Italy coach Milena Bertolini was understandably frustrated following the Azzurre’s 1-0 loss to Belgium tonight, which knocked them out of Euro 2022.
Italy didn’t have a particularly positive run this summer in England. Their tournament kicked off against one of the favourites France and they suffered a painful 5-1 loss, seemingly playing a different game compared to Les Bleus. The second match was a 1-1 draw against Iceland, which put the pressure on for tonight’s game against Belgium.
Unfortunately for Bertolini and the Azzurre, they couldn’t rise to the occasion and suffered a frustrating defeat to Belgium, knocking them out of Euro 2022.
Speaking to Rai Sport after the game, Bertolini first reacted to the result and her team’s performance.
“We lost a match that we didn’t deserve to lose. Apart from the beginning when they were a bit shaky, the girls gave what they had and I think that in the end we could’ve picked up something more, but that’s football.”
She touched on what this Azzurre squad are lacking following their poor tournament.
“What was lacking, perhaps initially, was calmness, but I must say that tonight the girls played and did well. Clearly, if you arrive like this where you are forced to win, the emotional aspect took over at certain moments, but the girls did well today.”
Finally, Bertolini commented on how the team will deal with the pressure in the future. They can secure a spot in the upcoming 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand with good results against Moldova and Romania in September.
“It’s an important experience for us, which we hadn’t experienced yet, it will definitely make us grow and make us stronger for the future.
“How do we turn the page? By taking the positive things, which exist, analysing the negative things and trying not to repeat mistakes.”