Roberto Mancini's Weak Debut as Belgium Tramples Italy 2-0

Roberto Mancini's coaching debut with the Italian national team ended in defeat as Italy suffered a 2-0 loss to Belgium in their UEFA Nations League Group A match. The Azzurri, currently in fourth place, are now at the bottom of Group A, while Belgium leads the group with three points. Mark van Bommel made his coaching debut with Belgium, guiding them to a victory.

Both teams displayed aggressive play early in the game. Italian goalkeepers Gianluigi Donnarumma and Senne Lammens made crucial saves to thwart Charles De Ketelaere and Moise Kean. Belgium took the lead in the 20th minute when Godts scored a low shot into the bottom right corner of the Italian goal, evading Gianluca Mancini and Diego Coppola. Despite Belgium's dominant performance, they couldn't add to their lead before halftime due to Donnarumma's remarkable saves.

Italy's goalkeeper and captain, Donnarumma, made two consecutive saves in the first half to deny De Ketelaere and Nicolas Raskin. Maxim De Cuyper came close to scoring Belgium's second goal, but his shot went wide of the post. Italy's Francesco Pio Esposito had two opportunities, with one shot hitting the crossbar and the other being saved by Lammens. In the 69th minute, Lukebakio scored for Belgium after dribbing past Sandro Tonali and Daniel Maldini, curling the ball into the bottom left corner of Donnarumma's goal.

Italy made desperate attempts in the final minutes, but Riccardo Calafiori's shot and Giorgio Scalvini's chance both missed the target. The match ended 0-2 in favor of Belgium, who will face France at home in their next Nations League game. Roberto Mancini will aim to secure his first win as Italy coach when the Azzurri travel to Turkey in their next match.