A feat was needed. That was what Alberto Bollini had asked of his boys who, at the packed Weserstadion in Bremen, overcame Germany 3-2 in the first match of the second qualifying phase of the European Championship. A beautiful match, and as lively as the tradition of this fixture requires. Italy were fantastic in the first half, a bit fatigued at the beginning of the second, but always dangerous. The first half ended with the Azzurrini ahead by two goals, coming from Roma midfielder Niccolò Pisilli and from Sassuolo forward Luca D'Andrea. The second half began with Pisilli hitting the post that denied a third goal and, probably, the end of the match. But the fatigue was felt and the Germans took advantage of it, getting level in six minutes through Damar and the substitute Kabadayi, but the Azzurrini were always competitive, they did not give up: Pisilli, hero of the day, scored twice and led the team to victory with this performance, putting the target of qualification well in reach, even if the next match against Slovenia (25 March) and in particular, the last against Belgium (28 March), remain tough obstacles to overcome.

Bollini was satisfied at the end of the match: "Italian spirit got us over the line : I must congratulate the whole team, no one excluded, who put in a flawless performance in the first half. In the second half, Pisilli's hit the post which could have finished the match; two poor moments gave Germany the chance to draw level. But here the spirit of the Azzurra shirt emerged, which, together with the entire staff, we managed to convey to the boys, who were wonderful at absorbing and making this unique emotion their own". On the rest of the tournament, Bollini remains cautious: "I've seen so many ups and downs, I don't trust them too much. We have to keep our concentration up and think about one match at a time. Now there is Slovenia and on the pitch we must bring the same will to win as today, continuing to draw strength from the pride of wearing this shirt."

Germany 2-3 Italy

Goalscorers: Pisilli 18’, D’Andrea 24’, Damar 53’, Kabadayi 59’, Pisilli 67’

Germany (4-2-3-1): Feller; Morgalla (69' Oliveira Kisilowski), Collins, Gechter, Rothe (69' Diehl); Tohumcu (C), Frauendorf (46' Kabadayi); Baur (75' Tresoldi), Damar, Ullrich; Topp (88' Sanne).
Subs. Backhaus, Bunk, Kemlein, Quarshie. Coach. Streichsbier.

Italy (4-3-3): Mastrantonio; Kayode, Stivanello, Mane, Regonesi; Pisilli, Faticanti (C), Lipani (79' Kumi); D'Andrea (63' Vignato), Esposito (79' Raimondo), Hasa (90' Missori). Subs. Palmisani, Chiarodia, Amatucci, Koleosho. Coach. Bollini.

Referee: Atilla Karaoglan (TUR); Assistants: Emin Tugral (TUR) and Marios Kalogyrou (CYP); Fourth Official, Andreas Argyrou (CYP).

Bookings: Stivanello, Regonesi, Baur, D’Andrea, Kabadayi, Mastrantonio.

The squad

Goalkeepers: Davide Mastrantonio (Triestina), Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone);

Defenders: Fabio Christian Chiarodia (Werder Bremen), Lorenzo Dellavalle (Juventus), Michael Olabode Ayode (Fiorentina), Filippo Calixte Mane (Borussia Dortmund), Filippo Missori (Roma), Iacopo Regonesi (Atalanta), Riccardo Stivanello (Bologna);

Midfielders: Lorenzo Amatucci (Fiorentina), Giacomo Faticanti (Roma), Justin Kumi (Sassuolo), Luca Lipani (Genoa), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma);

Attackers: Luca D’andrea (Sassuolo), Francesco Esposito (Inter), Luis Hasa (Juventus), Luca Warrick Daeovie Koleosho (Espanyol), Antonio Raimondo (Bologna), Samuele Vignato (Monza).

Pictured, Pisilli on the left, D'Andrea on the right