a side full of talent,” Antonio Conte told Sky Sport Italia. “There was total participation from every player, not just those on the pitch, and that is what I like.
Antonio Conte says 'a bit of suffering was inevitable' against Belgium, but claims Italy's performances will have to 'extraordinary' from here on.
The Azzurri surprised and impressed the whole footballing world by beating one of the tournament's favourites by a convincing 2-0.
“I have to thank the lads, as we prepared the game in the best way against a side full of talent,” Antonio Conte told Sky Sport Italia. “There was total participation from every player, not just those on the pitch, and that is what I like.
“A bit of suffering is inevitable, don’t forget Belgium beat us 3-1 in November and have remarkable talent both on the field and on the bench.
“We got a bit too deep and stopped playing towards the end, even if we were very dangerous at pace and had chances to double our lead.
“I am above all happy for the lads, as they deserve it for all they are doing and the kind of men they are.”
The choice of Emanuele Giaccherini in midfield was criticised, yet he got the opening goal.
“Unfortunately, everyone in Italy is a Coach! Everybody likes to choose the line-up. I try to be honest and pick the players I feel are most suited to a certain type of football and match situation.
“We have to keep our feet on the ground. Don’t forget two years ago we won the opener of the 2014 World Cup against England and then went out.
“We must take it one step at a time and see if we can reach the Round of 16, then we’ll see.”
Conte said he wanted Italy to dream at Euro 2016, so what kind of a dream is it now?
“Dreams help you to achieve something extraordinary. In order to make dreams come true, you need to do something extraordinary. Ordinary is not enough.”