Italy defeats the Netherlands and climbs to the podium
The ‘Azzurra’ finished third in the Final Four of the League of Nations and unleashed doubts in Ronald Koeman’s team
MADRID, 18 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Italian team beat the Netherlands (2-3) this Sunday in the game for third place in the Final Four of the League of Nations, a duel that revives the hope of the renewed ‘Azzurra’ and the concern of the ‘Orange’.
Ronald Koeman’s men, who have conceded 11 goals since the return of the former culé coach to the bench, hardly disturbed the current European champions in a first half in which Roberto Mancini’s men seemed to put the match on track with goals from Federico Dimarco and by Davide Frattesi.
However, the ‘Orange’ reacted with Steven Bergwijn’s goal with just over 20 minutes remaining, to which Federico Chiesa responded by making it 1-3. The Dutch pressed, and despite the 2-3 established by Georginio Wijnaldum, they said goodbye to the competition with bad feelings, which covered them after reaping two defeats and conceding seven goals.
It only took six minutes for the ‘Azzurra’ to silence the Dutch premises, in a cross from the right wing that reached the boots of Giacomo Raspadori in the area; the Napoli forward gave the ball back for the arrival of Federico Dimarco, who masterfully put him in the squad far from the reach of Justin Bijlow (min.6).
Roberto Mancini’s men struck again shortly after, when, in a jumbled play, Davide Frattesi caught a rebound in the area to make it 0-2 (min.20). Bijlow still saved his team by punching the third for the transalpines, after Dimarco’s shot, and Cody Gakpo responded on the brink of half-time in a one-on-one against Gianluigi Donnarumma that he resolved with a deflected shot.
Koeman moved the bench after the restart and it was one of those who entered the pitch, Steven Bergwijn, who revived hope with a goal after cutting Dimarco and beating the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper with a left foot (min.68 ).
The continental champion left no time for doubts and once again increased the difference in minute 72 thanks to another newcomer: Federico Chiesa; The one from Juventus overflowed the local defense and, with a soft touch, made it 1-3.
Wout Weghorst, found a goal in minute 82, but the referee canceled the goal for offside, although it did go up a little later, in minute 89, the goal by Georginio Wijnaldum, who tightened things up with an unappealable shot directly into the top corner. Regardless, Italy managed their lead to tie up third place.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: NETHERLANDS, 2 – ITALY, 3 (0-2, at halftime).
–LINE-UPS.
PAÍSES BAJOS: Bijlow; Dumfries, Geertruida (Wijnaldum, min.46), Van Dijk, Ake; Wieffer (Veerman, min.76), De Jong, Simons (Koopmeiners, min.63); Lang (Weghorst, min.46), Gakpo y Malen (Bergwijn, min.46).
ITALY: Donnarumma; Toloi, Acerbi, Buongiorno, Dimarco (Spinazzola, min.74); Frattesi, Cristante, Verratti (Barella, min.85); Raspadori (Zaniolo, min.63), Gnonto (Church, min.63) and Retegui (Pellegrini, min.85).
–GOALS:
0-1, min.6: Dimarco.
0-2, min.20: Frattesi.
1-2, min.68: Mountain wine.
1-3, 72 mins: Church.
2-3, min.89: Wijnaldum.
–REFEREE: Glenn Nyberg (SUE). He admonished Weghorst (min.95) for the Netherlands and Dimarco (min.34), Barella (min.92) and Acerbi (min.95) for Italy.
–ESTADIO: Twente Stadium de Enschede.