Spain bested Italy in a 2-1 victory at the De Grolsch Veste stadium in the Netherlands on Thursday night to book their spot in the final of the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.

La Furia Roja got the better of the Italians within three minutes of play when Yeremy Pino took advantage of a defensive error to hand Spain the lead after three minutes of play. Spain’s lead did not last long, however, with Ciro Immobile scoring a penalty just eight minutes later after debutant Robin Le Normand was deemed to have handled the ball in the box.

Dominating the ball with 63% possession and 19 shots compared to eight, it seemed as if Spain had run out of ideas as extra time loomed. Then, in the 88th minute, Rodri fired a long-range shot that was deflected into the path of Joselu, who scored from just four yards out.

“The team played a great game,” Joselu remarked after the game. “We dominated almost the entire second half, just the goal was missing. I was alone after Rodri’s shot, it fell (to me) and I was confident I wasn’t offside. I’m happy for my goal because we’re now into a final with a chance to win a trophy.”

Coach Luis de la Fuente’s squad will take on Croatia in the final of the UEFA Nations League in Rotterdam on Sunday.

The post Spain Defeats Italy to Clinch Spot in UEFA Nations League Final appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Copa America champions Argentina thumped Euro 2020 winners Italy 3-0 in a match dubbed the “Finalissima” on Wednesday night. This game is a revival of the Cup of Champions; a match between the winners of the European and South American continental football competitions.

The match marked the return of the Italian national team to Wembley Stadium in London, where they defeated England on penalties to lift the Euro 2020 trophy. The stadium was packed with 87,000 fans, a significant number of whom made the trip from Buenos Aires to support the reigning South American champions.

Lautaro Martinez and Angel Di Maria handed the Argentinians the advantage in the first half, while Paulo Dybala wrapped up the scoring with a 94th-minute goal at the death.

“It was a beautiful final, full of Argentinians. What we’ve experienced here was beautiful. We knew it was going to be an attractive game and a nice setting to be champion,” Lionel Messi stated following his team’s resounding victory.

What was a moment of pride for Argentina turned out to be an anticlimactic finale for veteran Azzurri defender Giorgio Chiellini, who was subbed off at halftime in what was his final match for the Italian national team.

The post Argentina Defeat Italy to Lift “Finalissima” Trophy appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The trophy reserved for the European Championship winner isn’t “coming home” after all. Instead, it was headed to Rome after Italy got a penalty shootout win over England in EURO 2020 finals.

England, who has never won a European Championship and has a lone World Cup trophy from 1966, entered the EURO 2020 finals as overwhelming favorites. The team managed by Gareth Southgate was considered to have a far more talented squad than Italy while also playing in front of the home crowd and conceding just one goal in the entire tournament.

Italy, on the other hand, was looking for redemption after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Manager Roberto Mancini fielded a team comprised out of young stars and season veterans, hoping to bring his country its second European Championship trophy and sixth overall, counting the previous four World Cup wins.

England managed to open the scoring early on when Manchester United’s full-back Luke Shaw used a great cross from Kieran Trippier to put the ball behind Italy’s goalie Gianluigi Donnarumma. The goal came at 01:56, making it the fastest goal ever scored in the EURO finals.

It looked like England would dominate the game after this, but it wasn’t long before Italy found its footing. The Italians took over the possession and were the better squad late in the first half. This trend continued in the second half, and their persistence paid off when Leonardo Bonucci scored an equalizer after a scramble in the penalty box. The Juventus defender became the oldest player to score in the EURO finals with this goal.

Italy had several more chances to complete the comeback but failed to convert them. This took the game to extra time, where both teams looked like they would be content to determine the contest via penalty shootout.

England had the lead after the first two series, converting both penalties and seeing Italy split theirs. Leonardo Bonucci and Federico Bernardeschi then scored for Italy while Donnarumma saved the kick from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford missed his by hitting the right post.

Jorginho had the opportunity to seal the win as the last penalty taker for Italy but sent his kick into the post and left the door open for England. Still, Donnarumma managed to negate Jorginho’s mistake by saving Bukayo Saka’s penalty and kickstarting a huge celebration for Italy.

“The guys were extraordinary. I don’t have words for them; this is a magnificent group. There were no easy games, and this one became very difficult, but then we dominated,” said Italy manager Roberto Mancini after the match.

“You need a bit of luck with penalties, and I’m a little sorry for England. This team has grown so much, I think it can still improve. We are so happy for all.”

The post Italy Lifts EURO 2020 Trophy After Penalty Shutout Win over England appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The 2018 World Cup will be the first one without Italy’s national soccer team in 60 years. This is the outcome of the European World Cup qualifying playoff which saw Sweden beating Italy for the final spot. Despite this historic failure, Italy’s coach Gian Piero Ventura refused to resign saying he thinks he can do better. Most of the fans and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) thought otherwise, so he was sacked on Wednesday.

“During the course of a meeting called by FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio, an examination was launched following the failure to qualify for the World Cup in Russia in 2018. As the first point on the day’s agenda, Tavecchio announced that, as of today, Gian Piero Ventura is no longer the coach of the national team.” said the official statement of FIGC.

Italy ended in the second place of group B of the European Qualifiers for World Cup behind Spain. When it was announced that Italy will face Sweden in the additional qualifiers, everyone thought that four times World Cup winners had an easy task. In the first game, however, Italy struggled to penetrate Sweden’s defense while Sweden managed to score a goal. In the second match, played in Milan, Italy again didn’t manage to score which ultimately meant they won’t be a part of the 2018 World Cup.

Gian Piero Ventura was appointed as Italy’s coach in 2016 after he managed to bring Torino back to Seria A. During his tenure as the coach of Italy, Ventura recorded 10 wins, four draws, and three defeats. He was often criticized for his tactical decisions and there were rumors that some of the players in the national team didn’t like the style of football Ventura advocated.

Now Italy is looking for a new coach, with former Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti being a strong favorite.

The post Gian Piero Ventura Sacked as Italy Fails to Qualify for the World Cup appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Spain bested Italy in a 2-1 victory at the De Grolsch Veste stadium in the Netherlands on Thursday night to book their spot in the final of the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.

La Furia Roja got the better of the Italians within three minutes of play when Yeremy Pino took advantage of a defensive error to hand Spain the lead after three minutes of play. Spain’s lead did not last long, however, with Ciro Immobile scoring a penalty just eight minutes later after debutant Robin Le Normand was deemed to have handled the ball in the box.

Dominating the ball with 63% possession and 19 shots compared to eight, it seemed as if Spain had run out of ideas as extra time loomed. Then, in the 88th minute, Rodri fired a long-range shot that was deflected into the path of Joselu, who scored from just four yards out.

“The team played a great game,” Joselu remarked after the game. “We dominated almost the entire second half, just the goal was missing. I was alone after Rodri’s shot, it fell (to me) and I was confident I wasn’t offside. I’m happy for my goal because we’re now into a final with a chance to win a trophy.”

Coach Luis de la Fuente’s squad will take on Croatia in the final of the UEFA Nations League in Rotterdam on Sunday.

The post Spain Defeats Italy to Clinch Spot in UEFA Nations League Final appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Copa America champions Argentina thumped Euro 2020 winners Italy 3-0 in a match dubbed the “Finalissima” on Wednesday night. This game is a revival of the Cup of Champions; a match between the winners of the European and South American continental football competitions.

The match marked the return of the Italian national team to Wembley Stadium in London, where they defeated England on penalties to lift the Euro 2020 trophy. The stadium was packed with 87,000 fans, a significant number of whom made the trip from Buenos Aires to support the reigning South American champions.

Lautaro Martinez and Angel Di Maria handed the Argentinians the advantage in the first half, while Paulo Dybala wrapped up the scoring with a 94th-minute goal at the death.

“It was a beautiful final, full of Argentinians. What we’ve experienced here was beautiful. We knew it was going to be an attractive game and a nice setting to be champion,” Lionel Messi stated following his team’s resounding victory.

What was a moment of pride for Argentina turned out to be an anticlimactic finale for veteran Azzurri defender Giorgio Chiellini, who was subbed off at halftime in what was his final match for the Italian national team.

The post Argentina Defeat Italy to Lift “Finalissima” Trophy appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The trophy reserved for the European Championship winner isn’t “coming home” after all. Instead, it was headed to Rome after Italy got a penalty shootout win over England in EURO 2020 finals.

England, who has never won a European Championship and has a lone World Cup trophy from 1966, entered the EURO 2020 finals as overwhelming favorites. The team managed by Gareth Southgate was considered to have a far more talented squad than Italy while also playing in front of the home crowd and conceding just one goal in the entire tournament.

Italy, on the other hand, was looking for redemption after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Manager Roberto Mancini fielded a team comprised out of young stars and season veterans, hoping to bring his country its second European Championship trophy and sixth overall, counting the previous four World Cup wins.

England managed to open the scoring early on when Manchester United’s full-back Luke Shaw used a great cross from Kieran Trippier to put the ball behind Italy’s goalie Gianluigi Donnarumma. The goal came at 01:56, making it the fastest goal ever scored in the EURO finals.

It looked like England would dominate the game after this, but it wasn’t long before Italy found its footing. The Italians took over the possession and were the better squad late in the first half. This trend continued in the second half, and their persistence paid off when Leonardo Bonucci scored an equalizer after a scramble in the penalty box. The Juventus defender became the oldest player to score in the EURO finals with this goal.

Italy had several more chances to complete the comeback but failed to convert them. This took the game to extra time, where both teams looked like they would be content to determine the contest via penalty shootout.

England had the lead after the first two series, converting both penalties and seeing Italy split theirs. Leonardo Bonucci and Federico Bernardeschi then scored for Italy while Donnarumma saved the kick from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford missed his by hitting the right post.

Jorginho had the opportunity to seal the win as the last penalty taker for Italy but sent his kick into the post and left the door open for England. Still, Donnarumma managed to negate Jorginho’s mistake by saving Bukayo Saka’s penalty and kickstarting a huge celebration for Italy.

“The guys were extraordinary. I don’t have words for them; this is a magnificent group. There were no easy games, and this one became very difficult, but then we dominated,” said Italy manager Roberto Mancini after the match.

“You need a bit of luck with penalties, and I’m a little sorry for England. This team has grown so much, I think it can still improve. We are so happy for all.”

The post Italy Lifts EURO 2020 Trophy After Penalty Shutout Win over England appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The 2018 World Cup will be the first one without Italy’s national soccer team in 60 years. This is the outcome of the European World Cup qualifying playoff which saw Sweden beating Italy for the final spot. Despite this historic failure, Italy’s coach Gian Piero Ventura refused to resign saying he thinks he can do better. Most of the fans and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) thought otherwise, so he was sacked on Wednesday.

“During the course of a meeting called by FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio, an examination was launched following the failure to qualify for the World Cup in Russia in 2018. As the first point on the day’s agenda, Tavecchio announced that, as of today, Gian Piero Ventura is no longer the coach of the national team.” said the official statement of FIGC.

Italy ended in the second place of group B of the European Qualifiers for World Cup behind Spain. When it was announced that Italy will face Sweden in the additional qualifiers, everyone thought that four times World Cup winners had an easy task. In the first game, however, Italy struggled to penetrate Sweden’s defense while Sweden managed to score a goal. In the second match, played in Milan, Italy again didn’t manage to score which ultimately meant they won’t be a part of the 2018 World Cup.

Gian Piero Ventura was appointed as Italy’s coach in 2016 after he managed to bring Torino back to Seria A. During his tenure as the coach of Italy, Ventura recorded 10 wins, four draws, and three defeats. He was often criticized for his tactical decisions and there were rumors that some of the players in the national team didn’t like the style of football Ventura advocated.

Now Italy is looking for a new coach, with former Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti being a strong favorite.

The post Gian Piero Ventura Sacked as Italy Fails to Qualify for the World Cup appeared first on SportzBonanza.